FIRPTA & Foreign Real Estate · Insights

FIRPTA & Foreign Real Estate insights

Plain-English tax guidance on firpta & foreign real estate from our CPAs and Enrolled Agents.

Mar 9, 2026·7 min read

How Foreign Investors Are Taxed on US Real Estate: Rental, Sale, and Estate

Owning US property as a foreign investor triggers three separate tax regimes — on rental income, on sale, and on death. Each has a default that overtaxes you and an election or structure that fixes it.

SMAART Tax Team

Reducing FIRPTA Withholding: How Form 8288-B Gets Your Money Back Faster

FIRPTA & Foreign Real Estate

Feb 24, 2026·6 min read

Reducing FIRPTA Withholding: How Form 8288-B Gets Your Money Back Faster

FIRPTA's 15% withholding is calculated on the gross sales price, so it usually far exceeds the tax a foreign seller actually owes. A withholding certificate can cut the amount held back to the real number — at closing, not months later.

SMAART Tax Team

FIRPTA Withholding: What Foreign Sellers of US Property Owe at Closing

FIRPTA & Foreign Real Estate

Feb 10, 2026·6 min read

FIRPTA Withholding: What Foreign Sellers of US Property Owe at Closing

When a foreign person sells US real estate, the buyer must withhold 15% of the gross sales price and remit it to the IRS. Miss the rule and the buyer — not the seller — is on the hook.

SMAART Tax Team

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