Tax Guide for 
U.S. Citizens 
and 
Resident Aliens 
Abroad

This publication discusses special tax rules for U.S. citizens and resident aliens who work abroad or who have income earned in foreign countries.

If you are a U.S. citizen or resident alien, your worldwide income generally is subject to U.S. income tax, regardless of where you are living. Also, you are subject to the same income tax filing requirements that apply to U.S. citizens or resident aliens living in the United States. Expatriation tax provisions apply to U.S. citizens who have renounced their citizenship and long-term residents who have ended their residency. These provisions are discussed in chapter 4 of Publication 519, U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens.

A resident alien is an individual who is not a citizen or national of the United States and who meets either the green card test or the substantial presence test for the calendar year.

1. Green card test. You are a U.S. resident if you were a lawful permanent resident of the United States at any time during the calendar year. This is known as the green card test because resident aliens hold immigrant visas (also known as green cards).
2. Substantial presence test. You are considered a U.S. resident if you meet the substantial presence test for the calendar year. To meet this test, you must be physically present in the United States on at least:
   1. 31 days during the current calendar year, and
   2. A total of 183 days during the current year and the 2 preceding years, counting all the days of physical presence in the current year, but only 1/3 the number of days of presence in the first preceding year, and only 1/6 the number of days in the second preceding year.

You were physically present in the United States on 120 days in each of the years 2009, 2010, and 2011. To determine if you meet the substantial presence test for 2011, count the full 120 days of presence in 2011, 40 days in 2010 (1/3 of 120), and 20 days in 2009 (1/6 of 120). Because the total for the 3-year period is 180 days, you are not considered a resident under the substantial presence test for 2011.

For more information on resident and nonresident status, the tests for residence, and the exceptions to them, see Publication 519.

Chapter 1 contains general filing information, such as:

• Whether you must file a U.S. tax return,
• When and where to file your return,
• How to report your income if it is paid in foreign currency,
• How to treat a nonresident alien spouse as a U.S. resident, and
• Whether you must pay estimated tax.

Chapter 2 discusses the withholding of income, social security, and Medicare taxes from the pay of U.S. citizens and resident aliens.

Chapter 3 discusses who must pay self-employment tax.

Chapter 4 discusses income tax benefits that apply if you meet certain requirements while living abroad. You may qualify to treat up to $92,900 of your income as not taxable by the United States. You also may be able to either deduct part of your housing expenses from your income or treat a limited amount of income used for housing expenses as not taxable by the United States. These benefits are called the foreign earned income exclusion and the foreign housing deduction and exclusion.

To qualify for either of the exclusions or the deduction, you must have a tax home in a foreign country and earn income from personal services performed in a foreign country. These rules are explained in chapter 4.

If you are going to exclude or deduct your income as discussed above, you must file Form 2555, Foreign Earned Income, or Form 2555-EZ, Foreign Earned Income Exclusion. You will find an example with filled-in Forms 2555 and 2555-EZ in chapter 4.

Chapter 5 discusses exemptions, deductions, and credits you may be able to claim on your return. These are generally the same as if you were living in the United States. However, if you choose to exclude foreign earned income or housing amounts, you cannot deduct or exclude any item or take a credit for any item that is related to the amounts you exclude. Among the topics discussed in chapter 5 are:

• Exemptions,
• Contributions to foreign organizations,
• Foreign moving expenses,
• Contributions to individual retirement arrangements (IRAs), and
• Foreign taxes.

Chapter 6 discusses some benefits that are common to most tax treaties and explains how to get help if you think you are not receiving a treaty benefit to which you are entitled. It also explains how to get copies of tax treaties.

Chapter 7 is an explanation of how to get information and assistance from the IRS.

Frequently asked questions and answers to those questions are presented in the back of the publication.

We welcome your comments about this publication and your suggestions for future editions.

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Internal Revenue Service
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If you have a tax question, check the information available on IRS.gov or call 1-800-829-1040. We cannot answer tax questions sent to either of the above addresses.