When you have self-employment in a foreign country, you could be required to pay self-employment taxes in the US. Take the additional step of obtaining a Certificate of Coverage. If you need to know if your home country is eligible, just ask.

Don’t count on itemizing deductions on your US tax return if you are an expat or living outside the US. Just because you itemized deductions or took the standard deduction before, it doesn’t mean that you are going to do the same thing every year.

Here’s a quick primer on itemized deductions, and the limitations that apply. Don’t worry about itemizing deductions and keeping all your medical receipts, unless the US tax laws change again.