{"id":151,"date":"2022-10-25T18:42:57","date_gmt":"2022-10-25T18:42:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/?p=151"},"modified":"2023-01-10T10:44:36","modified_gmt":"2023-01-10T14:44:36","slug":"what-is-an-expat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/status\/what-is-an-expat\/","title":{"rendered":"What is an expat?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>For many, the answer to the question of \u201cwhat is an expat\u201d is not complicated. Most people think of an expat or expatriate as someone who lives abroad, whether it\u2019s just for a few years or permanently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, confusion may arise if you\u2019re talking about taxes versus the everyday definition of expat as described above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-create-block-hrb-expat-ways-to-file\" class=\"wp-block-create-block-hrb-expat-ways-to-file\"><div class=\"wtf-column wtf-column--left\"><a href=\"https:\/\/expatonline.hrblock.com\/wizard\/introduction\/2021?sat_track=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-track=\"{'loc':'b', 'nm':'start file yourself'}\">File on my own<\/a><\/div><div class=\"wtf-column wtf-column--right\"><a href=\"https:\/\/expat.hrblock.com\/s\/login\/SelfRegister?sat_track=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-track=\"{'loc':'b', 'nm':'start file with an advisor'}\">File with an advisor<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-expatriate-definition-for-u-s-taxes\">Expatriate definition for U.S. taxes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to U.S. taxes, being an expat or expatriate has a clear-cut meaning \u2014 specifically a taxpayer who has given up their U.S. citizenship or abandoned their green card. We\u2019ll get to more about what it means to be an expatriate according to this definition in a moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, let\u2019s clarify that if you\u2019re a U.S. citizen or green card holder living or working abroad, you still must file a tax return with the IRS each year. What\u2019s more, you should know there are additional rules to follow so you can stay in compliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sound difficult? You can rest easy \u2014 our knowledgeable tax advisors have helped thousands of U.S. taxpayers file returns from abroad virtually. Learn more about our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/\">expat tax services<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, back to the expatriate definition for U.S. taxes. If your intent is to give up your U.S. citizenship or abandon your green card, we can help with that too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-becoming-an-expatriate\">Becoming an expatriate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re ready to give up your U.S. citizenship or green card, there are specific steps to take to be an expatriate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Most of the time, you\u2019re required to file\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/forms\/form-8854-initial-and-annual-expatriation-statement\/\">Form 8854<\/a>\u00a0to certify that you\u2019ve complied with your U.S. tax obligations from prior years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If you meet certain income and wealth thresholds for the five years before you expatriate, you could be considered a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/covered-vs-non-covered-expatriates\/\">covered expatriate<\/a>\u00a0and may have to pay a tax on all your assets which have yet to be taxed by the U.S. (as if you had sold all of your assets).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you are an expatriate, you\u2019re usually taxed only on your U.S.-sourced income. For example, this could be stock or real estate income that\u2019s based in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An important caveat to the tax definition of an expatriate for green card holders is that you must go through official procedures to expatriate. It is not possible to be a tax expatriate solely because your green card expires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-h-r-block-helps-everyday-expats-and-tax-expatriates\">How H&amp;R Block helps everyday expats and tax expatriates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>No matter if you need help filing your return while you\u2019re living abroad or if you plan to be an expatriate according to the definition from the IRS, our experts are here for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll work with an experienced tax advisor who knows what\u2019s required for your situation. Get started today with virtual&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/\">Expat Tax Preparation<\/a>&nbsp;from H&amp;R Block.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn the definition of an expatriate as it relates to everyday life versus what it means for your taxes. H&#038;R Block tax advisors explain all things related to expats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-status"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<title>What is an expat? | H&amp;R Block\u00ae<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn the definition of an expatriate as it relates to everyday life versus what it means for your taxes. H&amp;R Block tax advisors explain all things related to expats.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/status\/what-is-an-expat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is an expat?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn the definition of an expatriate as it relates to everyday life versus what it means for your taxes. H&amp;R Block tax advisors explain all things related to expats.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/status\/what-is-an-expat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"H&amp;R Block\u00ae\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hrblock\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-10-25T18:42:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-01-10T14:44:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"H&amp;R Block\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@hrblock\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@hrblock\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"H&amp;R Block\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/status\/what-is-an-expat\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/status\/what-is-an-expat\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"H&amp;R Block\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/#\/schema\/person\/0cd8daf8e7ff76af20d5e30d53fabd99\"},\"headline\":\"What is an expat?\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-10-25T18:42:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-10T14:44:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/status\/what-is-an-expat\/\"},\"wordCount\":492,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Status\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/status\/what-is-an-expat\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/status\/what-is-an-expat\/\",\"name\":\"What is an expat? | H&amp;R Block\u00ae\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-10-25T18:42:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-10T14:44:36+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learn the definition of an expatriate as it relates to everyday life versus what it means for your taxes. H&R Block tax advisors explain all things related to expats.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/status\/what-is-an-expat\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/status\/what-is-an-expat\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/status\/what-is-an-expat\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What is an expat?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/\",\"name\":\"H&amp;R Block\u00ae\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/#organization\",\"name\":\"H&R Block\u00ae\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/hrblock-expat.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/hrblock-expat.jpg\",\"width\":459,\"height\":205,\"caption\":\"H&R Block\u00ae\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hrblock\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/hrblock\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hrblock\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/#\/schema\/person\/0cd8daf8e7ff76af20d5e30d53fabd99\",\"name\":\"H&amp;R Block\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ee53f471b061ed9a43e9c71d174ff91e6866176c28d9b855414ca9730c71319c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ee53f471b061ed9a43e9c71d174ff91e6866176c28d9b855414ca9730c71319c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"H&amp;R Block\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/author\/cclouse\/\"}]}<\/script>","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is an expat? | H&amp;R Block\u00ae","description":"Learn the definition of an expatriate as it relates to everyday life versus what it means for your taxes. H&R Block tax advisors explain all things related to expats.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/status\/what-is-an-expat\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is an expat?","og_description":"Learn the definition of an expatriate as it relates to everyday life versus what it means for your taxes. H&R Block tax advisors explain all things related to expats.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/status\/what-is-an-expat\/","og_site_name":"H&amp;R Block\u00ae","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hrblock","article_published_time":"2022-10-25T18:42:57+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-01-10T14:44:36+00:00","author":"H&amp;R Block","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@hrblock","twitter_site":"@hrblock","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"H&amp;R Block","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/status\/what-is-an-expat\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/status\/what-is-an-expat\/"},"author":{"name":"H&amp;R Block","@id":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/#\/schema\/person\/0cd8daf8e7ff76af20d5e30d53fabd99"},"headline":"What is an expat?","datePublished":"2022-10-25T18:42:57+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-10T14:44:36+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/status\/what-is-an-expat\/"},"wordCount":492,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Status"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/status\/what-is-an-expat\/","url":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/status\/what-is-an-expat\/","name":"What is an expat? | H&amp;R Block\u00ae","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-10-25T18:42:57+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-10T14:44:36+00:00","description":"Learn the definition of an expatriate as it relates to everyday life versus what it means for your taxes. H&R Block tax advisors explain all things related to expats.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/status\/what-is-an-expat\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/status\/what-is-an-expat\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/filing\/status\/what-is-an-expat\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What is an expat?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/","name":"H&amp;R Block\u00ae","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/#organization","name":"H&R Block\u00ae","url":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/hrblock-expat.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/hrblock-expat.jpg","width":459,"height":205,"caption":"H&R Block\u00ae"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hrblock","https:\/\/x.com\/hrblock","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hrblock\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/#\/schema\/person\/0cd8daf8e7ff76af20d5e30d53fabd99","name":"H&amp;R Block","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ee53f471b061ed9a43e9c71d174ff91e6866176c28d9b855414ca9730c71319c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ee53f471b061ed9a43e9c71d174ff91e6866176c28d9b855414ca9730c71319c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"H&amp;R Block"},"url":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/author\/cclouse\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hrblock.com\/expat-tax-preparation\/resource-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}