taxation law services

2025 Tax Season for Tax Year 2024 Starts on January 27, 2025 | Tax Lawyers Minneapolis

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On January 10, 2025, the Internal Revenue Service announced that the federal 2025 tax season for the tax year 2024 will start on January 27, 2025.

2025 Tax Season: IRS Expectations on the Number of Tax Returns

The IRS expects more than 140 million individual tax returns for tax year 2024 to be filed ahead of the Tuesday, April 15, 2025 federal tax deadline. More than half of all tax returns are expected to be filed this year with the help of a tax professional. In fact, the IRS encourages taxpayers to use a tax professional to file their tax returns.

2025 Tax Season: IRS Boasts Modernization

The IRS stated that the 2025 tax season will reflect continued IRS progress to modernize and add new tools and features to help taxpayers. The improvements will include: more access to tax account information from text and voice virtual assistants, expanded features on the IRS Individual Online Account, more access to dozens of tax forms through cell phones and tablets and expanded alerts for scams and schemes that threaten taxpayers. 

2025 Tax Season: IRS Direct File Software

Additionally, this tax season, the IRS offers an improved version of its flagship Direct File service with expanded features and availability. This year, Direct File will be available starting January 27 to taxpayers in 25 states. In addition, the IRS Free File program already opened on January 10, 2025. Available only on IRS.gov, IRS Free File Guided Tax Software provides millions of taxpayers with nationwide access to free software tools offered by trusted IRS Free File partners. 

Direct File is a web-based service that works on mobile phones, laptops, tablets or desktop computers. It guides taxpayers through a series of questions to prepare their federal tax return step-by-step. Last year, thousands of Direct File users got help from IRS customer service representatives through a live chat feature in English and Spanish. Once taxpayers have completed their federal tax return, the Direct File system automatically guides them to state tools to complete their state tax filings. 

Sherayzen Law Office does not recommend, however, using this software if you have US international tax compliance issues. The complexity is such that you should only use a professional tax preparer who has profound knowledge and experience in the subject matter.

2025 Tax Season: Improved Service

The IRS is also working to continue the success of the 2023 and 2024 tax filing seasons made possible with additional resources. The past two filing seasons saw levels of service at roughly 85% and wait times averaging less than 5 minutes on the main phone lines.  Moreover, there was a significant increase in the number of taxpayers who used Taxpayer Assistance Centers across the country.

This year, the Direct File users can try a new IRS chat bot to help guide them through the eligibility checker. Live chat will be available in English and Spanish.

Foreign Inheritance Tax Attorney Minneapolis | International Tax Lawyer Minnesota

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Receiving a foreign inheritance may open a litany of US international tax compliance obligations. Therefore, one of the first things you should do is to seek the help of an international tax attorney who specializes in foreign inheritance reporting.  If you reside in Minneapolis, Minnesota, you need to look for a Foreign Inheritance Tax Attorney Minneapolis. You will find that Sherayzen Law Office Ltd. is very likely to be the perfect fit for you.

Foreign Inheritance Tax Attorney Minneapolis: Why Foreign Inheritance is So Important to Your US international Tax Compliance

There are two main reasons why receiving a foreign inheritance may be a critical event for your US international tax compliance. First, receiving a foreign inheritance means that you have additional assets, income and transactions to report to the IRS.  The way that US international tax law works, it means that it is usually more than just one requirement is triggered. Rather, it may be a set of issues and reporting obligations that require an experienced international tax attorney to resolve them correctly. 

The multitude and complexity of issues can be fairly large: from the reporting of the foreign inheritance itself, income recognition, transfer of cash/assets to the United States to additional reporting requirements concerning newly acquired foreign assets and offshore voluntary disclosures involving prior noncompliance. You should keep in mind that noncompliance with these requirements may result in the assessment of high IRS penalties.

The second reason why a foreign inheritance is so important and so dangerous is the relative complacency with respect to and even complete nonrecognition of the potential US tax consequences of receiving a foreign inheritance with all of the multitude of issues to which I alluded above.  The problem is not just that many US taxpayers are completely ignorant of the fact that a foreign inheritance may require extensive US tax compliance. Even worse, many taxpayers erroneously but ardently believe that a foreign inheritance is something completely unrelated to the United States and should not have any US tax consequences. At best, they may focus on Form 3520 reporting while overlooking the complexity of the rest of the issues involved in receiving a foreign inheritance.

This is precisely why I highly recommend consulting an international tax lawyer with extensive experience in foreign inheritance US tax reporting, such as Sherayzen Law Office, if you have received or about to receive a foreign inheritance.

Foreign Inheritance Tax Attorney Minneapolis: International Tax Lawyer

I just mentioned that you need to seek the help of an international tax attorney rather than just a foreign inheritance tax attorney.  Why is that?

The answer is simple: a foreign inheritance attorney is first and foremost an international tax lawyer – i.e. a lawyer with profound knowledge of and extensive experience in US international tax law, particularly in the area of US international tax compliance. This means that a lawyer must be familiar with such common US international tax forms as Form 3520 (critically important for foreign inheritance reporting) and Form 8938.  He must also understand and be able to identify related US international tax compliance forms such as Forms 3520-A, 5471, 8858, 8865 cetera.  Of course, every US international tax lawyer must be very familiar with FinCEN Form 114 commonly known as FBAR.

In addition to these information returns, an international tax lawyer must be familiar with all types of foreign income reporting.  This requirement includes the knowledge of foreign rental income, PFIC compliance, GILTI income, capital gains concerning foreign real estate, et cetera.

Sherayzen Law Office is a highly experienced international tax law firm with respect to all of these income tax and information return requirements, including specifically all of the aforementioned forms.

Foreign Inheritance Tax Attorney Minneapolis: Tax Planning

It is highly prudent to engage in tax planning concerning a foreign inheritance. This is important not only for the purpose of limiting future tax burdens, but also to control future US tax compliance costs.  

Sherayzen Law Office has extensive experience in foreign inheritance US tax planning for its clients in Minneapolis and all over the world.  We also have a highly valuable experience of combining income tax planning with offshore voluntary disclosures.

Foreign Inheritance Tax Attorney Minneapolis: Offshore Voluntary Disclosures

Perhaps you learned late about your US international tax compliance requirements concerning foreign inheritance. In fact, this is a very common situation. In this case, you will find yourself in a very uncomfortable position of facing potentially multiple high IRS penalties for multiple violations of US international tax law.

For this reason, your foreign inheritance tax attorney must also have a profound understanding of the IRS voluntary disclosure options. In fact, in my experience, a discussion of a foreign inheritance often leads to the identification of past US international tax noncompliance and the immediate discussion of IRS offshore voluntary disclosure to remedy past noncompliance.

Offshore Voluntary Disclosures is a core area of our international tax practice at Sherayzen Law Office. We have helped hundreds of US taxpayers worldwide, including in Minneapolis, to bring their tax affairs into full compliance with US tax laws. This work included the preparation and filing of all kinds of offshore voluntary disclosures including: SDOP (Streamlined Domestic Offshore Procedures), SFOP (Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures), DFSP (Delinquent FBAR Submission Procedures), DIIRSP (Delinquent International Information Return Submission Procedures), et cetera.

Contact Sherayzen Law Office for Professional Foreign Inheritance Tax Help

Sherayzen Law Office is an international tax law firm that specializes in US international tax compliance, including foreign inheritance reporting.  We have helped numerous clients around the world with their foreign inheritance US tax compliance. We can help you! Hence, if you are looking for a Foreign Inheritance Tax Attorney Minneapolis, contact us now to schedule Your Confidential Consultation!

Happy New Year 2025 from Our Team at Sherayzen Law Office!!!

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Dear clients, followers, readers and colleagues:

Mr. Eugene Sherayzen, US international tax attorney, and the entire international tax team of Sherayzen Law Office, Ltd. wishes you a very Happy New Year 2025!!!

Dear clients and prospective clients, in the New Year 2025, you can continue to rely on Sherayzen Law Office for:

  1. Resolution of your prior FBAR, FATCA and other US international tax noncompliance through offshore voluntary disclosures, including Streamlined Domestic Offshore Procedures (SDOP), Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures (SFOP), Delinquent FBAR Submission Procedures, Delinquent International Information Return Submission Procedures, IRS Voluntary Disclosure Practice and Reasonable Cause Disclosures;
  2. Help with your IRS audits and examination, including audits of: your prior SDOP and SFOP submissions (as well as other voluntary disclosure options) and your annual international tax compliance. We can also help you fight the imposition of IRS penalties for prior international tax noncompliance, including FBAR penalties, Form 8938 penalties, Form 3520 and 3520-A penalties, Form 5471 penalties, Form 5472 penalties, Form 8865 penalties, Form 926 penalties, et cetera;
  3. Preparation of your annual US international tax compliance, including the reporting of foreign income and preparation of FBAR, FATCA Form 8938 and other US international tax compliance forms such as: Forms 3520, 3520-A, 5471, 8621, 8865, 8938 and 926 and
  4. Your international tax planning (inbound and outbound), including individual and business tax planning, We intend to continue to help US firms with conducting business overseas, US owners of foreign businesses and foreign businesses who wish to expand their presence to the United States (including real estate investors).

In resolving all of your current US international tax issues, we will continue to employ ethical creativity, diligence, professionalism and many years of experience of helping other clients throughout the United States and the world. We will also continue to utilize an individual customized approach to each client’s particular situation.

In 2025, the US international tax compliance requirements will likely grow even more complex, detailed and extensive. The IRS will continue to demand more and more information from US taxpayers, employing its expanding number of revenue agents to enforce US tax laws across the globe and especially in the United States. The political environment and upcoming tax changes for the provisions that are due to expire in 2025 promise more important changes to US international tax law in the near future.

In order to deal with this ever-increasing US tax compliance burden, you will need the professional help of Sherayzen Law Office. In this New Year 2025, we can help you!

Your professional US international tax help is but a phone call away from you! Contact us today to schedule a confidential consultation in this New Year 2025!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2025 EVERYONE!!!

2025 Foreign Earned Income Exclusion | International Tax Lawyer & Attorney

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The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (“FEIE”) is a valuable tax strategy available to US tax residents who live and work abroad. It allows US citizens to exclude a certain amount of foreign earned income from their US taxable income. The IRS adjusts the precise amount every year.  In this article, I will discuss the 2025 Foreign Earned Income Exclusion.

2025 Foreign Earned Income Exclusion: Background Information

FEIE was born out of the fact that the US tax system is unique and taxes its citizens and even more broadly its residents on their worldwide income irrespective of where they reside. In many countries, such taxpayers are subject to local foreign income taxes on the same income. In order to alleviate the potential burden of double taxation, the US Congress enacted Section 911 of the Internal Revenue Code. This section codified FEIE.

Section 911 allows qualifying individuals to exclude a specified amount of foreign earned income from US taxable income. The IRS adjusts this amount every single year.  A taxpayer must use Form 2555 to claim FEIE.

2025 Foreign Earned Income Exclusion: Eligibility

In order to claim FEIE, a taxpayer must meet certain requirements set forth in IRC §911. I will provide only a brief outline of these requirements in this article. They are discussed in more detail in other articles on our website.

First of all, FEIE applies only to foreign earned income, not passive income and not US-source income.

Second, the taxpayer must maintain his tax home in a foreign country. “Tax Home” is a term of art that has its specific meaning.

Third, you must pass either the physical presence test or the bona fide residence test.

2025 Foreign Earned Income Exclusion: Additional Considerations

While FEIE brings a huge benefit of income exclusion, it often is not the best option for US taxpayers who reside overseas. Let’s focus on the four most important considerations.

First, FEIE limits and in some cases completely eliminates the ability to take Foreign Tax Credit (“FTC”). If you use FEIE, you cannot use the FTC to reduce US taxes on income already excluded under the FEIE.  The problem arises when FTC is actually higher than the US tax.  In this case, you may be losing a very important tax strategy to reduce your US taxes not only in the current year, but also in the future.

Second, FEIE may result in ineligibility to take other tax credits normally available to a taxpayer.

Third, despite the income tax exclusion, your tax bracket will still be the same as if you were taxed on the whole amount (i.e. as if you had not claimed the foreign earned income exclusion).

Finally, while not a tax consideration, usage of FEIE by US permanent residents may result in the abandonment of their green card. In other words, FEIE may present a huge risk to the immigration goals of a taxpayer.

2025 Foreign Earned Income Exclusion: Adjustment for 2025

On October 22, 2024, the IRS announced that the foreign earned income exclusion amount under §911(b)(2)(D)(i) is going to be $130,000 for the tax year 2025. This is up from $126,500 in the tax year 2024.

Contact Sherayzen Law Office for Professional Help with Foreign Earned Income Exclusion

The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion is a vital tax tool for US taxpayers working abroad, but it must be used cautiously and after careful consideration of all circumstances.  Hence, if you are a US taxpayer who lives abroad or you are planning to accept a job overseas, you need to secure the help of Sherayzen Law Office, a premier firm in US international tax compliance. We can help you navigate the complexities of FEIE, determine your eligibility for it and build a tax strategy to help you maximize the advantages offered by the Internal Revenue Code.

Contact Us Today to Schedule Your Confidential Consultation!

2024 Form 5471 Deadline in 2025 | International Tax Lawyer & Attorney

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IRS Form 5471 is one of the most important and most complex US international information returns. In this brief essay, I will discuss the tax year 2024 Form 5471 deadline in the calendar year 2025.

2024 Form 5471 Deadline: What is Form 5471

Form 5471 is a US international information return. In general, the IRS uses Form 5471 to collect information about certain US persons who are officers, directors, or shareholders in certain foreign corporations. These US persons, in turn, use Form 5471 to satisfy the reporting requirements of the IRC (Internal Revenue Code) §§965, 6038 and 6046 as well as related regulations. In other words, US taxpayers utilize Form 5471 to comply with their reporting obligations concerning their ownership of and transactions with a foreign corporation.

Form 5471, however, is more than just an international information return. It also contains the schedules related to income recognition by US owners of foreign corporations through the operation of anti-deferral tax regimes such as Subpart F rules, 965 tax and GILTI tax.

2024 Form 5471 Deadline: Who Must File It

Determining whether you are required to file a Form 5471 and which schedules you must attach to it may also be very complicated. As a result of the 2017 tax reform, Form 5471 now sports a total of five categories of required filers. Two of these categories contain three sub-categories. In other words, the instructions to Form 5471 describe now a total of nine categories of filers!

Once you determine that you fall into one of these categories, you must carefully determine which schedules, statements and attachments you must complete in order to fully comply with your Form 5471 obligations.

I should also note that a separate Form 5471 is required for each applicable foreign corporation. This is the case even if one foreign corporation owns the other; there is no consolidated group filing under Form 5471.

2024 Form 5471 Deadline: Complexity

Form 5471 is incredibly complex. It forces its filers to convert foreign financial statements to US GAAP. It further requires reporting of an astounding range of transactions between a foreign corporation and its US owners as well as the affiliates of US owners. Finally, US taxpayers use Form 5471 schedules to calculate the income that they must recognize under the various anti-deferral tax regimes.

Thus, completing a Form 5471 may require a significant effort and a lot of time. This is why you need plan well ahead to make sure that you file your Form 5471 timely.

2024 Form 5471 Deadline: Penalties

A failure to timely file an accurate Form 5471 may result in imposition of large IRS penalties. Moreover, since Form 5471 satisfies a variety of tax obligations, the IRS may assess different penalties under different IRC sections.

For example, a failure to file Form 5471 Schedule M may result in the imposition of a $10,000 penalty pursuant to §6038(a). A failure to file Form 5471 Schedule O is a violation of §6046 and the IRS may assess a separate section 6046 is subject to a $10,000 penalty for each reportable transaction.

2024 Form 5471 Deadline: When to File and Where

All filers (unless they fall under an exception) must attach their Forms 5471 to their income tax returns (if applicable, a partnership return or tax exempt organization return). Both, the income tax return and Form 5471 must be filed by the due date, including extensions, for that return.

In other words, if you are an individual filing Form 1040, your 2024 Form 5471 deadline is April 15, 2025. If you file an extension, the deadline will shift to October 15, 2025.

Contact Sherayzen Law Office for Professional Help With Your 2024 Form 5471 Deadline

If you must file a Form 5471 for the tax year 2024, contact Sherayzen Law Office for professional help. We have successfully helped US taxpayers around the world with their Form 5471 compliance, and we can help you!

Contact Us Today to Schedule Your Confidential Consultation!