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Something important to note - the thresholds for Form 8938 are different if you live abroad! If you're a US citizen but have your tax home in a foreign country (meeting certain physical presence tests), the thresholds are much higher - $200K at year-end or $300K at any point during the year for single filers. I nearly panicked and filed unnecessarily until I realized these higher thresholds applied to my situation since I live overseas full-time. Might not be relevant to your situation but thought it was worth mentioning in case it helps someone else.
Do you know if there are different thresholds for married filing jointly people who live abroad? My wife and I are US citizens but we've been living in Germany for the past 5 years.
Yes! For married filing jointly taxpayers living abroad, the thresholds are even higher - $400,000 at year-end or $600,000 at any point during the year. So if you and your wife are under those thresholds, you wouldn't need to file Form 8938. Just be sure you still consider FBAR requirements (FinCEN Form 114) which has a separate $10,000 threshold regardless of where you live. Those are often confused but are two separate filing requirements.
Has anyone else noticed how absurdly complex our tax system is for expats and people with foreign accounts? I literally have a basic savings account in Canada (I'm dual citizen) and I need to file FBAR, possibly Form 8938, and deal with FATCA. The compliance costs are insane compared to the actual tax owed (which is usually zero because of foreign tax credits)!
Tell me about it! I pay my accountant $1,200 every year just to file these foreign asset forms, and I've never owed a penny of additional US tax on them. The penalties are so ridiculously disproportionate too - $10,000 for a paperwork error on accounts where you've paid all taxes due? It's just revenue generation at this point.
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Just make sure you received the 1099-R forms from your previous plan administrators. Each 401k and 403b provider will issue one showing the full amount that was distributed. Box 7 should have a code that indicates it was a direct rollover (usually code G). You'll need to report these on your tax return, but they won't add to your taxable income as long as you rolled them properly to a traditional IRA. If your tax preparer isn't familiar with rollovers, you might want to find someone with more experience in retirement account transfers.
Thanks for the info. I just checked my online accounts and I do see the 1099-Rs have been issued. They both show Code G in Box 7! That's a relief. Do I still need to file Form 8606 for these rollovers? My tax preparer mentioned that form but seemed unsure if it applied in my situation.
Form 8606 is generally not required for direct rollovers between pre-tax retirement accounts like 401k/403b to a Traditional IRA. This form is primarily used to report nondeductible contributions to IRAs and distributions from Roth IRAs or conversions. Since your 1099-Rs show Code G, you'll simply report them on your tax return (usually on lines 4a and 4b of Form 1040), showing the full amount on line 4a but zero on line 4b (taxable amount). This indicates you've reported the distribution but it's not taxable. Your tax software or preparer should handle this correctly when you input the 1099-R information.
I'm in the process of doing a similar rollover - did you have to pay any fees to transfer everything? My 401k provider wants to charge me $95 for the rollover and I'm wondering if that's normal or if I should look for another option.
I rolled over two 401ks last year and one charged $75 while the other was free. From what I've heard, fees between $50-100 are pretty common. You might want to check if your new IRA provider offers any reimbursement for transfer fees - some do if you're bringing in a large enough balance.
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11 Hey, international student advisor here! This happens nearly every tax season with our students. While your return will still be processed as others have mentioned, there's one more thing to consider: timing. Returns sent to the correct processing center are typically processed faster. For future reference, nonresident aliens should send their Form 1040-NR to: Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service Austin, TX 73301-0215 But don't worry about this year's return - just note it for next time. The IRS deals with millions of pieces of misdirected mail every year.
7 Is there any negative consequence beyond just delay? Like, would this be considered a filing error that could cause problems for visa renewal or anything? I'm on F1 too and realized I might have made the same mistake.
11 There are no negative consequences for your visa status. This is strictly a processing issue, not a compliance issue. The IRS doesn't report this type of administrative error to USCIS - they simply forward the return to the correct department. Filing your taxes (even if sent to the wrong address) shows you're attempting to comply with U.S. tax laws, which is what matters for immigration purposes. Just make sure you've filed Form 8843 along with your 1040-NR, as that's required for all F1 students regardless of whether you had income or not.
3 Pro tip for future filings: Use USPS Certified Mail with Return Receipt when sending anything important to the IRS. Costs under $10 and gives you proof of delivery. Saved me so much anxiety when I was on F1!
15 I've also started using the IRS electronic filing system whenever possible. Not all forms can be e-filed if you're a nonresident alien, but more options are becoming available each year. Definitely more reliable than physical mail.
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Something else to consider - if you made any significant improvements to either house while you owned them, make sure you add those costs to your basis! This can reduce any potential capital gain. Things like: - Kitchen or bathroom remodels - Roof replacement - HVAC system upgrades - Room additions - New windows Just keep in mind that routine repairs (fixing a leaky faucet, painting, etc.) don't count toward increasing your basis.
Good point about the improvements! For the first house, I actually did replace the roof ($14k) and installed a new HVAC system ($9k). Would I need receipts for all of these improvements or are there other ways to document these if I can't find all the paperwork?
Receipts are definitely the best documentation, but if you don't have them all, there are other options. Bank or credit card statements showing payments to contractors can work. Even emails confirming quotes that you accepted can help establish the costs. For major improvements like a roof or HVAC system, you might also have permit records with your local building department that can verify the work was done. Some contractors might also have records they can provide if you reach out to them. The IRS knows people don't always keep perfect records, but they do expect you to make a reasonable effort to document these costs.
Doesn't the fact that your brother lived in the first house without paying rent complicate things? I thought once you stop using it as your primary residence, the clock starts ticking on how long you have to sell before capital gains kick in.
Not necessarily. The test is whether you lived in it as your primary residence for 2 of the 5 years before selling. Who lives in it during other periods doesn't affect that qualification. If OP had rented it out, there might be some depreciation recapture to deal with, but since no rent was collected, that's not an issue.
Zainab Mahmoud
This might sound obvious but did you go through ALL of TaxAct's screens? I had almost the exact same issue (said I owed $400 when I should've gotten $600 back). When I looked closer, I noticed there was a "Personal Info" section I thought I completed, but I missed a question about whether I could be claimed as a dependent. The software defaulted to "Yes" which dramatically reduced my standard deduction. Once I fixed that single checkbox, everything calculated correctly. I've used TaxAct for 6 years and this is the first time I've had this problem. Their interface changed this year and it's really easy to miss important questions.
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Esmeralda Gómez
•You're a genius! I just went back and found I had the exact same issue. There was a checkbox in the Personal Info section about being claimed as a dependent that somehow got set to "Yes" even though I definitely can't be claimed by anyone. As soon as I fixed that one setting, my refund jumped from owing $372 to getting back $570, exactly what my calculations showed. It's crazy how one checkbox could completely throw off the standard deduction calculation. Has TaxAct always been this finicky? I've used them for years but never ran into this problem before.
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Zainab Mahmoud
•TaxAct definitely changed their interface this year, and I think they're having some issues with it. In previous years, that dependent question was much more prominently displayed and clearly explained. This year it's buried in a series of personal information screens that are easy to click through without carefully reading. I've heard similar stories from several people using TaxAct this year. The good news is once you find and fix that setting, the calculations should be completely accurate. Always a good idea to double-check your final 1040 form before filing to make sure the standard deduction amount ($13,850 for single filers in 2024) appears correctly on the form.
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Ava Williams
Just a tip - most tax software lets you view your actual Form 1040 before filing. If you look at line 12 on your 1040, it should show your standard deduction amount. If that line shows $0 or some reduced amount instead of $13,850 (assuming you're filing single), that confirms the standard deduction isn't being applied correctly. I always check my actual tax forms in the preview/print section before submitting anything. It's saved me from tons of errors over the years!
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Esmeralda Gómez
•Thanks for this! I just checked my Form 1040 preview and line 12 was showing only $500 instead of $13,850. After fixing the dependent checkbox issue others mentioned, it now shows the full $13,850. Checking the actual tax forms is definitely going to be my new practice before submitting anything. Would've caught this issue immediately if I'd done that first!
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