U.S. tax help for Americans living in Brazil

Start with the documents you already use to understand your income: employer statements, informes de rendimentos, invoices, bank statements, and your Brazilian income-tax return if you filed one. The useful next step is to identify what each record represents, which year it covers, and whether tax was withheld or paid separately.

Keep original amounts in Brazilian reais and the relevant dates. U.S. returns require U.S.-dollar reporting, and the appropriate conversion depends on the item and circumstances. Do not replace every BRL amount with one approximate dollar figure before the records have been reviewed. The IRS foreign-currency guidance below explains the reporting principle.

A Brazilian return can help document the facts, but preparing the U.S. return is a separate engagement. If a figure is unclear or a record is missing, describe the gap. You do not need to solve every classification question before making an inquiry.

The Foreign Tax Credit and Foreign Earned Income Exclusion may be relevant, depending on eligibility and the income involved. They have different rules, and a credit cannot also be claimed for foreign tax attributable to excluded income. The IRS foreign tax credit guidance below explains that interaction.

For scoping, distinguish salary, contractor receipts, rent, interest, investment sales, and pension payments. Also distinguish tax withheld from later payments or refunds. A total copied from a Brazilian return does not explain every U.S. treatment question. The records and your filing history help establish which issues the engagement needs to cover.

An FBAR may be required when a U.S. person has a financial interest in, or signature authority over, reportable foreign financial accounts whose combined value exceeds $10,000 at any time during the calendar year. The threshold considers accounts together; it is not a separate $10,000 allowance for each bank. See the IRS FBAR guidance below.

For the initial inquiry, a general description is enough: for example, personal bank accounts, a jointly held brokerage account, or authority over a business account. Later, accepted work may require ownership details, account types, maximum balances, and the years involved. Do not send account numbers or statements through the public form.

Tell me about investments and business ownership as well as ordinary checking and savings. Those facts can change the preparation scope. FileAbroad’s existing FBAR and Form 8938 service pages explain the separate services in more detail.

The U.S.–Brazil Social Security agreement can affect self-employment coverage. The Social Security Administration explains when Brazilian coverage applies and how a certificate establishes an exemption from U.S. contributions. This coverage question is separate from income-tax filing. Mention any existing certificate when describing your work.

Also explain whether you operate personally or through a Brazilian entity, what work you perform, and whether you have employees or ownership interests elsewhere. A short description helps identify whether your case fits the practice and whether specialist assistance is needed before a preparation quote can be given.

If you recently learned about U.S. filing while living in Brazil, start with what you know: the last U.S. return you filed, the years you believe are missing, and whether the IRS has contacted you. If you are unsure, say so. The first inquiry is a starting point for assessing fit.

Annual filing, correcting a filed return, and catch-up preparation can involve different work. If the Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures appear relevant, eligibility and the circumstances behind the missed filings need review before that work is accepted. Do not assume a particular procedure or outcome before your facts have been assessed.

Send a brief initial inquiry with your country, tax years, income sources, and main concern. There is no payment to send it. I’ll review the information and follow up about fit and the next step. Substantive review may require a separately scoped assessment.

Before paid preparation begins, the accepted years, forms, deliverables, and fee are confirmed in writing. When documents are needed, I’ll provide secure upload instructions. FileAbroad’s work concerns U.S. tax preparation and U.S. reporting of documented foreign facts; Brazilian tax preparation or representation needs a professional who provides those services.