More on Pre Immigration US Tax Planning - Part I- the Split family

Many of our clients moving from Asia to the US, tend to split their family in two. Some family members (especially the father) remain in Asia and others (particularly the mom and kids) make the move to the US. In such situations, it is important for them to understand the definition of residency from a tax perspective.

Section 138, Division A, of H.R. 4170 (the Tax Reform Act of 1984) amends Section 7701 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended (“Code”), to include, as new Subsection 7701(b), a definition of resident alien and nonresident alien for Federal income tax purposes.

President Reagan signed H.R. 4170 into law on July 18, 1984. Thus, effective for tax years beginning after 1984, objective definitions of the terms residents aliens (“RAs”) and nonresidents aliens (“NRAs”) for Federal income tax purposes are incorporated into the Code.   

It is very important to note however, that the new definitions do not affect the determination of residence for Federal estate and gift tax purposes (discussed later).  In addition, the Joint Explanatory Statement of the Committee of Conference (the “Joint Statement”) also makes it clear that it is not intended that the definitions of RA and NRA affect the determination of whether an estate or trust is a U.S. or foreign estate or trust, “except insofar as that determination itself turns on the residence or non-residence of particular alien individuals.”

RESIDENCE TESTS

Code Section 7701(b) sets forth the following two (2) tests pursuant to which an alien individual will be considered a RA with respect to any calendar year if he:

(i)                 is a lawful permanent resident of the United States at any time during the calendar year (the “Green Card Test”); or

(ii)               is present in the U.S. for thirty-one (31) days or more during the current calendar year and has been present in the United States for a substantial period of time--one hundred eighty-three (183) days or more during a three (3) year period weighted toward the present year (the “Substantial Presence Test”). 

Pursuant to Section 7701(b)(1)(A), an alien individual is to be considered a RA for any calendar year, if and only if, he satisfies the requirements of the Green Card Test, the Substantial Presence Test or the First Year Election.

1.      The Green Card Test: A lawful permanent resident is defined as an individual who has the status of having been lawfully accorded the privilege of residing permanently in the United States in accordance with the immigration laws, and if such status has not been revoked (and has not been administratively or judicially determined to have been abandoned). Thus, a lawful permanent resident continues to be a resident for income tax purposes until he officially loses or abandons the status of lawful permanent resident.

2.      The Substantial Presence Test: An alien individual is classified as a RA as to a calendar year (the “current year”) if he is present in the United States for thirty-one (31) or more days in the current year and has been present in the United States for one hundred eighty three (183) days or more during a three (3) year period, weighted toward the current year. This weighting takes place as follows: an alien is considered a RA during the current year if the sum of the days he is present in the United States during the current year, plus one-third (1/3) of the days present during the first preceding year, plus one-sixth (1/6) of the days present during the second preceding year, equals or exceeds one hundred eighty-three (183) days. Exceptions will be discussed later.