Does a U.S.-based independent contractor have to file taxes if he or she received income from a U.K. company?

Does an independent contractor based in the U.S. have to file taxes if he or she received income from a company based in the U.K.?

When working as an independent contractor, your income is sourced to where you are providing the services, regardless of the location or who is paying the taxpayer. The recipient will need to report the income on a U.S. tax return. If you provide the services in multiple states, you will need to allocate the income accordingly. As an individual, it is also important to remember the United States currently taxes citizens and resident aliens based on worldwide income. If you were to leave the country to do the work in the United Kingdom, you would still need to report the income on your U.S. taxes, but would receive a credit for foreign taxes paid in the other country on that same income.

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Answered by: Christopher R. Cicalese, CPA, MSTFP, is a manager at Alloy Silverstein Shapiro Adams Mulford Cicalese Wilson & Co. in Cherry Hill, N.J.