why: so the government won’t be able to use your money for whatever the fuck they’re planning for the next 4 years.
as a traveler, none of my money has been funding Israel, for example.
one-step method: you basically fill out one extra tax form called FEIE while you’re doing your taxes, write down the dates you were outside of the country, and then since you aren’t in the country and are not receiving any services from the US, you don’t have to pay income tax up to a certain amount (it’s a little over 125k this year).
you know, it’s clear that you’re trying to be helpful to folks, but you come off like an asshole. just an fyi!
I find a lot of things funny.
your comments are funny.
you sent me two comments, the first of which was wrong on both counts and sounded like it was straight copy pasted from something you just searched,
and then after I corrected you on those points,
without any acknowledgment of your mistakes, you sent a second comment that paraphrased three things I had written earlier to me.
Why?
what was your end game?
I know there’s foolery in there somewhere, and I don’t stand for foolery!
are you trying to sounds smart by repeating interesting things I said in this post?
repeat them to other people, they will be impressed.
but I rode those things.
Why?
what was the point of your first and second comments?
it sounds like you were trying to “um actually” me, but didn’t know what you were talking about, which is hilarious.
I guess that made you feel bad.
try not to one-up people unless you at least have your facts right.
and definitely don’t try to one-up people by repeating the things they wrote back to them.
that won’t work!
you’re honestly a strange person.
so, ive lived outside of the US for over 15 years and have filed taxes where i live and back in the US, where I file the 1040 and the 2555, because you have to. You don’t only fill out the 2555. I know a bunch of americans here and never once have I heard of the 2555 called a “FEIE Form” the way you’re describing it.
You said “you don’t pay tax on the first approx 125k”, and I pointed out that you absolutely do pay tax, just not to the US, you pay to the government in the country where you’re living. its not tax free, its just to the government of Australia or wherever you live instead of the US.
I also mentioned that people will pay tax on earned income under that 125k if youre in the states over 35 days, but that its prorated, so its not that you pay 100% of taxes all of a sudden, it’s what you would pay divided by 330 (if you were one day over, or 329 if you were over by two days, etc.)
just trying to expand and clarify on your post. apparently its your area of complete expertise and anyone saying anything is just googling shit to bask in the glory of your genius, though. stay cool