| Publication 519 |
2003 Tax Year |
Source of Income
This is archived information that pertains only to the 2003 Tax Year. If you
are looking for information for the current tax year, go to the Tax Prep Help Area.
Introduction
After you have determined your alien status, you must determine the source of your income. This chapter will help you determine
the source of
different types of income you may receive during the tax year. This chapter also discusses special rules for married individuals
who are domiciled in
a country with community property laws.
Topics - This chapter discusses:
-
Income source rules, and
-
Community income.
Useful Items - You may want to see:
Publication
-
520
Scholarships and Fellowships
-
721
Tax Guide to U.S. Civil Service Retirement Benefits
See chapter 12 for information about getting these publications.
Resident Aliens
A resident alien's income is generally subject to tax in the same manner as a U.S. citizen. If you are a resident alien, you
must report all
interest, dividends, wages, or other compensation for services, income from rental property or royalties, and other types
of income on your U.S. tax
return. You must report these amounts whether from sources within or outside the United States.
Nonresident Aliens
A nonresident alien usually is subject to U.S. income tax only on U.S. source income. Under limited circumstances, certain
foreign source income is
subject to U.S. tax. See Foreign Income in chapter 4.
The general rules for determining U.S. source income that apply to most nonresident aliens are shown in Table 2–1. The following
discussions cover the general rules as well as the exceptions to these rules.
Not all items of U.S. source income are taxable. See chapter 3.
Interest Income
Generally, U.S. source interest income includes the following items.
-
Interest on bonds, notes, or other interest-bearing obligations of U.S. residents or domestic corporations.
-
Interest paid by a domestic or foreign partnership or foreign corporation engaged in a U.S. trade or business at any time
during the tax
year.
-
Original issue discount.
-
Interest from a state, the District of Columbia, or the U.S. Government.
The place or manner of payment is immaterial in determining the source of the income.
A substitute interest payment made to the transferor of a security in a securities lending transaction or a sale-repurchase
transaction is sourced
in the same manner as the interest on the transferred security.
Exceptions.
U.S. source interest income does not include the following items.
-
Interest paid by a resident alien or a domestic corporation if for the 3-year period ending with the close of the payer's
tax year preceding
the interest payment at least 80% of the payer's total gross income:
-
Is from sources outside the United States, and
-
Is attributable to the active conduct of a trade or business by the individual or corporation in a foreign country or a U.S.
possession.
-
Interest paid by a foreign branch of a domestic corporation or a domestic partnership on deposits or withdrawable accounts
with mutual
savings banks, cooperative banks, credit unions, domestic building and loan associations, and other savings institutions chartered
and supervised as
savings and loan or similar associations under federal or state law if the interest paid or credited can be deducted by the
association.
-
Interest on deposits with a foreign branch of a domestic corporation or domestic partnership, but only if the branch is in
the commercial
banking business.
Dividends
In most cases, dividend income received from domestic corporations is U.S. source income. Dividend income from foreign corporations
is usually
foreign source income. Exceptions to both of these rules are discussed below.
A substitute dividend payment made to the transferor of a security in a securities lending transaction or a sale-repurchase
transaction is sourced
in the same manner as a distribution on the transferred security.
First exception.
Dividends received from a domestic corporation are not U.S. source income if the corporation elects to take the Puerto
Rico economic activity
credit or the possession tax credit.
Second exception.
Part of the dividends received from a foreign corporation is U.S. source income if 25% or more of its total gross
income for the 3-year period
ending with the close of its tax year preceding the declaration of dividends was effectively connected with a trade or business
in the United States.
If the corporation was formed less than 3 years before the declaration, use its total gross income from the time it was formed.
Determine the part
that is U.S. source income by multiplying the dividend by the following fraction.
Personal Services
All wages and any other compensation for services performed in the United States are considered to be from sources in the
United States. The only
exception to this rule is discussed in chapter 3 under Employees of foreign persons, organizations, or offices.
If your compensation is for personal services performed both inside and outside the United States, you must figure the amount
of income that is for
services performed in the United States. You usually do this on a time basis. That is, you must include in gross income as
U.S. source income the
amount that results from multiplying the total amount of compensation by the following fraction.
Example.
Jean Blanc, a nonresident alien, is a professional hockey player with a U.S. hockey club. Under Jean's contract, he received
$98,500 for 242 days
of play during the year. This includes days spent at pre-season training camp, days during the regular season, and playoff
game days. Of the 242 days,
Jean spent 194 days performing services in the United States and 48 days playing hockey in Canada. Jean's U.S. source income
is $78,963, figured as
follows:
Reenlistment bonus.
A reenlistment bonus received by a nonresident alien for reenlistment in the U.S. Navy while in a foreign country
is not U.S. source income.
Crew members.
Compensation for services performed by a nonresident alien in connection with the individual's temporary presence
in the United States as a regular
crew member of a foreign vessel engaged in transportation between the United States and a foreign country or U.S. possession
is not U.S. source
income.
Transportation Income
Transportation income is income from the use of a vessel or aircraft or for the performance of services directly related to
the use of any vessel
or aircraft. This is true whether the vessel or aircraft is owned, hired, or leased. The term “vessel or aircraft” includes any container used in
connection with a vessel or aircraft.
All income from transportation that begins and ends in the United States is treated as derived from sources in the United States. If the
transportation begins or ends in the United States, 50% of the transportation income is treated as derived from sources in the United
States.
For transportation income from personal services, 50% of the income is U.S. source income if the transportation is between
the United States and a
U.S. possession. For nonresident aliens, this only applies to income derived from, or in connection with, an aircraft.
For information on how U.S. source transportation income is taxed, see chapter 4.
Scholarships, Grants,
Prizes, and Awards
Generally, the source of scholarships, fellowship grants, grants, prizes, and awards is the residence of the payer regardless
of who actually
disburses the funds. However, see Activities to be performed outside the United States, later.
For example, payments for research or study in the United States made by the United States, a noncorporate U.S. resident,
or a domestic
corporation, are from U.S. sources. Similar payments from a foreign government or foreign corporation are foreign source payments
even though the
funds may be disbursed through a U.S. agent.
Payments made by an entity designated as a public international organization under the International Organizations Immunities
Act are from foreign
sources.
Activities to be performed outside the United States.
Scholarships, fellowship grants, targeted grants, and achievement awards received by nonresident aliens for activities
performed, or to be
performed, outside the United States are not U.S. source income.
These rules do not apply to amounts paid as salary or other compensation for services. See Personal Services, earlier,
for the source
rules that apply.
Pensions and Annuities
When you receive a pension from a domestic trust for services performed both in and outside the United States, part of the
pension payment is from
U.S. sources. That part is the amount attributable to earnings of the trust and the employer contributions made for services
performed in the United
States. This applies whether the distribution is made under a qualified or nonqualified stock bonus, pension, profit-sharing,
or annuity plan (whether
or not funded).
If you performed services as an employee of the United States, you may receive a distribution from the U.S. Government under
a plan, such as the
Civil Service Retirement System, that is treated as a qualified pension plan. Your U.S. source income is the otherwise taxable
amount of the
distribution that is attributable to your total U.S. Government basic pay other than tax-exempt pay for services performed
outside the United States.
Rents or Royalties
Your U.S. source income includes rent and royalty income received during the tax year from property located in the United
States or from any
interest in that property.
U.S. source income also includes rents or royalties for the use of, or for the privilege of using, in the United States, intangible
property such
as patents, copyrights, secret processes and formulas, goodwill, trademarks, franchises, and similar property.
Real Property
Real property is land and buildings and generally anything built on, growing on, or attached to land.
Gross income from sources in the United States includes gains, profits, and income from the sale or other disposition of real
property located in
the United States.
Natural resources.
The income from the sale of products of any farm, mine, oil or gas well, other natural deposit, or timber located
in the United States and sold in
a foreign country, or located in a foreign country and sold in the United States, is partly from sources in the United States.
For information on
determining that part, see section 1.863–1(b) of the regulations.
Table 2–1. Summary of Source Rules for Income of Nonresident Aliens
| Item of Income |
Factor Determining Source |
| Salaries, wages, other compensation |
Where services performed |
| Business income: |
|
| Personal services |
Where services performed |
| Sale of inventory—purchased |
Where sold |
| Sale of inventory—produced |
Allocation |
| Interest |
Residence of payer |
| Dividends |
Whether a U.S. or foreign corporation* |
| Rents |
Location of property |
| Royalties: |
|
| Natural resources |
Location of property |
| Patents, copyrights, etc. |
Where property is used |
| Sale of real property |
Location of property |
| Sale of personal property |
Seller's tax home (but see Personal Property, later, for exceptions)
|
| Pensions |
Where services were performed that earned the pension |
| Sale of natural resources |
Allocation based on fair market value of product at export terminal. For more information , see section
1.863–1(b) of the regulations.
|
*Exceptions include:
a) Dividends paid by a U.S. corporation are foreign source if the corporation elect the Puerto
Rico economic activity credit or possessions tax credit.
b) Part of a dividend paid by a foreign corporation is U.S. source if at least 25% of the
corporation's gross income is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business for the
3 tax years before the year in which the dividends are declared.
|
Personal Property
Personal property is property, such as machinery, equipment, or furniture, that is not real property.
Gain or loss from the sale or exchange of personal property generally has its source in the United States if you have a tax home in the
United States. If you do not have a tax home in the United States, the gain or loss generally is considered to be from sources
outside the United
States.
Tax home.
Your tax home is the general area of your main place of business, employment, or post of duty, regardless of where
you maintain your family home.
Your tax home is the place where you permanently or indefinitely work as an employee or a self-employed individual. If you
do not have a regular or
main place of business because of the nature of your work, then your tax home is the place where you regularly live. If you
do not fit either of these
categories, you are considered an itinerant and your tax home is wherever you work.
Inventory property.
Inventory property is personal property that is stock in trade or that is held primarily for sale to customers in
the ordinary course of your trade
or business. Income from the sale of inventory that you purchased is sourced where the property is sold. Generally, this is
where title to the
property passes to the buyer. For example, income from the sale of inventory in the United States is U.S. source income, whether
you purchased it in
the United States or in a foreign country.
Income from the sale of inventory property that you produced in the United States and sold outside the United States
(or vice versa) is partly from
sources in the United States and partly from sources outside the United States. For information on making this allocation,
see section 1.863–3
of the regulations.
These rules apply even if your tax home is not in the United States.
Depreciable property.
To determine the source of any gain from the sale of depreciable personal property, you must first figure the part
of the gain that is not more
than the total depreciation adjustments on the property. You allocate this part of the gain to sources in the United States
based on the ratio of U.S.
depreciation adjustments to total depreciation adjustments. The rest of this part of the gain is considered to be from sources
outside the United
States.
For this purpose, “U.S. depreciation adjustments” are the depreciation adjustments to the basis of the property that are allowable in figuring
taxable income from U.S. sources. However, if the property is used predominantly in the United States during a tax year, all
depreciation deductions
allowable for that year are treated as U.S. depreciation adjustments. But there are some exceptions for certain transportation,
communications, and
other property used internationally.
Gain from the sale of depreciable property that is more than the total depreciation adjustments on the property is
sourced as if the property were
inventory property, as discussed above.
A loss recognized after January 7, 2002, is sourced in the same way as the depreciation deductions were sourced. However,
if the property was used
predominantly in the United States, the entire loss reduces U.S. source income. You can choose to apply this rule to losses
recognized in tax years
beginning after 1986. For details about making this choice, see section 1.865–1(f)(2) of the regulations.
The basis of property usually means the cost (money plus the fair market value of other property or services) of property you acquire.
Depreciation is an amount deducted to recover the cost or other basis of a trade or business asset. The amount you can deduct depends on
the property's cost, when you began using the property, how long it will take to recover your cost, and which depreciation
method you use. A
depreciation deduction is any deduction for depreciation or amortization or any other allowable deduction that treats a capital
expenditure as a
deductible expense.
Intangible property.
Intangible property includes patents, copyrights, secret processes or formulas, goodwill, trademarks, trade names,
or other like property. The gain
from the sale of amortizable or depreciable intangible property, up to the previously allowable amortization or depreciation
deductions, is sourced in
the same way as the original deductions were sourced. This is the same as the source rule for gain from the sale of depreciable
property. See
Depreciable property, earlier, for details on how to apply this rule.
Gain in excess of the amortization or depreciation deductions is sourced in the country where the property is used
if the income from the sale is
contingent on the productivity, use, or disposition of that property. If the income is not contingent on the productivity,
use, or disposition of the
property, the income is sourced according to your tax home as discussed earlier. If payments for goodwill do not depend on
its productivity, use, or
disposition, their source is the country in which the goodwill was generated.
Sales through offices or fixed places of business.
Despite any of the above rules, if you do not have a tax home in the United States, but you maintain an office or
other fixed place of business in
the United States, treat the income from any sale of personal property (including inventory property) that is attributable
to that office or place of
business as U.S. source income. However, this rule does not apply to sales of inventory property for use, disposition, or
consumption outside the
United States if your office or other fixed place of business outside the United States materially participated in the sale.
If you have a tax home in the United States but maintain an office or other fixed place of business outside the United
States, income from sales of
personal property, other than inventory, depreciable property, or intangibles, that is attributable to that foreign office
or place of business may be
treated as U.S. source income. The income is treated as U.S. source income if an income tax of less than 10% of the income
from the sale is paid to a
foreign country. This rule also applies to losses recognized after January 7, 2002, if the foreign country would have imposed
an income tax of less
than 10% had the sale resulted in a gain. You can choose to apply this rule to losses recognized in tax years beginning after
1986. For details about
making this choice, see section 1.865–1(f)(2) of the regulations. For stock losses, see section 1.865–2(e) of the regulations.
Community Income
If you are married and you or your spouse is subject to the community property laws of a foreign country, a U.S. state, or
a U.S. possession, you
generally must follow those laws to determine the income of yourself and your spouse for U.S. tax purposes. But you must disregard
certain community
property laws if:
-
Both you and your spouse are nonresident aliens, or
-
One of you is a nonresident alien and the other is a U.S. citizen or resident and you do not both choose to be treated as
U.S. residents as
explained in chapter 1.
In these cases, you and your spouse must report community income as explained below.
Earned income.
Earned income of a spouse, other than trade or business income and a partner's distributive share of partnership income,
is treated as the income
of the spouse whose services produced the income. That spouse must report all of it on his or her separate return.
Trade or business income.
Trade or business income, other than a partner's distributive share of partnership income, is treated as the income
of the spouse carrying on the
trade or business. That spouse must report all of it on his or her separate return.
Partnership income (or loss).
A partner's distributive share of partnership income (or loss) is treated as the income (or loss) of the partner.
The partner must report all of it
on his or her separate return.
Separate property income.
Income derived from the separate property of one spouse (and which is not earned income, trade or business income,
or partnership distributive
share income) is treated as the income of that spouse. That spouse must report all of it on his or her separate return. Use
the appropriate community
property law to determine what is separate property.
Other community income.
All other community income is treated as provided by the applicable community property laws.
Publications Index | 2003 Tax Help Archives | Tax Help Archives | Home
| 
