FEIE or the foreign tax credit — which leaves you better off?
Give me your foreign earned income and the foreign tax you paid on it, and I'll point you toward the election that usually wins. It's a directional read — the real answer comes from running your return both ways — but it's the right place to start the conversation.
Everything here is computed in your browser. Your income and foreign tax never leave this page and are never sent to me.
What this ignores. This is a directional indication, never a determination. It doesn't account for the foreign housing exclusion, the §911(f) stacking rule (excluded income still pushes your remaining income into higher brackets), state tax, self-employment tax, the FEIE's effect on the Child Tax Credit and IRA eligibility, or that the FEIE and the foreign tax credit can be combined on one return. The real answer comes from running the actual return both ways.
Directional estimate; figures current as of 2026-07-06 — verify against IRS.
The FEIE-vs-FTC call compounds over years and is hard to reverse. I model it on your real numbers.
This is an educational estimate, not tax advice, and does not create a client relationship. Figures are approximate. For advice on your specific situation, book a consult.