Question

NeNe is an accountant and a U.S. citizen who has accepted a permanent position in Madrid, Spain, for a Spanish financial services company. This year, NeNe spent the entire year working in Madrid. NeNe's employer paid $40,000 of her Madrid housing expenses this year. What amount of the $40,000 housing payments may NeNe exclude

Answer 1

Question options:

a) NeNe can exclude all of the housing payment because she worked more than 330 days overseas

b) 16,128

c) 23,872

d) 14,112

e) None of her salary can be excluded from gross income

Answer:

a) NeNe can exclude all of the housing payment because she worked more than 330 days overseas

Explanation:

US citizens working and living abroad would still have to remit taxes to the US, albeit with exclusions.

Under US tax law, IRS states that US citizens may deduct/exclude the value of meal and lodging expenses granted to them by the employer. Under the foreign housing exclusion, Nene qualifies for the benefits of housing exclusion because she has a foreign earned income and has lived at least 330 days within a period of 12 consecutive months in the foreign country.