# Mexican Taxes on US-based remote work



## Future Retiree (Feb 6, 2020)

Hello again. I am still trying to get a definite answer on whether US citizens who are residents of Mexico (typically, under Mexican tax law, a person who spends more than 183 days of the year in Mexico is a resident) have to pay Mexican income taxes on non-Mexican income. That could be things like interest on US bank accounts, or, in my case, freelance and other income from online work for US clients.

I have scoured the Internet for information, and even posted the question on this forum, where I received helpful replies. But the issue is still far from resolved. Some people are absolutely convinced that Mexico does not tax such income. Other people (and Mexican tax law, as I read it) say that it does.

If it were just a question of one year, I would do what everybody else apparently does and just not worry about it. For one thing, how would they know? But before commit myself to spending years (and quite possibly the rest of my life) in Mexico, I'm going to have to have a definitive answer.

So my question now is how to get such an answer.

As I see it, one possibility would be for me to contact a lawyer or tax expert in Mexico (where I currently am) who deals with foreigners regularly. If anybody has any suggestions for such a person, I would be glad to hear them. (I speak Spanish, so language isn't an issue.)

The second option would be for me to make an appointment with the Servicio de Administración Tributaria (SAT) and ask them directly. I'm not 100% sure how to do that without a CURP, though.

Any thoughts on which route would be better? Any other ideas?

Thanks so much.


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## Snowbuddy (Sep 5, 2020)

Hello Future: It seems to me the question is really - are you a US citizen resident in Mexico, or are you no longer a US citizen?

If you renounce US citizenship, then you are "only" paying tax in Mexico - which may be higher than US

I am not suggesting either option - giving up US citizenship is a major step. Millions of people around the world would give up pretty much everything for that opportunity. But I understand some people do walk away.

How about keeping US passport, but opening an offshore account - I am talking fully legal options here. 

The US and Mexico collect taxes on worldwide income.

Not really answers, perhaps more questions


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

Snowbuddy - you need to redo some of your research...


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## Future Retiree (Feb 6, 2020)

Thanks for the reply. For both practical and emotional reasons, I would be (and remain) a U.S. citizen.

But I would be a Mexican resident under Mexican tax law. (In general, pretty much everyone who is physically present in Mexico for more that 183 days/year is a resident.)

Mexico and the U.S. have a tax treaty that in theory prevents double taxation. So that shouldn't be the issue.

My income would be quite low by U.S. standards (and so the tax rate would be low), but relatively high by Mexican standards (so the Mexican tax rate would apparently be higher.

IN any case, let me make it clear that I'm not trying to avoid paying taxes I owe, and I'm not trying to pull a fast one. I just want to understand the situation. My nightmare scenario would that I move to Mexico, build a life here, and 5 years later the SAT folks get in touch and tell me I own a fortune in back taxes.


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

My quick (non-professional) answer is - Mexico is interested in the earned 'Mexican' income you make in Mexico. (And any interest / profits you make on your Mexican investments).

If it were me, I would be sure my 'income' were deposited into a non-Mexican bank - and pulled.

The nice folks at SAT are very approachable, but you may ruin a poor employee's day by asking hypothetical questions.

Take this with a grain of salt.


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## Future Retiree (Feb 6, 2020)

MangoTango said:


> My quick (non-professional) answer is - Mexico is interested in the earned 'Mexican' income you make in Mexico. (And any interest / profits you make on your Mexican investments).
> 
> If it were me, I would be sure my 'income' were deposited into a non-Mexican bank - and pulled.
> 
> ...


Thanks. That makes a lot of sense. I don't apologize for my inclination to explore all the angles of any decision in advance, but sometimes bridges are best crossed when we come to them...


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

The answer seems to be "yes, but there is an exemption for double taxation". The tax treaty was signed in 1995 as a part of NAFTA, and the US IRS has ruled that the USMCA doesn't change it. (I haven't seen a similar statement from Mexico's authorities, however).

The letter of the law seems to me to be that you would pay US income taxes on the US income, and then if Mexican income taxes are higher, you'd pay the difference to Mexico.

However the conventional practice, in my limited experience, is that everyone here _assumes_ that the additional tax due Mexico is zero, and/or that Mexico's _implementation _of the prohibition against double-taxation is to just ignore US income of US citizens that's taxed in the US.

Keep it simple by having the US income deposited to a US bank by all means, but even people who have social security deposited directly to Mexican banks, and there are a couple on this forum, have never had any questions asked by Mexican tax authorities (as far as I know).

It's pretty much just a feature of life in Mexico that on stuff like this you don't get a 100% solid answer. When you consult a professional, you get _their _answer, and that's the best you can get. If you consult multiple professionals you are likely to get multiple different answers, though in this case while the answers may be different the net result is _probably _going to be the same - pay no Mexican taxes on income Mexico doesn't know about.

If you end up having some Mexican income, such as bank interest, rental income, Mexican stock exchange stock dividends or capital gains, then you will have to file Mexican taxes. Get a professional to help you, and you can ask him or her then. Until then I'd try not to worry about it too much.


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

That is not quite correct. When you have an interest bearing account in Mexico - be it at a bank or another institution where you may own CETES (let's say) - they will withhold taxes. A US citizen would report all the interest they earn in Mexico (to the IRS) AND also report the taxes they paid Mexico and deduct those from their US taxes. In the spring time each year the Mexican institutions issue your tax report, much like a 1099 in the US. You may need to ask for the report.

Also - and this probably won't apply to most people on a forum such as this - in life there is real and nominal interest. Real interest (post inflation) is important in Mexico. The US deals in nominal. In Mexico - there is a rather high threshold (even for many wealthy Mexicans) for the real interest you receive before you are required to file a Mexican return.

There is a US/Mexican tax treaty and you can find it online. It doesn't really make for interesting reading except for the addendums. For me they came across as last minute negotiations for exemptions etc. There are investments you can make in Mexico and institutions you can deal with for which you do not need to report to the IRS (but it has been a long while since I looked at it).

I'm just a tired old man with no professional skills in this area...


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## Future Retiree (Feb 6, 2020)

Many thanks to all who have replied.


eastwind said:


> Until then I'd try not to worry about it too much.


Thanks. I realized long ago that sometimes "don't ask, don't tell" really is the normal (and only) way to deal with certain aspects of Mexican bureaucracy.

The tough part for a foreigner is knowing when. Year ago I personally watched as a tourist, who had noticed that the laws regarding prescription medications like antibiotics aren't always strictly enforced, proceeded to walk into a local pharmacy and ask for... Vicodin, I believe it was. I really, really don't want to be _that_ guy.

I've spent a lot of time in Mexico over the years and genuinely love the place, but this is going to be a challenge for me if/when I wind up moving here permanently. I tend to want to always follow the letter of the law and dot all i's and cross all t's. Sometimes in Mexico that just isn't viable, and can make things worse rather than better.

I guess I'll get used to it.

Thanks again to all.


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## JFP1961 (11 mo ago)

Hi Future Retiree, just wondering if you ever got a definite answer to your query, I am in a similar boat and about to leave Canada for good. Need to know if my worldwide income will be subject to Mexican taxation or not. If it will then I will chose Panama or Costa Rica instead.


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

Let me ask a counter-hypothetical. Suppose you move here, and then seek out a real tax professional to get your Mexican taxes done properly. What will you do if they basically decline your business and tell you "don't worry about it?" and suggest you not file taxes? Would you accept that answer from a professional or would you then seek out a second opinion? 

How many such similar opinions would it take before you decided to not file Mexican taxes? What if that actually is the correct answer? Would you then move to Costa Rica so you could file taxes?

Do you really need an answer to this to move here? Nobody on this forum is a tax professional, and very few if any have actually consulted one. If you need an answer, try to find a professional before you move here.


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## JFP1961 (11 mo ago)

eastwind said:


> Let me ask a counter-hypothetical. Suppose you move here, and then seek out a real tax professional to get your Mexican taxes done properly. What will you do if they basically decline your business and tell you "don't worry about it?" and suggest you not file taxes? Would you accept that answer from a professional or would you then seek out a second opinion?
> 
> How many such similar opinions would it take before you decided to not file Mexican taxes? What if that actually is the correct answer? Would you then move to Costa Rica so you could file taxes?
> 
> Do you really need an answer to this to move here? Nobody on this forum is a tax professional, and very few if any have actually consulted one. If you need an answer, try to find a professional before you move here.


Not sure about anyone else who is interested in the answer to this but I, personally, am wondering if the OP ever received a definitive answer. It's not that the answer to my follow up question will ultimately determine if I do move there or not, especially as there are so many other nice locations to consider. However, if the OP says he contacted a tax professional and was informed that tax was indeed payable on worldwide income I would likely move on without further query. If he tells me he was informed of the opposite by a tax professional then I would consider that to be encouraging enough to go and get my own tax professional to confirm. Just like everyone else on this forum, I am just gathering useful information.


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## xFox (9 mo ago)

This is my 2 cents here. Disclosure: I'm not a tax expert but I did do my research  

It is my understanding that if you are a US citizen, then you need to pay taxes on anything that is considered income, regardless of where you live.

With this in mind, Tax treaties among nations have considereded these scenarios.

If you are a US citizen, then all of the income you gain in Mexico is taxed according to mexican laws. However, you do have the ability to claim the benefits of the US-MX treaties that prevents double taxation. In this case, you would pay MX taxes and then credit them when declaring your income tax in the states.

If you are a MX citizen, then all of your income that you made working REMOTELY (meaning, not spending 183 in the US) then you are tax based on residency.

Unfortunately, US citizenship implies that any income you have around the world is taxable. The way that you need to avoid double taxation (in a US Citizens case) would be to declare any taxes paid in a foreign country as tax credits, and pay the balance to the IRS. i.e. you are a US citizen with permenant residency in Mexico. Any income while you are a resident of Mexico is taxed according to Mexical law. if you pay taxes in Mexico for your income (during mexican residency), then in your IRS income statement you would declare a tax credit for paying MX taxes and if US law dictates a <> tax bracket, then you need to abide by US tax standards. so say you rented your appartment in an AirBnB gig (and you are in the RESICO tax regime in Mexico) you would only pay 2% income tax in MX. (I'm not considering Sales Tax). in that case, if the US Income Tax rate is 20%, then as a US citizen, you would declare a 2% tax credit and owe the IRS 18% of that income's tax.

I sincerely hope the information is useful.

Sincerely,

A MX remote Enterprise Software Engineer

Cheers!


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## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

xFox said:


> then you need to abide by US tax standards. so say you rented your appartment in an AirBnB gig (and you are in the RESICO tax regime in Mexico) you would only pay 2% income tax in MX.


You are basically correct on all of it except for the above- US tax standards have nothing to do with Mexican taxes. Your income tax rate in Mexico is determined by the Mexican tax regs.and varies depending on your Mexican income. The income tax charged can be anywhere from 1% and up, depending on the category of business, and your monthly or yearly income. I have 2 small businesses, and my upholstery business was taxed (income tax) at 1% last month, but my private room Airbnb is charged at 4%.

And yes, whatever you paid in Mexico is deducted from what you owe the IRS. 
A lot of people don't understand what no double taxation means in the tax treaty, and think it means if you paid taxes in Mexico you don't need to pay them in the US, or Canada, but you do- you pay the difference owing, as you explained. 

BTW, the US and Eritrea are the only countries in the world that taxes their citizens as opposed to their residents. 
There are people they call "accidental Americans"- those who had a parent who was an American citizen when they were born, or who were born in the US, but whose families moved elsewhere when they were infants. It doesn't matter if they never stepped foot in the US, and never held a US passport or had any other connection to the US, the IRS considers them "US persons" and they are expected to file and pay US taxes on worldwide income. 
When that law was brought in (FACTA) about 15 years ago, there was a rush of people in that position applying to renounce their US citizenship.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Meanwhile I was just told that after next year I dod not have to pay taxes because I was not considered a resident since I am a non US widow.. I say Not so fast when I draw down IRA the IRS withdraw 30m% of the mount which I have to claim back when I file taxes. The accountant said, oh they will lkeep the 30%.. Anyone knows about this wonderful rule??
THey weel keep 30% of my IRA because I cannot file taxes to get them back.... Is it another way to scres the aliens that cost them so much money?


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

citali - perhaps consider asking your question at this forum.
Expat Tax


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## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

citlali said:


> THey weel keep 30% of my IRA because I cannot file taxes to get them back.... I


Something sort of similar going on now with people who have Airbnb listings in Mexico, but aren't Mexican residents. Because they aren't residents, they can't get an RFC number, and Airbnb is now withholding Mexican taxes, which they then submit to Hacienda (this just started last year, so all the people who were renting out vacation homes under the table can no longer get away with that).
Airbnb hosts who can't provide an RFC number now have 20% in occcupancy taxes added to what guests have to pay, whereas if you provide an RFC, it goes down to 4%.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Except that the IRA were set up to be withdrawn until age 82 to lessen the tx for retiree not to rip them off at a rate of 30%

Thanks Mango , I will and I will call the IRS to see what they say..


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

You probably have options on how to deal with an inherited IRA (if that's what it is). But be careful, the options are likely a choice between A) rolling the money into an IRA in your name - which would then require you to take required minimum distributions starting at your age 72, and pay US tax on them as you take them, or B) to have all the money disbursed to you immediately, which would require you to pay income tax on it all in one year, potentially putting you in a high tax bracket and costing you a big chunk of that IRA money to pay taxes.

The advantage of B is then you'd be done with the US (which might be worth it to you)

It's not mandatory in all cases that IRA's have withholding taken out of the disbursements, but when "foreigners" are receiving the money it might be. My Mom has never had IRA withholding turned on. (I've been doing her taxes since 2001, she's just a straight-up US citizen living in the US, nothing special). She needs to file/pay estimated taxes anyway, so paying that means no withholding from the IRA is necessary. I could have done it the other way around, and used excess IRA distribution withholding to pay her other taxes, but I didn't.

If you are subject to mandatory IRA withholding, then I think it's 28%, not 30, but it could have gone up (or you could be rounding up). If you are not subject to mandatory withholding, you can set it to whatever amount or percent you want.


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

PS: besides calling the IRS, which might be not be very fruitful, you can try calling the company the IRA is invested at. Companies like Vanguard & Fidelity have people that can guide customers through their options.


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

When my wife passed I rolled her accounts (Roth and IRA) into mine. That was a pretty painless thing.

The brokerage houses (Schwab, Fidelity etc) have departments of people who just handle these sorts of situations. I found that each company handled different situations in different ways. You need to call ALL of them (particularly the company where the IRA sits today). Take names and numbers of the people you speak to. 

I also do my own taxes and have since the 1990s (That way I at least understand what the 'guy' did with my taxes). For a while, particularly the few years after my wife stopped working, I was taking sips out of the IRA and rolling it over into the ROTH. 

I have two small annuities which are now both in my name. They are 'insurance products' so they have different rules from the regular retirement accounts. Even today I am considering the option of taking some / all of the IRA and creating an annuity. I can do that even as a non-resident of the US, but I need to do it on US soil (for me it would likely be Florida). I have not researched all the subtle tax implcations, but it would be 'done'. I don't know if an IRA looses its IRA attributes when it becomes an annuity. Currently I have no withholdings taken on the annuity, but I could. I guess 100% of the annuity payments would be taxable, but I do not know what the % withheld would be. 

I will share that I was given a couple months to 'plan' for my wife's death. I had quite a few conversations (which often differed) and options were offered which I did not anticipate on my own. 

As honest non-resident US citizens we are really treated rather poorly. And this may not apply to citali - but if you are a non-resident US citizen forget the concept of "JTWROS" (joint ownership) on an account. Even though that may be the way the account was setup - it no longer applies when you are a non-resident. If appropriate you should make such accounts Individual accounts and make the other 'owner' the benediciary on the account. BUT - and here is another gotcha - Fidelity will let you (the non-resident) set a beneficiary on a brokerage account. Schwab will not.


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

Edit : It has been a while (I am on thin ice) but when I last asked, I believe the required minimum distributions where not all that oppressive. The 'distribution period' can be something like 17-25 years... 

Please correct me...


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

My husband cahed in his IRA when they tolf him that all I had to do was to go to San Francisco to take care of his IRAs.. Schwab told him that . I am not a US citizen so that is where the problem start. I have paid taxes for 50 years in the US and am still paying and all of a sudden the account tells me that I have to file next year and no more after that because I cease to be a resident since my husband died. Does not make a whole lot of sense to me.. . I have received plenty of advice that is incorrect. Like to claim the SS of my husband.. which does not apply in my case since I made more maney than he did. and so on. The idea I was an independent woman making my own money and that I am not a US citizen does not seem to sink in.. I ll speak to Schwab after I report my husband s death which I will do when I am ready ...I had him cremated as a Mexican citizen so they did not report anything to the US and I have to do that..


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

I am probably not doing the right thing - or - maybe I have not done everything I need to do - so take all my experiences with a grain of salt.

Soon I will be 68 and my wife was 2 years older. She was receiving social security and to be honest most months we could easily live on that alone. There were months when a bunch of annual expenses came due where that wasn't true. (I see posting where people mention what their SS payments are - and my wfie was receiving 2 or 3 times that amount). It was always the plan for me to wait until I turn 70 to start social security. I think those two years of waiting mean an extra 600-700 dollars a month. 

So you mention - reporting your husbands death to the US. Who exactly are you going to report to ? I contacted the FBU group at the US Embassy and said I wanted to claim her SS survivor benefits until I turn 70. I sent them her death cert, our marriage cert etc (which they returned). It took close to 6 months to finally start working but I am now receiving exactly what she was receiving and will continue to do so until I turn 70 at which point my monthly payment will be more than what I am receiving now.

The only other people in the US I informed of my wife's passing are her / my investment accounts where pretty much I rolled everything into my 'like' accounts. That all went rather smoothly. We did not have US wills and we had no properties or family in the US. 

Who else do you (or I) need to inform ? (If it is bad - don't tell me). 

And yes - you cannot simply take the word of any one person at these financial institutions. When you find someone who truly seems to know what they are doing, keep going back to that person. One company (can't recall which) promoted the person I was working with and assigned a new person. That new person came up with a whole set of new requirements for me - most of which were riduculous. But I answered the new stupid questions and she was happy, and that was that.


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

I looked up a page on social security survivor benefits and found this page from aarp:









How Social Security Survivor Benefits Work


The spouse, children and sometimes even parents of a deceased Social Security beneficiary may be eligible for monthly survivor benefits.




www.aarp.org





Two of the "Keep in mind" bullet points seem to be relevant:

If you are already drawing Social Security on your work record, you will receive survivor benefits only if they exceed your own payment. Social Security will pay the higher of the two benefit amounts.

Survivor benefits are distinct from Social Security's lump-sum death benefit, a one-time payment of $255 to a deceased beneficiary's family. To receive this payment, you must file the application (by calling Social Security at 800-772-1213 or visiting your local office) within two years of the person's death.

So that second one should give you a number to report the death to, at least, and you get a few bucks for doing so. Which if they mail you a paper check will be more trouble than it's worth, but whatever.


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

eastwind said:


> I looked up a page on social security survivor benefits and found this page from aarp:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The embassy folks (actually one guy) took care of all that for me. In fact at one point there was a 'check the status of my claim' link and I was surprised to see this thing called 'lump sum...'. It came along maybe a month or so after the other payments did. (Five months of payments at once). All the monies from social security flowed into the exact same Mexican bank account they were going while my wife was alive. That is one thing I had been concerned with because the "registration" on that account changed when my wife passed...


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

You have to report it to the consulate and they inform everyone and their brother...


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

My situation is different from yours because I am not a citizen.. and my ss is higher than my husband s


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## Takingiteasy (Aug 12, 2021)

The percentage of tax you will have to pay in the states varies a lot depending on how much income and also what state you were a resident of. Some states have income taxes, some don't. On purely federal income, the percentage changes a lot with higher amounts.

If you have to declare over about $75k then they want you to go to a worksheet to see if you qualify for the amt or minimum tax. They started the amt saying it was for millionaires and billionaires so they would at least pay some tax. In actual practice it hits the middle class quite often. It won't kick in probably until you are over about 100 to $125k but it depends on your deductions. 

If you can take part this year and defer part until next year or later then you will be paying a lower rate. Once the amt kicks in you pay 26% or 28% depending and if you make a lot it could be up to 39.6% I think is the highest rate. I haven't had to pay the highest rate yet, lucky me.


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## 255 (Sep 8, 2018)

@citlali -- The standard rate for NRA withholding is 30%: NRA Withholding | Internal Revenue Service . As such, this 30% constitutes the entirety of your debt to the IRS. No need to file any further tax forms. This happens to ex-U.S. citizens also, when they relinquish/renounce U.S. citizenship. They are no longer expected to file U.S. tax returns, but if they are drawing U.S. source income, like SS or pensions, their withholding will now be 30% on everything (only 85% of SS has the potential to be taxed, so your rate should be a little bit lower on SS.) Your situation is different than the U.S. citizens posting. As has been previously posted, Americans are subject to "citizenship" based taxation, not "resident" based taxation.

As far as the IRA, if your husband closed it prior to his death, the distributions will be included in his final tax return. There is no requirement for _*you *_to file another tax return (but you can.) You have two choices, for that final return: The first, file jointly, as it seems you have done in the past, or secondly, file your husband's return as "Married, filing separately." The first option allows you to claim standard deductions for both you and your husband (but you have to claim your income) and the second allows you to omit your income, but your husband will only get _*his*_ standard deduction. Work the numbers both ways and see which is more advantages to you. I'm sorry for your loss. Cheers, 255


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Since I am on social security I do not pay taxes so I file to get the 30% back which I have been getting every year. There is a need for me to file to get my money back.. not because I owe mony to the IRS. It is plain old theft.. They have kept the 30% for 1 year and a half for the last 20 years and now they will not give me the money bacK because I cannot file??7My husband got his ira out 3 or 4 years ago so there is nothing from my husband . 

Can I file taxes one way or another if I am not a resident but have IRAs and receive SS from the US. My husband is irrelevant in this because Imy ss check is larger than his .. so I expect no SS from him according to what I was told before.. Does it sound correct?

In my final return I have to figure out how much IRA money I want out... or just be done with the US pull everything pay 30% and forget about the US.. It totally goes againt the IRA idea... but I guess it I am being screwed because I am not a resident.. Wonderful country..


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## 255 (Sep 8, 2018)

@citlali -- The 1040-NR is the form to file, if you are a NR engaged in a trade or business, in the U.S.: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040nr.pdf . Referring to your last post, it appears your only U.S. source income is your SS and IRA distributions -- so no U.S. tax return is de rigueur (assuming you don't have a current green card.)

The 30% withholding _*is*_ your taxes for you as a NRA.

If you indeed paid more into SS than your husband, then yes your social security will prevail. The SSA essentially pays the higher amount, your benefit or your husbands, which would become a "Survivor's Benefit."

As far as the IRA (assuming it's a traditional IRA,) you'll eventually have to pay the 30% tax on the entire amount. Whether you take it out now would usually be determined from how Mexico would tax the IRA distributions, as delineated in Article 19 of the U.S.- Mexico Tax Treaty: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-trty/mexico.pdf . In you case, you know the U.S. is going to tax you at 30% -- Mexico's capital gains tax ranges from 2 to 35%, depending on income, so depending on your overall income, and assuming it's not at the highest level, I would personally withdraw it all, take the tax hit and invest the money elsewhere (maybe by purchasing an annuity,) and be done with the IRS. Cheers, 255


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

On the SS are you saying I will get something from my husband SS as surviror´s benefit or all I will get will be my SS check?


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## 255 (Sep 8, 2018)

@citlali -- It's either or, not both. If your SS payment is larger than your husbands -- you'll get only yours. If your husband's benefit was higher, the SSA will pay you the higher amount. There is also a lump sum death benefit of $255, but you have to apply for it. If You Are The Survivor | SSA . Cheers, 255


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Thank you that is what I was told 20 years ago here and that is what i wanted to check so nothing changed.. Nice to hear about the 255 if they are easy to get if not forget it, life is just too short to deal with all the bureaucrats..

I file with the 1040-NR so it sounds like I will have to take the hit and after that we will see. I have a couple of nice houses here so I will sell one or maybe two 3 years apart and then I will see what is will do.. Since I am not planning to go back to EUrope or the US.. I will be ok and enjoy the rest of my life here. I do not care for annuities but I will talk to chwab and in time , I will see. 
Thank you for your help.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

Primer: as a US citizen living in Mexico, do I need to file with the IRS?


Sarah DeVries interviewed tax specialist Michael Lindstrom, who explains who must file annual U.S. tax returns and who may not need to.




mexiconewsdaily.com





"Living in Mexico indefinitely doesn't mean you've necessarily escaped accountability with the Internal Revenue Service. DEPOSIT PHOTOS
*Primer: as a US citizen living in Mexico, do I need to file with the IRS?*

*The US government can even get Mexico to collect your tax debt on its behalf*









By Sarah DeVries
Published on Saturday, May 28, 2022
Since the article about the taxpayer registration requirements was published, there have been a lot of questions regarding the tax obligations of foreign residents in Mexico.
This article will not address expats’ tax obligations to Mexico specifically but rather the tax obligations of United States citizens to their home country.


We spoke with Michael Lindstrom, U.S. expat tax specialist and enrolled agent at Living Abroad Tax Services.
What’s the most important thing that people should know?
“U.S. taxes are based on citizenship; you have the privilege of reporting and paying on worldwide income,” Lindstrom says."


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