There are a few deductions and exemptions available to a U.S. person who lives and works overseas. These will help you to lower your expat taxes and might even get you a refund.
If you meet certain requirements, you may qualify for the foreign earned income and foreign housing exclusions and the foreign housing deduction. The most common deduction is the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, which is calculated on Form 2555. If you qualify for this you may exclude up to $108,700 of your foreign earned income. To qualify, you will need to meet either the Physical Present Test or Bona Fide Resident Test for living outside of the U.S.
Foreign Housing Exclusion or Deduction is another option that can save you some money on your taxable income. You need to be either a salaried employee, a wage earner or a self-employed individual to qualify for this deduction. It’s in an addition to FEIE and increases the exempted income by the amount of your qualified housing expenses. Depending on the country of your residence, the allowable deductions for the foreign housing will vary and are subject to limitations.
Tax credits allow you to lower the tax due after your taxable income has been fully calculated. Your tax credit may include what you have already paid to your resident country. Foreign Tax Credit is useful for any expat who has paid taxes overseas. This option does not require a person to prove their residence in an overseas location. If a U.S. citizen works overseas or is involved in foreign investments, it is likely that they have paid taxes to a foreign government. If the tax rate of the foreign country is equal to, or greater than, the U.S. tax rate, the Foreign Tax Credit will successfully rid the expat of any U.S. tax obligation on that amount.
Use Form 1116 “Foreign Tax Credit” to figure out the amount of foreign tax paid and calculate the credit. To qualify for this credit, you will need to meet the following requirements:
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