Guatemala English language Magazine
Many U.S. Citizens are aware of the $250,000 ($500,000 if married filing jointly) exclusion on the gain from a sale of a home in a qualifying transaction. The following general requirements must be met to qualify for the exclusion: You must have owned and occupied the home as a principal residence for at least two out of five years prior […]
Read moreLawyers may not be the most hated profession, even though entire books of lawyer jokes exist. Every non-lawyer has a war story about a run-in with a lawyer, whether here or in the old country. But if non-lawyers disdain lawyers, whom do lawyers pick on? Tax collectors, perhaps. Maybe I will write a book of tax-collector jokes for the lawyer […]
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written by Steven Pittser If you are a U.S. citizen, the rules for filing income tax returns are generally the same whether you live in the States or abroad. The following is a brief summary of the criteria that would require an individual to file a 2008 tax return. If you are married filing jointly and your gross income (all […]
Read moreEnd of the year tax reducing ideas Getting in the Christmas spirit and year-end tax planning mixes like oil and water. Who wants to think about taxes, you ask, when it’s time for Santa Claus and candy canes. It may surprise you to know that because of his investment in a fir tree farm in Montana some years back, Santa […]
Read moreThe IRS and U.S. foreign nationals living and working abroad Just because you are a U.S. citizens living and working abroad does not mean that you don’t have to report your yearly earnings to the IRS. However, if you pass two tests and qualify for the “foreign earned income exclusion,” you don’t owe any tax unless you made more than […]
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