Foreign, International Income by U.S. Citizens

For Tax Year 2022, if you are a U.S. Citizen or resident alien that is residing overseas on the regular due date of the return, you may be granted a two-month tax extension to file a federal income tax return and pay due tax. This means that, if you are overseas and away from your residency, then you will have until June 15, 2023, to file your 2022 Tax Return. You may still owe interest on any due tax from the original due date. After the June 15 date, you will be assessed any applicable late payment tax penalties. You can apply for an additional extension if you need more time (until October 15, 2023) by filing this before the June 15 date. Late payment penalties will still be assessed, if owed. This will not give you more time to pay and you will still be penalized for failure to pay your due tax.

Contact a Taxpert to discuss your Foreign Income

U.S. Citizens living and working abroad often wonder if they need to prepare and e-file or file a 2022 or previous U.S. tax return. The simple and basic answer is this: as a U.S. Citizen, your worldwide income is subject to U.S. income tax, regardless of where you live or where you earned your taxable income. Thus, as a citizen of the United States, you have to file an income tax return if you work and/or live abroad. 2022 Taxes are due April 15, 2023. If you're still unsure, use this free tax tool to determine if you have to file or not.

On the other hand, you might be exempt from a tax return if you relinquish your green card holder alien status—Form I-40, U.S. Citizen & Immigration Service—or you renounce your United States citizenship altogether as outlined in the expatriation tax provisions.

Use many of the Taxpert.com 2022 Tax Calculators or tools to learn more about your particular 2022 Tax Return.

Not sure how to report your foreign earned income? When you prepare and e-file with Taxpert.com, we will help determine this for you following a simple tax interview.

Foreign Income Types

Foreign earned income has the source of the income as the place you performed the services for which you received the income, such as a foreign country. For example, if you do work for a U.S. employer in Spain and receive payment to your U.S. bank in Florida, your income is considered foreign earned income as the location on where the work is performed is the main consideration. Had you performed the same work in the U.S., you would report it as U.S. sourced income.

In the table below, find samples of foreign earned income, unearned income, and variable income generated by U.S. citizens abroad.

You might not be able to clearly determine how much of your paid work or income is done in the United States. It may have been done partly in the United States and partly in a foreign country, so it is important to determine the amount of U.S. source income using the method that most correctly shows the proper source of your income.

With Taxpert.com, we help you make the decision that best suits your tax situation for 2022. In most cases, you can make this determination on a time basis. U.S. source income is the amount that results from multiplying your total pay (including allowances, reimbursements, and noncash fringe benefits) by a fraction. The numerator (top number) is the number of days you worked within the United States. The denominator (bottom number) is the total number of workdays you were paid for. The bona-fide residency and physical presence test determines your eligibility based on your living situation for the tax year.

Read these important publications on U.S Citizens and Aliens Abroad and Foreign Tax Credit for Individuals.

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