Are you an #expat abroad selling a residence back home? Ask an Expert answers #expat reader's query. http://t.co/btsK7jE0hR via @WSJ
— US Taxation Abroad (@TaxationAbroad) December 9, 2014
The above tweet references an article by Jonathan Lachowitz of White Lighthouse Investment Management. Mr. Lachowitz is also a member of the Professional Tax Advisory Council of American Citizens Abroad.
Q: Reader Suzanne Herman, who says she’s Canadian with U.S. citizenship, submitted this question: “What clever way could one avoid paying U.S. capital gains on the sale of a real estate, and still retain the capital gains exemption on the sale of a principal residence in the country where one lives?
A: Jonathan Lachowitz of White Lighthouse Investment Management responds:
There are a number of ways to optimize one’s tax situation with respect to capital gains on the sale of a residence overseas, though individual circumstances will dictate whether any of these methods can be used, and many are applicable to domestic residences as well. From a U.S. tax standpoint, all of the following will apply:
I refer you to the article directly for a nice analysis.