United States Tax Law Basics
The United States differs from most other countries in that it continues to charge its citizens tax even when they are not living and working within the country. For many expats, this comes as a surprise. This may also provoke anxiety, as many expats are also paying taxes to their new country of residence. In these cases, expats worry about paying taxes twice on the same income. Luckily, the United States developed the foreign tax credit to prevent this very issue.
However, in order to take advantage of the foreign tax credit, you must meet certain requirements. You must also comply with the IRS rules with regard to timely tax return filing and income tax payment. Because expat taxes are complex, many expats consult with a tax professional.
Reporting The Tax Credit
Since David is a U.S. person, he must report the sale on his U.S. Tax Return as well. David reports the tax credit in the U.S. for his foreign property sale the same way he would ordinarily do, on Form 1116. He reports the sale on Schedule D, along with any rental income in the same year that was earned prior to the sale, on Schedule E.
David claims the Foreign Tax Credit on Form 1116. Unfortunately, in this scenario, the amount of the Foreign Tax Credit is limited.
Why Choose The Credit
The foreign tax credit is intended to relieve you of the double tax burden when your foreign source income is taxed by both the United States and the foreign country.
The foreign tax credit can only reduce U.S. taxes on foreign source income it cannot reduce U.S. taxes on U.S. source income.
It is generally better to take a credit for qualified foreign taxes than to deduct them as an itemized deduction. This is because:
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What You Need To Know About Ftc
Moving forward, what do you need to know about FTC? I have broken down the definition of FTC defined above into three simple points. It is a mechanism to avoid double taxation on foreign source income. Remember, with your U.S. source income with your being a Canadian resident and happen to leave for a few months to the U.S. once you file a U.S. return that income gets taxed in the U.S. and since youre a Canadian resident the same income will get taxed in Canada as well. This is an example of double taxation. Ultimate tax is the highest of domestic or foreign taxes paid and, Without FTC the same dollar of income would be taxed twice. Note, FTC is a mechanism to avoid double taxation.
Reduction In Total Foreign Taxes Available For Credit
You must reduce your foreign taxes available for the credit by the amount of those taxes paid or accrued on income that is excluded from U.S. income under the foreign earned income exclusion or the foreign housing exclusion. See Publication 54, Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad, for more information on the foreign earned income and housing exclusions. Also see Publication 514, Foreign Tax Credit for Individuals, for information about the reduction of foreign taxes available for credit.
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Taxes Excluded From Foreign Income Tax
Even if taxes are imposed by the government or the local government of foreign countries, the followings are excluded from foreign income tax:
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Foreign Taxes That Qualify For The Foreign Tax Credit
For a foreign tax to qualify as a foreign tax credit, the following criterion must be met:
1. The tax must be imposed on the individual
A taxpayer can only claim credits when foreign taxes are imposed by a foreign country or a United States possession. U.S. possessions include American Samoa and Puerto Rico. Foreign countries are considered to be a foreign state and their relevant political subdivisions.
War profits, income, and excess profits taxes paid or accrued to a foreign city or province qualify for the foreign tax credit treatment. Additionally, all qualified taxes paid to U.S. possessions are considered foreign taxation.
2. The individual must have accrued or paid the tax
3. The tax must be the legal and actual foreign tax liability
The qualified foreign tax must be the only legal and actual foreign tax liability that was paid or accrued during a year. The amount of foreign income tax liabilityIncome Tax PayableIncome tax payable is a term given to a business organizations tax liability to the government where it operates. The amount of liability will be based on its profitability during a given period and the applicable tax rates. Tax payable is not considered a long-term liability, but rather a current liability, that qualifies does not necessarily equal the amount withheld by the foreign government.
4. The tax must be an income tax
Addition To Taxable Income To Prevent Reduction To Foreign Tax Credit
1.93 For the purpose of claiming a foreign tax credit for a particular year, in certain situations where a corporation would not otherwise be able to fully utilize the foreign income or profits taxes that it has paid, section 110.5 may make it possible to do so. An example where such a situation would occur is if a loss for the year reduced the corporations total income to an amount less than its foreign source income and the resulting CTOP was less than FTP in the foreign tax credit formula for foreign non-business-income taxes, or the resulting CTOP was less than FTP in the foreign tax credit formula for foreign business-income taxes.
1.94 Section 110.5 allows a corporation to add any extra amount in computing its taxable income, to the extent that this causes an increase to any amount deductible by the corporation as a foreign tax credit under subsection 126 or but does not cause any increase to an amount deductible by the corporation in a provision set out in paragraph 110.5. The corporation may add an amount of extra income which increases an amount deductible under subsection 126or as well an amount deductible under a provision listed in paragraph 110.5 as long as the deduction under an increased 110.5 provision is not claimed. The amount added under section 110.5 in computing taxable income is added in the calculation of WI or WI in the foreign tax credit formulas, as the case may be. This is provided for in the adjustments in subparagraphs 126and 126, respectively.
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What Taxes Qualify For The Foreign Tax Credit
Americans can receive the Foreign Tax Credit for foreign taxes on the following:
- Income
The good news is that income from self-employment and employment both qualify.
On the other hand, certain taxes do not qualify.
For example, foreign provincial, state, or regional taxes do not qualify for the FTC. Likewise, you cannot receive Foreign Tax Credits for wealth taxes based on net worth.
A more specific example of a non-qualifying tax would be the church tax in Germany. The German solidarity surcharge however does qualify.
Definition Of Foreign Tax Credit
Okay, lets move on. This definition is very comprehensive and its from the Income Tax Act. Foreign tax credit depends on foreign taxes, and foreign income.
So foreign tax credit depends on foreign taxes and foreign income. Lets take an example. In the U.S. I will keep on using the term U.S. because I am under the assumption that some of you or most of you will have some sort of income in the U.S. If you are a Canadian resident and happen to work in the U.S. your income may get taxed twice. When your income gets taxed twice, this is when FTC comes in the picture. So think for a second, what is foreign on your home return? In this case, on your Canadian T1 Return what is foreign, and have you paid taxes in the foreign country on that particular income that is getting taxed twice. So yeah, what is foreign tax and what is foreign income.
Foreign tax deduction A taxpayer who was resident in Canada at any time in a taxation year may deduct from the tax for the year otherwise payable under this Part by the taxpayer an amount equal to:
- Such part of any-business-income tax paid by the taxpayer for the year to the government of a country other than Canada as the taxpayer may claim, not exceeding, however, foreign affiliate of the taxpayer) as the taxpayer may claim, not exceeding, however,
- That proportion of the tax for the year otherwise payable under this Part by the taxpayer
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Foreign Tax Credit Without Form 1116
Situations exist that allow you to claim the FTC without filing Form 1116, if the income concerned meets the qualifying definition.
For example:
- If all your foreign-taxed income was 1099-reported passive income, such as interest and dividends, you don’t need to file Form 1116, provided that any dividends came from stock you owned for at least 16 days.
- Single filers who paid $300 or less in foreign taxes, and married joint filers who paid $600 or less, can omit filing Form 1116. But using the form enables you to carry forward any unused credit balance to future tax years without filing Form 1116, you give up this carryover tax break.
- If your income came from a U.S. territory such as American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands, special rules govern how you use Form 1116 for the FTC.
When you use TurboTax to prepare your taxes, we’ll ask you straightforward questions about your foreign income, determine how much of it is deductible , and fill in all the right forms for you.
Foreigntax Credit And S 20 Deduction Calculation
Assume, for an Ontario taxpayer for 2019:
FNBI = Foreign non-business income of10,000 Other income of 15,000 Single person with only basic personal amount tax credit FIT = Foreign income tax withheld 2,000 – seelimitation re tax in excess of treaty rate, below E = Excess for s. 20 deduction = 2,000 – = 500 Net foreign non-business income after s. 20deduction = 10,000 – 500 – 9,500 Taxable Income before FTC = 15,000 + 10,000 – 500 = 24,500
Note: This ignores the Climate Action Incentive.
Calculation of Foreign Tax Credit with above assumptions |
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What Happens When The Foreign Tax Credit Is Denied
What happens when the foreign tax credit is denied
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The purpose of the Canada-U.S. tax treaty is to avoid double taxation of the same amountand not to allow taxpayers to benefit by claiming a foreign tax credit where no foreign tax has been paid. This was the conclusion reached in the recent tax case involving Sally Arsove, a U.S. citizen resident in Canada, whose foreign tax credit was denied by the CRA.
What Exactly Is It
Claiming the Foreign Tax Credit allows US taxpayers to reduce their US federal income tax bill by a dollar for every dollar of foreign income tax that theyve already paid on the same income abroad.
Taxes paid in other countries qualify for the Foreign Tax Credit when:
They were levied on your income. You were legally obliged to pay them. You did pay them. You did not gain from paying them, and The United States has not sanctioned the country.
Eligible taxes include income taxes paid to national, local, and provincial governments, but not sales tax, VAT, real estate, nor luxury taxes paid to a foreign government.
The Foreign Tax Credit doesnt apply to any taxes paid to countries that the US has sanctioned as supporters of terrorism.
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Reporting Foreign Income With Form 1116
After classifying your foreign income by category, you must complete a separate form for each of the seven types of income you may have:
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All Americans, including those who live abroad, are required to file US taxes, reporting their worldwide income.
The US is the only country that requires all of its citizens to file and pay taxes on their global income even if they live abroad. In contrast, the majority of foreign countries either only tax folks who either have income sourced in that country, or who are residents in that country.
American expats are also required to report their foreign registered bank accounts, financial assets, investments, and business interests, subject to minimum IRS value and ownership thresholds.
Overall, US expats often have more US tax and financial filing than Americans living in the States.
Expats who are also subject to filing requirements in a foreign country, because they either qualify as a tax resident by living there or they have income there, may also have to file foreign taxes too.
While every country has slightly different rules governing who is liable to file and pay tax there, most Americans who have settled in another country are required to pay income taxes in that country, often on their worldwide income. So what happens when both another country and the US want to tax an American s global income at the same time?
If you are a U.S. citizen or resident alien, the rules for filing income, estate, and gift tax returns and paying estimated tax are generally the same whether you are in the United States or abroad. the IRS
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US citizens and green card holders living abroad are required to report their worldwide income to the IRS. They may also have to pay foreign income tax in their country of residence.
Paying the full rate of tax on the same income to two different countries is called double taxation.
The Foreign Tax Credit is the primary provision that allows US citizens living abroad to avoid double taxation.
Abbreviations And Definitions Used
1.4 The following abbreviations and definitions are used in this Chapter:
BIT Business-income tax as defined in subsection 126.
CTOP Canadian tax otherwise payable as calculated under paragraph of the subsection 126 definition of the term tax for the year otherwise payable under this Part.
CTOP Canadian tax otherwise payable as calculated under paragraph of the subsection 126 definition of the term tax for the year otherwise payable under this Part.
CTOP Canadian tax otherwise payable as calculated under paragraph of the subsection 126 definition of the term tax for the year otherwise payable under this Part.
CTOP Canadian tax otherwise payable that pertains to the foreign business income from a particular foreign business country.
CTOP Canadian tax otherwise payable that pertains to the foreign non-business income from a particular country
FBI Foreign business income. This is the taxpayers total income for the year from businesses carried on in the foreign business country by the taxpayer as calculated in accordance with subparagraph 126.
FNBI Foreign non-business income. This is the total of the taxpayers foreign non-business income for the year from sources in a particular foreign country as determined by the amount by which their qualifying income exceeds their qualifying losses as outlined in subsection 126 and adjusted in accordance with subparagraph 126.
FTP Foreign tax paid.
NBIT Non-business-income tax as defined in subsection 126.
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