


Ask the community...
Has anyone successfully used the foreign earned income exclusion while having both W-2 income in the US and a foreign business? I travel between US and Singapore for my business but also work remotely for a US company.
The foreign earned income exclusion mainly applies if you're physically present in the foreign country for 330 days in a 12-month period OR if you're a bona fide resident of the foreign country. Based on what you described, you probably don't qualify since you're splitting time. But you might qualify for partial exclusion or foreign tax credits depending on your specific situation.
Great question! I went through something similar with my consulting business in Germany. A few key points to add to what others have mentioned: 1. **Startup costs vs. operational expenses**: The IRS treats these differently. Your initial startup costs (permits, equipment, etc.) may need to be amortized over several years rather than deducted all at once. Only the first $5,000 in startup costs can be deducted immediately, with the rest spread over 15 years. 2. **Business vs. hobby classification**: Since you're losing money initially, make sure you can demonstrate this is a legitimate business and not a hobby. The IRS looks for profit motive - keep detailed business plans, market research, and documentation showing you're trying to make it profitable. 3. **Turkish tax implications**: Don't forget you'll likely owe taxes in Turkey too. Keep meticulous records because you may be able to claim Foreign Tax Credits on your US return to offset any Turkish taxes paid on the same income. 4. **Record keeping**: For foreign businesses, the IRS is extra scrutinous. Keep everything - receipts, bank statements, contracts, correspondence - and have English translations ready for anything in Turkish. The losses can indeed offset your W-2 income, but be prepared to justify every expense if audited. Consider working with a tax professional who has international experience - the rules are complex and the penalties for mistakes can be severe.
Nobody's gonna mention that you're supposed to make quarterly estimated tax payments on self-employment income? I'm not saying the IRS is going to come after you for one year of small DoorDash income, but technically you should be making payments throughout the year, not just at tax time.
Is that really necessary for such a small amount though? I made like $4000 on Instacart last year and just paid it all when I filed my taxes. Nobody told me about quarterly payments.
Technically yes, but practically speaking the IRS usually doesn't assess penalties for missed quarterly payments if it's your first year of self-employment or if the total tax due is small. The rule is that you need to pay at least 90% of your current year tax or 100% of your prior year tax through withholding or estimated payments to avoid the penalty. For someone making under $3000 from DoorDash with a total tax bill around $550, any penalty would be minimal even if it was assessed. But it's good to know for the future - if you continue doing gig work and your income increases, you should make quarterly estimated payments to avoid penalties later.
Just FYI - if this is your only income and it's under $12,950 (standard deduction for 2023), you won't owe any regular income tax, just self-employment tax. That's probably why your calculator showed around $550 - it's just the 15.3% SE tax. So don't stress about the income tax part.
That actually makes me feel a bit better. So even without deductions, I'm only looking at owing the self-employment tax? And if I estimate my mileage and other expenses, that would reduce even that amount?
Exactly! You're only looking at self-employment tax on that $2,850, which is calculated on your net profit after deductions. So if you can legitimately claim mileage and other business expenses, it reduces the amount subject to SE tax. For example, if you drove 3,000 miles for DoorDash deliveries, that's about $2,040 in deductions at 65.5 cents per mile (2023 rate), which would significantly reduce your tax liability. Don't forget you can also deduct things like insulated delivery bags, phone accessories for your car, and a portion of your phone bill. The key is being reasonable and honest about your estimates.
Just got mine yesterday! Took exactly 15 business days after verification. hang in there!
Has anyone here used a lease instead of buying? My accountant suggested I have my business lease a vehicle, then the business could deduct the lease payments, and I would just pay personal use tax. Would this be cleaner than the rental arrangement?
I did this with my marketing company! Way cleaner for tax purposes. The business leases the vehicle and takes the deduction for the business portion of use. You just need to track personal vs business miles and pay for personal use (either reimburse the company or report it as compensation). Much less likely to trigger audit flags than renting from yourself.
The lease approach is definitely cleaner from a compliance standpoint! I've been doing this with my consulting business for 2 years now. The key is establishing a clear policy for personal use reimbursement upfront. I calculate my personal miles monthly and either write a check to the business or add it to my W-2 as additional compensation. One thing to consider is that lease payments are generally fully deductible for the business portion (unlike depreciation limits on purchased vehicles), so you might get better tax benefits overall. Just make sure you're comfortable with the ongoing monthly commitment versus owning an asset. Also keep detailed mileage logs - the IRS loves auditing vehicle deductions regardless of the structure you choose.
One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is the potential impact on your business insurance and liability exposure. When you own rental vehicles through your LLC but then become a regular user of one of those vehicles, you need to make sure your commercial auto policy covers this arrangement properly. I learned this the hard way when my insurance company questioned a claim because I was driving a "rental" vehicle that I technically owned through my business more than any actual rental customer. They wanted detailed records showing it was truly operating as a rental business vehicle vs. a personal vehicle owned by my business. Also consider the bookkeeping complexity - you'll need to track rental income from yourself, maintain separate accounting for that specific vehicle vs. your other rental fleet, and potentially deal with different depreciation schedules if the IRS determines it's not primarily a business asset. The lease approach others mentioned really does seem like the cleaner path here. You avoid the related-party transaction issues entirely while still getting legitimate business deductions.
Omar Farouk
Same boat, sitting here with 5 different letters trying to piece together this puzzle like im playing sherlock holmes or sumthing
0 coins
Bruno Simmons
A "verification of non-filing" letter means someone (likely a lender, school, or government agency) requested proof from the IRS that you didn't file a tax return for 2022. The IRS is basically saying "we have no record of this person filing for 2022" which could mean either you didn't file, or your return is still processing and not in their system yet. If you DID file your 2022 taxes, you should call that 800 number ASAP with your filing records to get this sorted out. This isn't something to ignore if you actually filed!
0 coins