NONRESIDENT ALIEN RENTING U.S. REAL ESTATE

Michael Wiener, E.A.

This article focuses specifically on foreign individuals who own real estate directly as opposed to investing in U.S. real estate funds.

Most real estate management companies will manage rental properties on behalf of owners who live overseas. The management companies’ duties include, but are not limited to, finding desirable properties, assisting in purchases, finding tenants, collecting rent from tenants, disbursing rent to the nonresident alien owner and paying the property expenses on behalf of the nonresident alien owner.

These management companies are required to report to the IRS any rents which are paid to nonresident alien owners. This typically places a tax burden on the nonresident alien investor.

In most instances the owner of the property with be either an individual or a Single Member LLC(SMLLC). SMLLC is a limited  liability company with only one member. The SMLLC is beneficial because it provides a layer of liability protection for the nonresident alien from lawsuits from tenants. Additionally, I generally believe it is good practice to keep the bank account and assets related to the investment property separate from personal bank accounts and assets.

The single member LLC approach allows for a clean and clear separation. This approach may require a little more upfront documentation, but does not complicate tax matters, because the owner may elect to complete his income tax return in the same manner as if the LLC did not exist. Although the SMLLC keeps the individual separate from theentity for legal purposes, the SMLLC is a “disregarded entity” for tax purposes. As a disregarded entity, the IRS looks through to the owner of the LLC to determine tax treatment of payments of income, withholding, etc. Any income received by the LLC will be reported by the owner, on his annual individual income tax return.

Rental income is FDAP (Fixed, Determinable, Annual, Periodic) income, which the nonresident alien recipient should choose to treat as EC (effectively connected to a U.S. trade or business). As EC, one can take deductions (depreciation, management fees, interest expense, taxes etc…) and the net income is reported on page 1 of Form 1040NR via schedule E and subject to the graduated tax rates. Additionally, if treated as EC, there is no withholding requirement. I believe treating the rental income as EC is generally better from a tax standpoint because the nonresident alien is taxed at graduated rates and deductions are allowed to offset the gross rents received.

A nonresident alien should complete Form W-8ECI if treating the rents received as EC. If the property is owned as an SMLLC, the nonresident alien should complete Form W-8 using his name and ITIN, not the name and EIN of the SMLLC. Basically, in the case of a single Member LLC, the IRS sees the recipient of the income as the foreign individual, not the LLC. The management company must follow this treatment when filing information returns which report to the IRS payments the management company has made and the identity of the recipients of these payments. When filling out FormW-8, it is important to indicate to the management company that the actual rental payments are made to the SMLLC. There should also be a place for this on Form W-8. As for the ITIN on Form W-8, it will take 4-6 weeks to receive an ITIN (see below for how to apply for an ITIN). It is important to discuss with the management company when they would like the ITIN to be obtained. Generally the application must be filed with the filing of the first annual tax return, Form 1040NR. But nonresident aliens may be able to file early under Exception 1(d). If applying under Exception 1(d),Form W-7 is accompanied by a signed letter on official letterhead from the management company verifying that an ITIN is required to make distributions that are subject to IRS information reporting or federal tax withholding. If this letter cannot be provided, then the nonresident alien needs to wait to apply for the ITIN with the filing of initial Form 1040NR.

Form 1040NR will be filed for each year the nonresident alien owns the property. The management companies provide basic statements of income and deductions which are used in the preparation of Form1040NR. The due date of Form 1040NR is six months after the close of the tax year an automatic extension of six months can be granted by filing Form 4868. However, the nonresident alien is required to pay any tax by the original due date. Most nonresident aliens hire a tax professional in the United States.

This article is meant to give U.S. nonresident aliens an overview of certain issues involved with purchasing and renting U.S. Real Estate. After the initial purchase and set up for the first year’s tax returns, the annual tax return process is relatively simple. If you have additional questions or concerns more specific to your own situation please contact Michael Wiener Tax and Accounting.

If you should have a topic that you would like me to  discuss or if you should have a question, please feel free to  call 239.403.4410 or e-mail me at

michael@mwtaxandaccounting.com.
4280 East Tamiami Trail
Executive Suite 302-M | Naples, FL 34112

An enrolled agent, licensed by the US Department  of the Treasury to represent taxpayers before the IRS for  audits, collections and appeals. To attain the enrolled agent  designation, candidates must demonstrate expertise in  taxation, fulfill continuing education credits and adhere to  a stringent code of ethics.