I am closing on a property in December 2024 on a real estate investment property abroad. Do I need to claim this purchase on my 2024 taxes? Are there tax breaks for this type of real estate purchase?
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Purchasing a real estate investment property abroad has specific tax implications, but the purchase itself does not need to be reported on your 2024 return. The act of purchasing the property does not trigger a U.S. tax reporting requirement.
Be aware that you may be required to file a number of U.S. tax forms, depending on your exact situation as a foreign property owner.
For example, if you rent out your home abroad and open a bank account to collect rent, you must file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) form if the aggregate value of all your foreign accounts is $10,000 or more “at any time during the calendar year.”
Other forms include Form 5471, Information Return of U.S. Persons with Respect to Certain Foreign Corporations (if your property is held by a foreign corporation); and Form 8858, Information Return of U.S. Persons with Respect to Foreign Disregarded Entities and Foreign Branches.
Income Reporting:
Tax Breaks and Deductions:
@jnicole455 Thanks for the question!!
Hello,
You do not need to report on your purchase of real estate property, if it is your personal residence or a rental property.
If you rent the property or sale the property, then you have to report it in your taxes.
You can find form information at https://www.irs.gov/businesses/corporations/basic-questions-and-answers-on-form-8938
Thanks
Thank you. Am I able to write off any of the mortgage interest or anything else related to the property costs if it is a foreign property?
Purchasing a real estate investment property abroad has specific tax implications, but the purchase itself does not need to be reported on your 2024 return. The act of purchasing the property does not trigger a U.S. tax reporting requirement.
Be aware that you may be required to file a number of U.S. tax forms, depending on your exact situation as a foreign property owner.
For example, if you rent out your home abroad and open a bank account to collect rent, you must file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) form if the aggregate value of all your foreign accounts is $10,000 or more “at any time during the calendar year.”
Other forms include Form 5471, Information Return of U.S. Persons with Respect to Certain Foreign Corporations (if your property is held by a foreign corporation); and Form 8858, Information Return of U.S. Persons with Respect to Foreign Disregarded Entities and Foreign Branches.
Income Reporting:
Tax Breaks and Deductions:
@jnicole455 Thanks for the question!!
Subject: Assistance with Reporting Foreign Real Estate and Rental Income for My U.S. Citizen Son
Dear Intuit Support,
I would appreciate your guidance on how to properly report foreign assets and rental income for my U.S. citizen son, in accordance with current U.S. tax laws and foreign asset reporting requirements.
Here is our situation:
I am a U.S. resident and an immigrant from South Korea.
My son, a U.S.-born citizen, inherited real estate in Korea from his biological mother while he was still a minor.
Over the past 20 years, I have handled all legal and administrative matters in Korea on his behalf, including paying all inheritance taxes. This has also involved managing and personally handling multiple legal disputes and lawsuits related to the inheritance and properties.
As a result, two properties in Korea are now legally owned by my son.
Property 1 – Apartment:
This apartment generates monthly rental income. It is managed by a relative in Korea who takes care of maintenance and related costs. However, due to the difficulty of tracking detailed expenses, the relative sends me an approximate rental income amount twice a year.
Property 2 – Commercial Building (Joint Ownership):
This is an old commercial property jointly inherited with several other individuals. It has been part of a long-term urban redevelopment plan, and we have been awaiting government compensation for nearly 20 years.
Although this property is under my son’s name, I have been receiving the rental income on his behalf. My son is unfamiliar with Korean tax laws and legal systems, so I have assumed full responsibility for managing the property, including all legal and administrative duties, for about 20 years. This includes representing his interests in multiple legal proceedings over the years.
My questions are as follows:
How should these foreign properties and the associated rental income be reported on my son's U.S. tax return?
Which forms are required for compliance (e.g., FBAR, Form 8938, Form 3520, etc.)?
Does the fact that I have been managing the properties and receiving income on his behalf affect how they should be reported?
How should I handle reporting when income amounts are approximate and expense documentation is incomplete?
Thank you very much for your assistance.
Best regards,
Sang Noh
[email address removed]
As a U.S. citizen, your son is required to report his worldwide income to the IRS, regardless of where the income is earned or where he lives. The rental income from the Korean properties must be reported on his U.S. federal income tax return (Form 1040).
Form/Schedule: Schedule E (Form 1040), Supplemental Income and Loss This is the primary form used to report income and expenses from rental real estate.
Reporting Income: He must report the gross rental income collected from the properties. This should be the total rent paid by the tenants before any expenses are deducted by your relative in Korea.
Reporting Expenses: He can deduct ordinary and necessary expenses paid during the year. These include, but are not limited to:
Maintenance and repairs
Management fees (including any implicit fees or amounts retained by your relative for managing the property)
Property taxes paid in Korea
Insurance
Utilities paid by the owner
Depreciation: This is a crucial deduction you may be overlooking. Your son can (and should) claim a depreciation deduction for the cost of the buildings. The IRS has specific rules for depreciating foreign rental property.
Foreign residential rental property (the apartment) is generally depreciated over a 30-year period.
Foreign nonresidential property (the commercial building) is depreciated over a 40-year period.
You cannot depreciate the value of the land, only the building. You will need to determine the original basis of the property (generally, the fair market value on the date of inheritance) and allocate that basis between the land and the building.
Currency Conversion: All figures reported on the U.S. tax return must be in U.S. dollars. The IRS allows you to use a consistent exchange rate, such as the yearly average rate or the specific rate on the day the income was received or the expense was paid. The IRS provides yearly average exchange rates on its website.
Foreign Tax Credit: If your son paid or accrued income taxes in South Korea on this rental income, he might be able to claim a Foreign Tax Credit on his U.S. return using Form 1116, Foreign Tax Credit. This credit is designed to prevent double taxation on the same income.
This is a critical area with significant penalties for non-compliance. Several forms may be required.
FBAR (FinCEN Form 114), Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts
What it is: This is not an IRS form but a report filed separately and electronically with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).
Who must file: A U.S. person who has a financial interest in or signature authority over foreign financial accounts if the aggregate value of those accounts exceeds $10,000 at any time during the calendar year.
Application to your son: If the rental income is deposited into a Korean bank account that is in your son's name (or that he has signature authority over), he is required to file the FBAR. The $10,000 threshold is for the combined highest balance of all his foreign accounts, not per account.
Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets
What it is: This form is filed with the U.S. tax return (Form 1040).
Who must file: U.S. citizens who have an interest in "specified foreign financial assets" and meet certain thresholds. For an unmarried individual living in the U.S., the threshold is having total assets of more than $50,000 on the last day of the tax year or more than $75,000 at any time during the tax year.
Application to your son:
Directly held real estate (like his apartment and commercial building) is NOT a "specified foreign financial asset" and is NOT reported on Form 8938. This is a common point of confusion.
However, the Korean bank account that holds the rental income is a specified foreign financial asset and must be reported on Form 8938 if the value thresholds are met.
Form 3520, Annual Return To Report Transactions With Foreign Trusts and Receipt of Certain Foreign Gifts
This is extremely important for your son's situation. A U.S. person must file Form 3520 to report, among other things, the receipt of a gift or bequest from a foreign person (a non-U.S. citizen/resident) valued at more than $100,000.
Application to your son: Your son inherited real estate from his biological mother, a citizen of South Korea. It is highly likely the value of the properties exceeded $100,000 at the time of inheritance. Therefore, he was required to file Form 3520 for the year he received the inheritance.
Past Compliance: Since this happened while he was a minor, the responsibility to file would have fallen to you as his parent/guardian. If this form was never filed, he is currently not in compliance. The penalties for failing to file Form 3520 are substantial. You should address this immediately with a tax professional who can advise on options for late filing, such as the IRS Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures.
No, this does not change the reporting requirements for your son.
Beneficial Owner: The IRS is concerned with who the beneficial owner of the asset and income is. Legally, the properties and the income they generate belong to your son.
Agent/Nominee Relationship: You are acting as your son's agent or nominee. You are managing the assets on his behalf, but the tax liability remains with him, the owner.
Reporting: All income and asset reporting (Schedule E, FBAR, Form 8938) must be done on your son's tax return under his Social Security Number. The fact that the money may pass through your hands first is an administrative detail; it does not shift the tax burden from your son to you.
This is a common challenge with foreign activities. While the IRS requires accurate reporting, there are practical steps to take.
Reconstruct Records: You must make a "reasonable, good-faith effort" to reconstruct the financial records. You cannot simply use an approximation given to you.
Gross Income: The amount your relative sends you is likely the net income after they have paid local expenses. You need to determine the gross rental income. Ask your relative for bank statements or a ledger showing total rents collected from tenants.
Expenses: Ask the relative to provide a detailed list of all expenses paid, such as maintenance, repairs, and management fees. Request any available receipts, bank transaction records, or invoices. Even if documentation is poor, a detailed list from the manager is better than a simple net number.
Burden of Proof: The burden of proof for deductions is on the taxpayer (your son). If he were ever audited, he would need to substantiate the expenses he claimed. Document your efforts to obtain records.
Establish a System Going Forward: To avoid this problem in the future, you must implement a better record-keeping system immediately. Ask your relative to use a simple spreadsheet to log every item of income and every expense as it occurs. Have them take photos or scans of all receipts and email them to you quarterly or annually. This is essential for accurate future tax filings.
I suggest working with your son and your relative in Korea to reconstruct the financial records for at least the last 3-6 years. You will need:
To make sure your son is filing correctly going forward your son must:
Helpful links:
What Is a Schedule E IRS Form?
2024 Instructions for Schedule E (2024)
About Schedule E (Form 1040), Supplemental Income and Loss
FBAR Compliance: Reporting Your Foreign Bank Accounts
How do I file an FBAR report (FinCEN 114)?
Do I need to file Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets?
Instructions for Form 1116 (2024)
Claiming the Foreign Tax Credit with Form 1116
Where do I enter the foreign tax credit (Form 1116) or deduction?
Form 3520: Reporting Gifts and Inheritances from Foreign Countries
Instructions for Form 3520 (12/2023)
Dear Loretta P
I really do appreciate your very detailed and well constructed answers.
There have been very complicated legal fight for my son to secure the ownership of both apartment and his dividen of the commercial building. For one more question; how should I factor all the legal expenses into the overall framework?
Thank You
Best Regards,
Sang Noh
Legal fees and expenses incurred by you on your son's behalf cannot be expensed. They become part of the acquisition cost and will go towards the basis of the property. So if you paid these costs before renting out the property then they will become part of the property basis and depreciated over 30 years as they are related to a foreign rental. If you paid them while renting out the property, then you will enter them as an asset in the year incurred and then depreciate them over 30 years.
Well Noted!
Thank You Very Much!
Sang Noh
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