Immigration Tax guide

Introduction

The American tax regime extends its taxing jurisdiction well beyond the geographical borders of the U.S. Foreign businesses and individuals who derive any income from the US will have to consider the American fiscal consequences arising from their interactions. Likewise, American businesses and individuals living abroad will have to be mindful of their American tax obligations.

Our firm helps businesses and individuals, American and non-American alike, navigate through the complex US tax system. Preparing U.S. income tax returns, analyzing the fiscal impact of a particular transaction, planning future investments so as to minimize the impact of income taxes, and liaising with local accountants and lawyers, are among the services that our office offers to ensure efficient tax planning and full tax compliance.

1. Nonresident Alien or Resident Alien?

Introduction

You should first determine whether, for income tax purposes, you are a nonresident alien or a resident alien.

Nonresident Aliens

If you are an alien (not a U.S. citizen), you are considered a nonresident alien unless you meet one of the two tests described next under Resident Aliens.

Resident Aliens

You are a resident alien of the United States for tax purposes if you meet either the green card test or the substantial presence test for the calendar year (January 1-December 31). Even if you do not meet either of these tests, you may be able to choose to be treated as a U.S. resident for part of the year.

Green Card Test

You are a resident for tax purposes if you are a lawful permanent resident of the United States at any time during the calendar year. This is known as the “green card” test. You are a lawful permanent resident of the United States at any time if you have been given the privilege, according to the immigration laws, of residing permanently in the United States as an immigrant. You generally have this status if the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) (or its predecessor organization) has issued you an alien registration card, also known as a “green card.” You continue to have resident status under this test unless the status is taken away from you or is administratively or judicially determined to have been abandoned.

Substantial Presence Test

You will be considered a U.S. resident for tax purposes 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:

• 31 days during the current year, and
• 183 days during the 3-year period that includes the current year and the 2 years immediately before that, counting:
• All the days you were present in the current year, and
• 1/3 of the days you were present in the first year before the current year, and
• 1/6 of the days you were present in the second year before the current year.

2.   Source of Income

Resident Aliens

A resident alien's income is generally subject to tax in the same manner as a U.S. citizen. If you are a resident alien, you must report all interest, dividends, wages, or other compensation for services, income from rental property or royalties, and other types of income on your U.S. tax return. You must report these amounts whether from sources within or outside the United States.

Nonresident Aliens

A nonresident alien usually is subject to U.S. income tax only on U.S. source income. Under limited circumstances, certain foreign source income is subject to U.S. tax.

Personal Property

Personal property is property, such as machinery, equipment, or furniture that is not real property.
Gain or loss from the sale or exchange of personal property generally has its source in the United States if you have a tax home in the United States. If you do not have a tax home in the United States, the gain or loss generally is considered to be from sources outside the United States.

Community Income

If you are married and you or your spouse is subject to the community property laws of a foreign country, a U.S. state, or a U.S. possession, you generally must follow those laws to determine the income of yourself and your spouse for U.S. tax purposes. But you must disregard certain community property laws if:

• Both you and your spouse are nonresident aliens, or
• One of you is a nonresident alien and the other is a U.S. citizen or resident and you do not both choose to be treated as U.S. residents.

In these cases, you and your spouse must report community income as explained below.
Earned income.   Earned income of a spouse, other than trade or business income and a partner's distributive share of partnership income, is treated as the income of the spouse whose services produced the income. That spouse must report all of it on his or her separate return.
Trade or business income.   Trade or business income, other than a partner's distributive share of partnership income, is treated as the income of the spouse carrying on the trade or business. That spouse must report all of it on his or her separate return.
Partnership income (or loss).   A partner's distributive share of partnership income (or loss) is treated as the income (or loss) of the partner. The partner must report all of it on his or her separate return.
Separate property income.   Income derived from the separate property of one spouse (and which is not earned income, trade or business income, or partnership distributive share income) is treated as the income of that spouse. That spouse must report all of it on his or her separate return. Use the appropriate community property law to determine what is separate property.
Other community income.   All other community income is treated as provided by the applicable community property laws.

4.   How Income of Aliens Is Taxed

Introduction

Resident and nonresident aliens are taxed in different ways. Resident aliens are generally taxed in the same way as U.S. citizens. Nonresident aliens are taxed based on the source of their income and whether or not their income is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business.

Resident Aliens

Resident aliens are generally taxed in the same way as U.S. citizens. This means that their worldwide income is subject to U.S. tax and must be reported on their U.S. tax return. Income of resident aliens is subject to the graduated tax rates that apply to U.S. citizens. Resident aliens use the Tax Table or Tax Computation Worksheets located in the Form 1040 instructions, which apply to U.S. citizens.

Nonresident Aliens

A nonresident alien's income that is subject to U.S. income tax must be divided into two categories:

• Income that is effectively connected with a trade or business in the United States, and
• Income that is not effectively connected with a trade or business in the United States (discussed under The 30% Tax, later).

The difference between these two categories is that effectively connected income, after allowable deductions, is taxed at graduated rates. These are the same rates that apply to U.S. citizens and residents. Income that is not effectively connected is taxed at a flat 30% (or lower treaty) rate.

Trade or Business in the United States

Generally, you must be engaged in a trade or business during the tax year to be able to treat income received in that year as effectively connected with that trade or business. Whether you are engaged in a trade or business in the United States depends on the nature of your activities.

Effectively Connected Income

If you are engaged in a U.S. trade or business, all income, gain, or loss for the tax year that you get from sources within the United States (other than certain investment income) is treated as effectively connected income. This applies whether or not there is any connection between the income and the trade or business being carried on in the United States during the tax year.
Two tests, described next under Investment Income, determine whether certain items of investment income (such as interest, dividends, and royalties) are treated as effectively connected with that business.
In limited circumstances, some kinds of foreign source income may be treated as effectively connected with a trade or business in the United States. For a discussion of these rules, see Foreign Income, later.

Investment Income

Investment income from U.S. sources that may or may not be treated as effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business generally falls into the following three categories.

• Fixed or determinable income (interest, dividends, rents, royalties, premiums, annuities, etc.).
• Gains (some of which are considered capital gains) from the sale or exchange of the following types of property.
• Timber, coal, or domestic iron ore with a retained economic interest.
• Patents, copyrights, and similar property on which you receive contingent payments after October 4, 1966.
• Patents transferred before October 5, 1966.
• Original issue discount obligations.
• Capital gains (and losses).

Use the two tests, described next, to determine whether an item of U.S. source income falling in one of the three categories above and received during the tax year is effectively connected with your U.S. trade or business. If the tests indicate that the item of income is effectively connected, you must include it with your other effectively connected income. If the item of income is not effectively connected, include it with all other income discussed under The 30% Tax, later, in this chapter.

Asset-use test.  This test usually applies to income that is not directly produced by trade or business activities. Under this test, if an item of income is from assets (property) used in, or held for use in, the trade or business in the United States, it is considered effectively connected.
  An asset is used in, or held for use in, the trade or business in the United States if the asset is:

• Held for the principal purpose of promoting the conduct of a trade or business in the United States,
• Acquired and held in the ordinary course of the trade or business conducted in the United States (for example, an account receivable or note receivable arising from that trade or business), or
• Otherwise held to meet the present needs of the trade or business in the United States and not its anticipated future needs.

Generally, stock of a corporation is not treated as an asset used in, or held for use in, a trade or business in the United States.

Business-activities test.  This test usually applies when income, gain, or loss comes directly from the active conduct of the trade or business. The business-activities test is most important when:

• Dividends or interest are received by a dealer in stocks or securities,
• Royalties are received in the trade or business of licensing patents or similar property, or
• Service fees are earned by a servicing business.

Under this test, if the conduct of the U.S. trade or business was a material factor in producing the income, the income is considered effectively connected.

Tax on Effectively Connected Income

Income you receive during the tax year that is effectively connected with your trade or business in the United States is, after allowable deductions, taxed at the rates that apply to U.S. citizens and residents.
Generally, you can receive effectively connected income only if you are a nonresident alien engaged in trade or business in the United States during the tax year. However, income you receive from the sale or exchange of property, the performance of services, or any other transaction in another tax year is treated as effectively connected in that year if it would have been effectively connected in the year the transaction took place or you performed the services.

The 30% Tax

Tax at a 30% (or lower treaty) rate applies to certain items of income or gains from U.S. sources but only if the items are not effectively connected with your U.S. trade or business.

Fixed or Determinable Income

The 30% (or lower treaty) rate applies to the gross amount of U.S. source fixed or determinable annual or periodic gains, profits, or income.
Income is fixed when it is paid in amounts known ahead of time. Income is determinable whenever there is a basis for figuring the amount to be paid. Income can be periodic if it is paid from time to time. It does not have to be paid annually or at regular intervals. Income can be determinable or periodic even if the length of time during which the payments are made is increased or decreased.
Items specifically included as fixed or determinable income are interest (other than original issue discount), dividends, rents, premiums, annuities, salaries, wages, and other compensation. A substitute dividend or interest payment received under a securities lending transaction or a sale-repurchase transaction is treated the same as the amounts received on the transferred security. Other items of income, such as royalties, also may be subject to the 30% tax.

Sales or Exchanges of Capital Assets

These rules apply only to those capital gains and losses from sources in the United States that are not effectively connected with a trade or business in the United States. They apply even if you are engaged in a trade or business in the United States. These rules do not apply to the sale or exchange of a U.S. real property interest or to the sale of any property that is effectively connected with a trade or business in the United States. See Real Property Gain or Loss, earlier, under Effectively Connected Income.
A capital asset is everything you own except:

• Inventory.
• Business accounts or notes receivable.
• Depreciable property used in a trade or business.
• Real property used in a trade or business.
• Supplies regularly used in a trade or business.
• Certain copyrights, literary or musical or artistic compositions, letters or memoranda, or similar property.
• Certain U.S. government publications.
• Certain commodities derivative financial instruments held by a commodities derivatives dealer.
• Hedging transactions.

A capital gain is a gain on the sale or exchange of a capital asset. A capital loss is a loss on the sale or exchange of a capital asset.

If the sale is in foreign currency, for the purpose of determining gain, the cost and selling price of the property should be expressed in U.S. currency at the rate of exchange prevailing as of the date of the purchase and date of the sale, respectively.

The following gains are subject to the 30% (or lower treaty) rate without regard to the 183-day rule, discussed later.

• Gains on the disposal of timber, coal, or domestic iron ore with a retained economic interest.
• Gains on contingent payments received from the sale or exchange of patents, copyrights, and similar property after October 4, 1966.
• Gains on certain transfers of all substantial rights to, or an undivided interest in, patents if the transfers were made before October 5, 1966.
• Gains on the sale or exchange of original issue discount obligations.

Gains in (1) are not subject to the 30% (or lower treaty) rate if you choose to treat the gains as effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. See Income From Real Property, later.

183-day rule.   If you were in the United States for 183 days or more during the tax year, your net gain from sales or exchanges of capital assets is taxed at a 30% (or lower treaty) rate. For purposes of the 30% (or lower treaty) rate, net gain is the excess of your capital gains from U.S. sources over your capital losses from U.S. sources. This rule applies even if any of the transactions occurred while you were not in the United States.
  To determine your net gain, consider the amount of your gains and losses that would be recognized and taken into account only if, and to the extent that, they would be recognized and taken into account if you were in a U.S. trade or business during the year and the gains and losses were effectively connected with that trade or business during the tax year.
  In arriving at your net gain, do not take the following into consideration.

• The four types of gains listed earlier.
• The deduction for a capital loss carryover.
• Capital losses in excess of capital gains.
• Exclusion for gain from the sale or exchange of qualified small business stock (section 1202 exclusion).
• Losses from the sale or exchange of property held for personal use. However, losses resulting from casualties or thefts may be deductible on Schedule A (Form 1040NR). See Itemized Deductions in chapter 5.

  If you are not engaged in a trade or business in the United States and have not established a tax year for a prior period, your tax year will be the calendar year for purposes of the 183-day rule. Also, you must file your tax return on a calendar-year basis.
  If you were in the United States for less than 183 days during the tax year, capital gains (other than gains listed earlier) are tax exempt unless they are effectively connected with a trade or business in the United States during your tax year.

Reporting.   Report your gains and losses from the sales or exchanges of capital assets that are not effectively connected with a trade or business in the United States on page 4 of Form 1040NR. Report gains and losses from sales or exchanges of capital assets (including real property) that are effectively connected with a trade or business in the United States on a separate Schedule D (Form 1040), Form 4797, or both. Attach them to Form 1040NR.

Income From Real Property

If you have income from real property located in the United States that you own or have an interest in and hold for the production of income, you can choose to treat all income from that property as income effectively connected with a trade or business in the United States. The choice applies to all income from real property located in the United States and held for the production of income and to all income from any interest in such property. This includes income from rents, royalties from mines, oil or gas wells, or other natural resources. It also includes gains from the sale or exchange of timber, coal, or domestic iron ore with a retained economic interest.
You can make this choice only for real property income that is not otherwise effectively connected with your U.S. trade or business.
If you make the choice, you can claim deductions attributable to the real property income and only your net income from real property is taxed.
This choice does not treat a nonresident alien, who is not otherwise engaged in a U.S. trade or business, as being engaged in a trade or business in the United States during the year.

Expatriation Tax

The expatriation tax provisions apply to U.S. citizens who have renounced their citizenship and long-term residents who have ended their residency. In 2004, the expatriation rules changed. If you expatriated on or before June 3, one set of rules applies. If you expatriated after June 3, another set of rules applies
Long-term resident defined.  You are a long-term resident if you were a lawful permanent resident of the United States in at least 8 of the last 15 tax years ending with the year your residency ends. In determining if you meet the 8-year requirement, do not count any year that you are treated as a resident of a foreign country under a tax treaty and do not waive treaty benefits.