Looking for a Form 2555-ez Templates? Download it for free!

2010

Department of the Treasury

Internal Revenue Service

Instructions for Form

2555-EZ

Foreign Earned Income Exclusion

•

Waiver of Time

General Instructions

You do not have a housing deduction

carryover from 2009.

Requirements

•

You meet either the bona fide

Do not include on Form 1040, line

residence test (see the instructions for

If your tax home was in a foreign country

61 (federal income tax withheld),

lines 1a and 1b on page 2) or the physical

and you were a bona fide resident of, or

any taxes a foreign employer

CAUTION

presence test (see the instructions for

physically present in, a foreign country

withheld from your pay and paid to the

lines 2a and 2b on page 2).

and had to leave because of war, civil

foreign country’s tax authority instead of

•

You meet the tax home test (see the

unrest, or similar adverse conditions, the

to the U.S. Treasury.

instructions for line 3 on page 2).

minimum time requirements specified

under the bona fide residence and

What’s New

Note. If your only earned income from

physical presence tests may be waived.

work abroad is pay you received from the

You must be able to show that you

Exclusion amount. For 2010, the

U.S. Government as its employee, you do

reasonably could have expected to meet

maximum exclusion has increased to

not qualify for the foreign earned income

the minimum time requirements if you had

$91,500.

exclusion. Do not file Form 2555-EZ.

not been required to leave. Each year the

Purpose of Form

IRS will publish in the Internal Revenue

Married Couples

Bulletin a list of the only countries that

If you qualify, you can use Form 2555-EZ

qualify for the waiver for the previous year

If both you and your spouse qualify for,

instead of Form 2555, Foreign Earned

and the dates they qualify. If you left one

and choose to claim, the foreign earned

Income, to figure your foreign earned

of the countries during the period

income exclusion, figure the amount of

income exclusion. You cannot exclude

indicated, you can claim the foreign

the exclusion separately for each of you.

more than your foreign earned income for

earned income exclusion on Form

You must each complete separate Forms

the year.

2555-EZ, but only for the number of days

2555-EZ.

you were a bona fide resident of, or

General Information

physically present in, the foreign country.

Community income. The amount of the

If you are a U.S. citizen or a U.S. resident

exclusion is not affected by the

If you can claim the foreign earned

alien living in a foreign country, you are

income-splitting provisions of community

income exclusion because of the waiver

subject to the same U.S. income tax laws

property laws. The sum of the amounts

of time requirements, attach a statement

that apply to citizens and resident aliens

figured separately for each of you is the

to your return explaining that you

living in the United States.

total amount excluded on a joint return.

expected to meet the applicable time

Note. Specific rules apply to determine if

requirement, but the conditions in the

Travel to Cuba

you are a resident or nonresident alien of

foreign country prevented you from the

the United States. See Pub. 519, U.S.

normal conduct of business. Also, enter

Generally, if you were in Cuba in violation

Tax Guide for Aliens, for details.

“Claiming Waiver” in the top margin on

of U.S. travel restrictions, the following

page 1 of your Form 2555-EZ.

Foreign country. A foreign country is

rules apply.

any territory under the sovereignty of a

•

Any time spent in Cuba cannot be

When To File

government other than that of the United

counted in determining if you qualify

States.

under the bona fide residence or physical

Form 1040 is generally due April 18,

presence test.

The term “foreign country” includes the

2011.

•

country’s territorial waters and airspace,

Any income earned in Cuba is not

However, you are automatically

but not international waters and the

considered foreign earned income.

granted a 2-month extension of time to

airspace above them. It also includes the

file (to June 15, 2011) if, on the due date

Note. If you performed services at the

seabed and subsoil of those submarine

of your return, you live outside the United

U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay,

areas adjacent to the country’s territorial

States and Puerto Rico and your tax

you were not in violation of U.S. travel

waters over which it has exclusive rights

home (defined later) is outside the United

restrictions.

under international law to explore and

States and Puerto Rico. If you take this

exploit the natural resources.

extension, you must attach a statement to

Additional Information

The term “foreign country ” does not

your return explaining that you meet

include U.S. possessions or territories. It

these two conditions.

Pub. 54, Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens and

does not include the Antarctic region.

Resident Aliens Abroad, has more

The automatic 2-month extension also

information about the bona fide residence

Who Qualifies

applies to paying the tax. However,

test, the physical presence test, and the

interest is charged on the unpaid tax from

You can use Form 2555-EZ to claim the

foreign earned income exclusion. You can

the regular due date until it is paid.

foreign earned income exclusion if all of

get this publication from most U.S.

When to claim the exclusion(s). The

the following apply.

Embassies and consulates or by writing

•

You meet the seven conditions listed at

to: National Distribution Center, 1201 N.

first year you plan to take the foreign

the top of Form 2555-EZ.

Mitsubishi Motorway, Bloomington, IL

earned income exclusion, you may not

•

Your total foreign earned income

61705-6613. You can also download this

yet have met either the physical presence

received in 2010 is reported on Form

publication (as well as other forms and

test or the bona fide residence test by the

1040, line 7.

publications) at IRS.gov.

due date of your return (including the

Cat. No. 14623P

Instructions For Form 2555-Ez - Foreign Earned Income Exclusion - Internal Revenue Service - 2010

Related Articles

Related forms

Related Categories