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| He actually is an enrolled agent... | |
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An "enrolled agent" is generally not a CPA or attorney; neither a CPA nor an attorney need or benefit from "enrolled agent" registration, and in practice either would lose status from such registration.
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| ...there are supposedly two ways (at least that is what I was told): either do NOT include any income related to 2nd/3rd pillar in the yearly tax return, but [1] report everything at withdrawal as income, OR [2] include the 2nd/3rd pillar amounts paid by the employee in the yearly income, and then deduct that portion once the withdrawal happens and [3] only pay income tax on the employer's contribution + interest. So the first way would be easier from an administration perspective. | |
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To address the boldface above:
(1) No, "everything at withdrawal" is not taxable by the US, so unless you have a passionate desire to contribute to the federal deficit......??
(2) No, withdrawals of the employee contributions are not taxable, ever, since (as I wrote earlier) they were from after-tax income (to the US). (Did you mean to write "employ
er" contributions? They aren't reportable on withdrawal either, since they should have been reported & taxed on contribution.)
(3) The employer's contribution should have been reported when made, but if you wish to argue "no", then yes, on withdrawal you could elect to report that amount plus interest. I would never do that, but it is an option.
From what you wrote, you should have reported the employer contributions as income in the year they were made, but
perhaps you did not. That does
not mean you owe US tax (the tax credit for CH taxes, and the earned income exclusion, each apply). So, either review this with your tax advisor, or just ignore it.
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| Not sure what you mean by this? | |
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Do the arithmetic, and compare the tax you would pay to CH if you withdraw the pension this year (as CH tax residents) with the tax you would pay to the US if you withdraw next year (as US tax residents).