Blog Your ITIN May Be Causing Your Tax Return to Be Rejected The IRS has an initiative to require all tax returns to have current ITIN's the practice of filing returns with placeholder numbers such as 999-99-9999 is…Welcome to the Foreign Tax CPA blog A new home for clear, practical guidance on U.S. tax compliance for foreign owners of U.S. property.The Hidden IRS Liability Every Property Manager Must Know If you collect rent on behalf of a foreign landlord, the IRS has a name for you: withholding agent. That classification carries a personal tax liability…FIRPTA Timing: The 20 Day Rule Is Still Being Missed at Closing FIRPTA compliance is deadline driven. Forms 8288 and 8288-A must be filed within 20 days of closing — no extensions, no grace period. Here is where…FIRPTA Residence Exception — Still One of the Most Misapplied Rules at Closing The IRS updated its FIRPTA exception guidance in February 2026. No new rules, but the update reinforces that the residence exception is frequently…FIRPTA in Focus: What Every Foreign Seller Needs to Know in 2026 If you are a foreign investor selling U.S. real estate, the IRS has a message: get your paperwork right, or refunds and closings could stall. Here is your…FIRPTA Compliance: Filing Form 8288‑A at Closing In transactions involving foreign property sellers, FIRPTA impacts both withholding and reporting. Here is what title and escrow teams need to know about…Buyer Liability Under FIRPTA: What Happens When a Residential Waiver Isn't Followed Many buyers rely on the personal residence exception to avoid FIRPTA withholding, but the IRS is clear: a signature alone does not protect you. Here is what…Most Common FIRPTA Questions and Straight Answers Foreign sellers, buyers, and settlement professionals run into the same FIRPTA issues in real transactions. Here are the questions that come up most — with…FIRPTA: Why Seller Status Should Be Confirmed at the Document Stage FIRPTA does not apply to U.S. sellers — that point is clear. The compliance issue that arises in practice is not applicability, but timing. Confirm seller…FIRPTA Withholding ≠ Automatic Refund: What Every Closing Agent Should Know "They will get the 15% back when they file." Not necessarily. FIRPTA withholding is a prepayment of tax, not a refundable deposit — and bad advice at the…