What We do at Directs

The central function of DIRECTS (Domestic and International Real Estate Closing Tax Services, Inc.) is to help non-US persons recover their withheld funds (tax) controlled by the IRS in connection with a US real estate transaction. The IRS requires non-US parties who sell US real estate to have 15% of the gross sales price withheld at the time of sale, regardless of whether the seller made any profit on the sale (and regardless of whether the seller actually owes any income tax to the IRS). This is the current rule required under FIRPTA (the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980). For example, assume a Canadian national who buys a Los Angeles home in 2014 for $1,400,000, and sells it in 2019 for $1,500,000 (a $100,000 profit), might owe $15,000 to the IRS in income tax (using a 15% capital gains rate), but because the Canadian seller is not a US person, the IRS requires $225,000 to be withheld from the sale proceeds at closing. At DIRECTS, we help this non-US person recover their $210,000 (excess tax) controlled by the IRS. It will take many foreign sellers well over a year, or even years, to obtain the $210,000 refund (if they ever receive their refund at all). At DIRECTS, we help the non-US person obtain a refund either quickly, via the 8288-B application (which might return the $210,000 to the non-US person in around four months after sale); or we can help the non-US person obtain the $210,000 refund in the regular tax refund cycle in the next calendar year. This problem exists even if the non-US person sells the real estate for a loss. Say a Chinese national purchased real estate in Irvine, California, for $1,300,000 a few years ago, and later sells it for $1,200,000. The IRS still requires the Irvine escrow company to withhold $180,000 on the sale (a net loss on the transaction does not change the withholding requirement), but DIRECTS can help the Chinese investor obtain the $180,000 refund, and receive it quickly. By working with DIRECTS, foreign investors will almost certainly avoid the biggest problem faced in selling the US real estate- never obtaining the refund. So many foreign sellers never receive any refund of the 15% withholding tax, because retrieving the IRS withholding tax refund is not easy. But at DIRECTS, we simplify and expedite the refund process.

DIRECTS (国内，国际房地产交易税务服务公司)主要帮助非美国公民，居民获取在美出售房产时缴纳给美国国税局的预扣税退税。根据当前的1980外国人投资美国房地产税收法 (FIRPTA) 的规定，当外国公民出售在美房产时，美国国税局规定必须征收房屋出售价的15%做为预扣税，不管售房者是否有任何盈利和是否拖欠任何收入所得税。例如：一名外国公民在2014年花费140万购买了一栋位于洛杉矶的房子，2018年于150万售出(盈利10万)，因此需要上缴美国国税局大约1.5万的收入所得税， 但是因为售房者是非美国公民，居民，美国国税局要求该外国公民在房屋结束交易时上缴 22.5万做为预扣税。在DIRECTS公司，我们帮助外国公民向美国国税局提交8288-B预扣税快速退还申请(在房屋出售后大约四个月获取21 万的多余预扣税退税)或者在第二年度（甚至第三年或更久）申请21万的预扣税退税。这种预扣税即使售房者亏损卖房时也同样需要缴纳。例如一名中国公民几年前以130万在加州尔湾购买了一栋房子，之后以120万售出。美国国税局仍然按规定要求尔湾的产权过户公证公司上缴18万的预扣税(房屋亏损10万也没有影响预扣税的金额)，但是DIRECTS可以帮助这名中国投资者很快收回这18万的预扣税。通过DIRECTS的专业服务，外国投资者可以避免在出售房屋时面临最大的预扣税永远无法退还问题。很多外国售房者永远不能获取任何15%的预扣税，因为从国税局申请预扣税退税的程序很复杂。但是在DIRECTS, 我们可以简化和加速预扣税退还程序。