• Dr. Unabart@sh.itjust.works
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    16 days ago

    You won’t have to pay anything unless you’re pulling in the equivalent of >$126,500 USD in foreign income. Then you’re taxed on what you make above that. My H&R Block lady here in Germany told me all about it when I file every year. And boy howdy is fuuuuucking stupid that I’m having to file US taxes every year. I could stop, but then everything falls apart for me.

    • Maximumbird@lemm.ee
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      16 days ago

      This is news to me and so fucked up for a country that considers itself “land of the free”. I hate it here.

    • jsonjson@lemmy.sdf.org
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      16 days ago

      That $126,500 number refers to the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE), but it’s not a hard threshold below which you’re totally off the hook. U.S. citizens abroad still have to file a tax return if their income exceeds the standard filing requirement (around $14k+ for single filers). And the FEIE only applies to earned income, not investment income or retirement income. It’s not automatic, you have to qualify under the bona fide residence or physical presence test, and file the right forms (like Form 2555) to claim it.

      Even if you’re making well under $126k, you still have to file, and you might owe something depending on your situation.