18 hours ago, Rocky Sullivan said:

I can’t be in po boys camp.   I have the LTR-P visa.

 

Where is my thank you for the Google search?

 

You expect "Thank you" for incorrect answer?

6 minutes ago, gamb00ler said:

You expect "Thank you" for incorrect answer?

That’s all you got?
 

Close enough.  But yes I do.

 

Regardless, an extra grand doesn’t take one out of the po boy camp.

 

 

Are my Social Security or railroad retirement tier I benefits taxable?

https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/are-my-social-security-or-railroad-retirement-tier-i-benefits-taxable

 

I ran the tool using the maximum possible SS benefit for 2025 with no other income and some taxes were owed.

 

*"It doesn't address citizens residing in a foreign country that are receiving benefits" you can read the details not sure if it changes the calculation.

 

 

18 minutes ago, Oliver Holzerfilled said:

Are my Social Security or railroad retirement tier I benefits taxable?

https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/are-my-social-security-or-railroad-retirement-tier-i-benefits-taxable

 

I ran the tool using the maximum possible SS benefit for 2025 with no other income and some taxes were owed.

 

*"It doesn't address citizens residing in a foreign country that are receiving benefits" you can read the details not sure if it changes the calculation.

 

 

It would be convenient if you could provide the numbers you input and the resultant amount of taxable income.

 

Google says $5,018/month is the max retirement benefit for 2025 if you wait until 70 to collect.  Is that what you used?

5 minutes ago, gamb00ler said:

It would be convenient if you could provide the numbers you input and the resultant amount of taxable income.

 

Google says $5,018/month is the max retirement benefit for 2025 if you wait until 70 to collect.  Is that what you used?

 

Correct, $5,018.  Don't recall the tax.  My point was taxes can possibly be owed so each person needs to run it with their own numbers.

18 hours ago, Celsius said:

 

It's possible to have small income and a lot of savings. 

 

 

Absolutely.

I lived in Thailand for 14 years with NO income.

Just now, Oliver Holzerfilled said:

 

Correct, $5,018.

I just ran the tool and for a single filer with no other income or adjustments.... $2,554 was taxable... no requirement to file in that scenario.

Just now, Jingthing said:

Absolutely.

I lived in Thailand for 14 years with NO income.

Was your mattress lumpy?   😂

 

Or did you get a little interest from a bank? 

18 hours ago, connda said:

Just file a return. And don't forget to file a FBAR with the US Treasury for any Thai bank accounts you have.

I always file FBARs because I am required.

Not everyone who has bank accounts abroad are required.

There are very specific rules.

If not required, it would be really dumb to file FBARs.

14 minutes ago, gamb00ler said:

Was your mattress lumpy?   😂

 

Or did you get a little interest from a bank? 

Good mattresses.

Just a simple matter of spending down savings.

I guess I need to correct this though.

Withdrawals from traditional IRAs are taxed as income.

Never enough to owe any tax.

But I don't really consider that withdrawn money as income.
Weirdly even after all that spending down my net worth has increased dramatically. 

So maybe I should really call it SPENDING UP!

Which goes to show that one size does not fit all in retirement funding strategies.

1 hour ago, gamb00ler said:

answer given in my post above in the list of income sources that the IRS uses to compute 'Gross Income'

 

ONLY the taxable portion of your SS benefits are considered when determining if you meet the filing requirement.

 

You can download a donation ware Excel spreadsheet which will do pretty much all the calculations needed by most US taxpayers that don't run a business.

 

https://sites.google.com/view/incometaxspreadsheet/home

Thanks very much.

So I guess you're saying I missed that before.

To increase my confidence, can a tax nerd or two confirm this?

30 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Thanks very much.

So I guess you're saying I missed that before.

To increase my confidence, can a tax nerd or two confirm this?

use the spreadsheet.... The author is very dilligent.  It's made to look like the official IRS forms... the only knowledge required is to be able to identify where to input your income data... and that's all described in the table of contents the spreadsheet author gives.... easy peasy

 

I've used it for 6+ years.  If you have any question... I can probably answer it.

 

I presume you have a laptop/desktop.... if not... the spreadsheet would be cumbersome.

 

On 12/23/2025 at 12:19 AM, Jingthing said:

The included link is about requirement thresholds to PAY tax rather than the requirement to file when you have social security income.

As most U.S. taxpayers know, not everyone is required to file.

Although there are other relevant rules, to keep this simple, basically those under a certain income threshold are not even required to file at all.

Technically you're doing the government (as if you care) a favor by not filing when you don't need to.

On the other hand, some might argue that it's in your best interest to file even if not required.

 

So this topic is about if your income is completely or mostly social security.

Let's say completely to simplify the question.

 

So if your total SS income is above the filing requirement threshold but half of your SS income is below it, are you required to file or not?

Why half?

 

Here's why from the link:

 

Are Social Security benefits taxable? IRS rules explained

 

"So if your total SS income is above the filing requirement threshold but half of your SS income is below it, are you required to file or not?"

 

YES.  Your gross income determines whether you need to file or not. 

On 12/24/2025 at 3:56 PM, Oliver Holzerfilled said:

Are my Social Security or railroad retirement tier I benefits taxable?

https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/are-my-social-security-or-railroad-retirement-tier-i-benefits-taxable

 

I ran the tool using the maximum possible SS benefit for 2025 with no other income and some taxes were owed.

 

*"It doesn't address citizens residing in a foreign country that are receiving benefits" you can read the details not sure if it changes the calculation.

 

 

There is no allowance, limitation or exclusion for determining IRS social security taxation on benefits for residing in a foreign country

On 12/24/2025 at 4:19 PM, gamb00ler said:

I just ran the tool and for a single filer with no other income or adjustments.... $2,554 was taxable... no requirement to file in that scenario

Right. Corresponds to Publication 915, the official word.

 

On 12/24/2025 at 3:56 PM, Oliver Holzerfilled said:

I ran the tool using the maximum possible SS benefit for 2025 with no other income and some taxes were owed.

Can't happen. Yes, at max SS, but with no other income -- $2,554 is the amount of SS potentially subject to taxes that would be entered in the gross income column. And with no other income, this would be your total gross income -- BUT it doesn't become taxable income until it exceeds the $15750 standard deduction (single;TY2025;under age 65). Thus, $13000+ of space to plug in additional gross income before reaching taxable income, and then needing to pay tax. [And if over 65, add another $8000 to your standard deduction, which includes Trump's $6000 sweetener.]

 

Bottom line: If SS is your only income, even if you max out, you'll never owe tax on it. 

On 12/23/2025 at 12:19 AM, Jingthing said:

The included link is about requirement thresholds to PAY tax rather than the requirement to file when you have social security income.

As most U.S. taxpayers know, not everyone is required to file.

Although there are other relevant rules, to keep this simple, basically those under a certain income threshold are not even required to file at all.

Technically you're doing the government (as if you care) a favor by not filing when you don't need to.

On the other hand, some might argue that it's in your best interest to file even if not required.

 

So this topic is about if your income is completely or mostly social security.

Let's say completely to simplify the question.

 

So if your total SS income is above the filing requirement threshold but half of your SS income is below it, are you requeaired to file or not?

Why half?

 

Here's why from the link:

 

Are Social Security benefits taxable? IRS rules explained

 

yes SS benefits are taxable if your amount is above the filing requirement, if only SS and no other income chance is you won't pay anything, but are still required to file. Just use the free IRS tax form, easy peasy.

On 12/23/2025 at 10:20 PM, connda said:

Just file a return. And don't forget to file a FBAR with the US Treasury for any Thai bank accounts you have.

only if the combined income at any time in a calendar year is $10000 dollars or more

6 hours ago, flexomike said:

if only SS and no other income chance is you won't pay anything, but are still required to file.

As mentioned previously, if SS is your sole income, you'll absolutely for sure not be liable for taxes -- and thus not required to file a tax return.......

......:cause you only have to file a tax return if your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) -- $2554 in this SS only scenario -- exceeds your standard deduction (or itemized deductions). And the single standard deduction in 2025 is $15750 -- a long ways from $2554. The parlance for all of this is: you only have Taxable Income (TI) if AGI exceeds your deductions; if not, no TI, no taxes owed, no need to file. [Exception: you're self employed and have net earnings exceeding $400; hardly a player in this scenario.]

The IRS will begin accepting electronic filing for 2025 on January 26, 2026.

Many/most? software prep tools allow one to submit a return earlier as they hold it then submit it on 1/26.