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My furlough may extend beyond three months.  How will that affect my taxes and healthcare? 

Taxes

People on extended furloughs have the right maintain their Foreign tax status, and continue to file form 2555, even when they are in the US more that Reliant’s standard furlough of three months.  We understand that we have the right to continue to treat international missionaries on extended furlough as foreign residents if the following are true:

• Your stay in the US is under 39 weeks.
• You do not seek to move your entire household belongings back to the US (as indicated by asking to reimburse moving expenses).
• Your work is focused on international duties.
• MTD, furlough, recruiting, representing your ministry to US constituents, doing work for ministry in your international location at a distance, etc.
• You do not take a role with regular work in a US location during your stay
• Regular work and duties include things like an on-going part-time pastoral role, a coffee bar barista, anything with regular hours and regular on-going duties. 
• It does NOT include speaking at conferences, attending conferences, coaching potential missionaries, pursuing studies, and other things that are related to ministry in your international location, or MTD or things that expand your work or capacity to do work in your international location. 

If you do indeed want to maintain your foreign status, please let us know the following:

1. Locations of your stays in the US (with approximate timing).
2. What you will be doing while in the US.
3. Your expected maximum stay (at this time).
4. Where your major household belongings will be during your extended furlough. 

Also, please understand we are assuming that our international missionaries want to maintain those statuses.  If you wish to move your tax location to a US location during your stay, we can do that.  We would report your taxes according to the state in which you live/work, and pay local and US taxes based on that location.  It may be that you have a tax adviser encouraging you to make that change, and we will follow your wishes, if that is your leaning. Just email international@reliant.org to let us know. 

Healthcare/Insurance