The First-Year Tax Surprises No One Mentions When You Move Abroad
Updated On: 28 December, 2025 11:38 AM IST | Mumbai | ANI
Moving abroad comes with a very specific kind of optimism. New city. New routine. A fresh start that feels lighter somehow. Taxes, understandably, don’t make the emotional cut. They feel like something you’ll circle back to once the important stuff is sorted
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Moving abroad comes with a very specific kind of optimism. New city. New routine. A fresh start that feels lighter somehow. Taxes, understandably, don’t make the emotional cut. They feel like something you’ll circle back to once the important stuff is sorted.
That delay is where most first-year surprises begin.Not because expats are careless, but because no one really sits you down and explains how quietly different the rules can be once the move is done.
Surprise #1: Paying tax locally doesn’t end your U.S. filing obligation
This one catches people off guard, even those who consider themselves fairly organized.
The U.S. taxes based on citizenship, not where you live. Most countries do the opposite. So when you start paying tax in your new home country, it feels logical to assume the U.S. side fades out.
It doesn’t.
You may still need to file a U.S. tax return, even if you owe nothing. Filing and paying aren’t the same thing, but they often get mentally bundled together. That’s how people end up skipping both.
Plenty of expats only learn this after their first year is already behind them. It’s common. It’s also easier to handle early than later.
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