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US Tax Help for Americans in Singapore
Short answer: Americans in Singapore file a US return on worldwide income, including income Singapore does not tax. All State Tax Resolution, led by Sabih Shafi, an Enrolled Agent, prepares the US side. Singapore has no income tax treaty or Social Security agreement with the US, so there is no treaty to lean on, and we do not prepare Singapore returns.
Key takeaways
A US citizen or green card holder in Singapore files a US return on worldwide income, and the IRS says the rules are generally the same as at home.
Singapore's tax authority says gains on shares and property in Singapore are generally not taxable there. The US can still tax them.
The exclusion is up to $130,000 for 2025 and $132,900 for 2026, per person. It covers pay for work, not investment income, pensions or Social Security benefits.
The IRS treaty list does not include Singapore, and the Social Security Administration lists no agreement with Singapore.
Singapore accounts can trigger an FBAR above $10,000 combined, and sometimes Form 8938.
Do Americans in Singapore have to file a US return?
Yes, in most cases. The IRS says you are taxed on worldwide income from all sources, and the filing rules are generally the same abroad as at home. A move to Singapore does not change that for a citizen or a green card holder, and it does not matter that Singapore leaves some income untaxed.
The regular due date is April 15. If you live outside the US and your main place of business or post of duty is outside the US on that date, you get an automatic two extra months, to June 15, by attaching a statement. Interest on tax you owe still runs from April 15. Form 4868 adds four more months, to October 15, for filing only.
What Singapore does not tax, the US still does
This is where the two systems differ most. The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, IRAS, says gains from selling property or shares and other financial instruments in Singapore are generally not taxable. It also says overseas income received in Singapore is generally not taxable. IRAS publishes its own residency rules for foreigners, and those are Singapore rules we leave to a Singapore adviser.
None of that is a US rule. The US taxes a citizen or green card holder on worldwide income from all sources. A sale of shares that Singapore leaves alone can still be a taxable gain on your US return. Dividends and interest work the same way.
That has a second effect. The foreign tax credit reduces your US tax by qualifying foreign income taxes you paid. If Singapore charged little or no tax on an item, the credit has little or nothing to offset. For investment income, that can mean the full US tax applies. We lay this out before the return is filed so no one is surprised in April.
Exclusion or credit
The foreign earned income exclusion, claimed on Form 2555, leaves up to $130,000 of foreign earnings out of US income tax for 2025, and up to $132,900 for 2026, per person. You need foreign earned income, a tax home abroad, and either the bona fide residence test or 330 full days in foreign countries in any 12 months in a row. The IRS says only income from personal services abroad is foreign earned income, and that investment income is not. It also excludes pension or annuity payments, including social security benefits, and pay from the US government.
The foreign tax credit, claimed on Form 1116, is the other route. The IRS says generally only income, war profits and excess profits taxes qualify, and you cannot take a credit for tax on income you exclude. The exclusion lowers income tax only, not self-employment tax. We run both ways and show you which comes out better.
No treaty and no Social Security agreement
The IRS list of US income tax treaties does not include Singapore, so the exclusion and the credit carry the load. The Social Security Administration's list of agreements in force does not include Singapore either.
For employees, the IRS says US social security and Medicare taxes generally do not apply to wages for work you do outside the US, unless an exception applies, such as working for an American employer. For the self-employed, the Social Security Administration says US coverage extends to US citizens and residents wherever they work, so they are almost always covered by both countries. An agreement is what fixes that, and there is none. A freelancer or business owner in Singapore normally owes US self-employment tax on net earnings. Whether Singapore asks for its own contributions is a local question.
Singapore dollars, bank accounts and FATCA
You must report amounts on a US return in US dollars. The IRS says you generally use the exchange rate in effect when you receive, pay or accrue the item, and it generally accepts any posted rate used consistently. The IRS yearly average rate table lists the Singapore dollar.
FBAR (FinCEN Form 114). FinCEN says you must file if your foreign financial accounts together exceed $10,000 at any time in the calendar year. It is filed online with FinCEN, not with your return, and due April 15 with an automatic extension to October 15.
Form 8938. It is attached to your return. If you live abroad by the IRS definition, the thresholds are above $200,000 on the last day of the year or $300,000 at any time for a return that is not joint, and $400,000 or $600,000 for a joint return.
The US Treasury lists an intergovernmental agreement with Singapore as in force. The IRS says FATCA generally requires foreign financial institutions to report on assets held by their US account holders. Treat your Singapore accounts, including brokerage accounts, as visible to the IRS.
Behind on US filing from Singapore?
The streamlined foreign offshore procedures are for people abroad whose failures were non-willful, meaning negligence, inadvertence, mistake or a good faith misunderstanding of the law. The IRS asks for returns for the most recent three years with a passed due date, FBARs for the most recent six years, all tax and interest paid with the returns, and Form 14653 certifying non-willful conduct. You need no US abode and at least 330 full days outside the US in one of the three years.
The IRS says a filer who qualifies and follows the instructions is not subject to failure-to-file, failure-to-pay, accuracy-related, information return or FBAR penalties, unless an exam finds fraud or a willful FBAR violation. A civil exam or criminal investigation already underway rules the procedures out. If your conduct may have been willful, talk to us before filing.
State taxes after you move
California's Franchise Tax Board treats you as a resident if you are domiciled in California but outside the state for a temporary or transitory purpose. Other states have their own tests. We check your last state's rules instead of guessing.
How we help
I am Sabih Shafi, an IRS Enrolled Agent, federally licensed to represent taxpayers before the IRS in all 50 states. We work by phone and video, in English or Spanish, with Americans anywhere in Singapore.
Your US return: Form 1040 with Form 2555 or Form 1116, run both ways.
Investment income: we report gains, dividends and interest that Singapore leaves alone, and tell you what to expect.
Foreign account reports: FBAR and Form 8938 checks.
Missed years: several unfiled years prepared, with a straight answer on whether streamlined fits.
A flat fee quoted in writing before work starts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Singapore does not tax my investment gains. Does the US?
Yes, in general. The IRS says US citizens and green card holders are taxed on worldwide income from all sources, whatever the foreign country does.
Does Singapore have a tax treaty with the US?
Not on the IRS list of US income tax treaties, which does not include Singapore.
Can I use the exclusion on dividends or capital gains?
No. The IRS says investment income is not foreign earned income. The exclusion is for pay you earn by working abroad.
Do I need an FBAR for my Singapore bank or brokerage account?
If all your foreign accounts together exceed $10,000 at any time in the year, yes. Balances are added across accounts.
Can you prepare my Singapore tax return?
No. We prepare the US side only, and work with the figures your Singapore preparer gives us.
I have not filed US returns since I moved. What now?
Book the free review before filing anything. We see which years are missing and whether the streamlined procedures fit.
General information, not tax advice for your situation.
Related Reading
Talk to an Enrolled Agent
This article is general information, not individual tax advice. If you want to talk through your own IRS or state balance, book a free 20-minute review or call or text us directly.
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