Deductions & credits

Thanks for your  grasp of the complications and thoughtful reply. I'm going back and amending using the FTC based on the German tax notices as they come in, instead of making Adjustments to Income based on what I think they are doing.  There is less need for interpretation of the DTA  that way.  It looks a lot more straightforward and will actually result in refunds on the US side.  Thanks again for the suggestion!