@Mr--Memo
Yes, I am with you. I have my Swiss taxes done by the professionals, and only because of the language issue, but I don't trust anybody with my US taxes except myself. I have 5 tax returns to file every year and its a crazy mess.
Yes, I believe turbotax even gives a helpful message at some point about this number. They are dividing 3e by 3d to determine the % of your income that was foreign, which then they apportion the deduction on 3a by. This reduces your apparent taxable foreign income (see line 15 on the next page) , in order to make the calculation of how much of your foreign tax to allow as a credit. (e.g., only 87% of my foreign tax paid ends up reflected on line 35 as a foreign tax credit). I am sure I am getting screwed here, but I am confident that this is intended by the IRS.
I dont believe that if you traded a lot of stocks it would show up on 3e unless you did really well - as they are talking about gross income, not gross proceeds - the cost basis is subtracted out. Aside: I can tell you this confidently as I sold a significant amount of stock last year thinking that the new administration is likely to do something unfavorable with capital gains taxes. (this sale was a big mistake, as despite not having a state residence to pay capital gains tax to, it added onto my tax bill disproportionately).
Good luck. Dont forget your FBAR and stay away from open windows when you see the tax bill.
