Roberge Poskus International

10/08/2026

Selling a U.S. home as a foreign owner? The buyer’s intended use of the property can change the FIRPTA withholding rate.

If the buyer will use the property as a personal residence:

• Amount realized of $300,000 or less: no FIRPTA withholding is required.

• Amount realized over $300,000 but no more than $1 million: the withholding rate may be 10% instead of 15%.

But “use as a residence” has a specific meaning. The buyer or a family member must plan to reside at the property for at least 50% of the days the property is used by anyone during each of the first two 12-month periods after the sale.

This is important: the buyer’s statement alone is not enough. If the buyer does not actually use the property as a residence, the buyer may be held liable for the withholding that was not collected.

FIRPTA rules can be complicated, and the right documentation matters. Before closing, contact Roberge Poskus International at rpitax.com for help reviewing your situation.

Part 2 of our 6-part FIRPTA series.

10/01/2026

Selling a U.S. home as a foreign homeowner? Don’t panic when you see 15% withheld on the closing statement.

Under FIRPTA: the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980-the buyer generally must withhold 15% of the amount realized when a foreign person sells a U.S. real property interest.

A “foreign person” may include a nonresident individual or certain foreign corporations, partnerships, trusts, or estates.

The “amount realized” is generally more than the cash you receive. It can include the sales price, the fair market value of other property received, and certain liabilities transferred or paid off as part of the sale.

Most importantly, the 15% withholding is generally a prepayment toward your actual U.S. tax, not necessarily your final tax bill. Your actual tax may be much lower after considering your basis, selling expenses, allowable deductions, and other tax rules. You may be able to claim the difference as a credit or refund when you file your U.S. tax return.

Planning before closing may also help determine whether reduced withholding or an exception applies.

This is Part 1 of our 6-part FIRPTA series. If you are preparing to sell U.S. real estate, contact Roberge Poskus International at rpitax.com. We are here to help you understand the process and plan ahead.

09/30/2026

Potentially good news for foreign investors in U.S. real estate and U.S. REITs.

The IRS has proposed reversing the 2024 domestic corporation look-through rule used to determine whether certain REITs are domestically controlled. Under the proposal, U.S. C corporations would generally count as domestic owners again, rather than requiring ownership to be traced through to their shareholders for this purpose.

If finalized, the change could simplify ownership analysis and make certain U.S. real estate investment structures more attractive to foreign investors.

The proposal also includes an important date: taxpayers may be able to apply the change to transactions occurring on or after April 25, 2024. Foreign investors who restructured their ownership or REIT investments in response to the 2024 rules may want to revisit those decisions.

This is a proposed change, not a final rule, and the impact will depend on the details of each structure. If you own, are considering buying, or have restructured an investment in U.S. real estate or a U.S. REIT, our international tax team can help you evaluate the potential implications.

Visit rpitax.com to learn more.

12/26/2024

A big shout out to Ms Albritton from ABC news. She’d interviewed me about conditions in Shore Acres during Christmas. Look for the piece tonight between 5 and 6pm

10/11/2024

St Pete under mandatory boil water notice

03/03/2023

03/03/2023

Last night a few of our team members participated in the Wellcare Ambetter Health 5K on the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Track. Benefiting the Police Athletic League of St. Petersburg. We are very appreciative of the team that represented Roberge Poskus International. You all did us proud!

10/05/2022

Below is an update from the IRS regarding the extension of the tax filing dates for people affected by hurricane Ian. We are here to assist you with any questions you may have regarding this extension. Please call us at 727-822-9393 or email us at [email protected]

IRS: Hurricane Ian victims in Florida qualify for tax relief; Oct. 17 deadline, other dates extended to Feb. 15

WASHINGTON — Hurricane Ian victims throughout Florida now have until Feb. 15, 2023, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments, the Internal Revenue Service announced today.

The IRS is offering relief to any area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This means that individuals and households that reside or have a business anywhere in the state of Florida qualify for tax relief. The current list of eligible localities is always available on the disaster relief page on IRS.gov.
Link to IRS disaster relief page: https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMjcsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjA5MjkuNjQ0MjE1ODEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5pcnMuZ292L25ld3Nyb29tL3RheC1yZWxpZWYtaW4tZGlzYXN0ZXItc2l0dWF0aW9ucyJ9.-ALmv4t6ExIxBTcQ2JoYRhfh8g_2mZJSlRuHqclIkP0/s/1022040830/br/144937045649-l

The tax relief postpones various tax filing and payment deadlines that occurred starting on Sept. 23, 2022. As a result, affected individuals and businesses will have until Feb. 15, 2023, to file returns and pay any taxes that were originally due during this period.

This means individuals who had a valid extension to file their 2021 return due to run out on Oct. 17, 2022, will now have until Feb. 15, 2023, to file. The IRS noted, however, that because tax payments related to these 2021 returns were due on April 18, 2022, those payments are not eligible for this relief.

The Feb. 15, 2023, deadline also applies to quarterly estimated income tax payments due on Jan. 17, 2023, and the quarterly payroll and excise tax returns normally due on Oct. 31, 2022, and Jan. 31, 2023. Businesses with an original or extended due date also have the additional time including, among others, calendar-year corporations whose 2021 extensions run out on Oct. 17, 2022. Similarly, tax-exempt organizations also have the additional time, including for 2021 calendar-year returns with extensions due to run out on Nov. 15, 2022.

In addition, penalties on payroll and excise tax deposits due on or after Sept. 23, 2022, and before Oct. 10, 2022, will be abated as long as the deposits are made by Oct. 10, 2022.

Send a message to learn more

10/04/2022

Sorry for the delay in updating. We are back up and fully staffed in the office. We appreciate all of you who were checking in on us. We hope you all are safe and sound.

09/28/2022

Due to the current severe weather we will be closed today, Thursday and possibly Friday. We will monitor communications as best as we can. To all our Florida clients, we hope you and your families stay safe during this storm.