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Is Belgian taxation 0% on U.S. state/government/education pension?

Question

Hi All,

Looking for answers from anyone who has been in this situation, or is a tax expert.

If my only income is, say, 20 thousand EUR from a non-corporate (i.e. state/government/university) U.S. pension, and I'm a registered resident of Belgium, am I liable for ANY taxes to Belgium? I've read the U.S.-Belgium Tax Treaty of 2006 ( https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-trty/belgiumtt06.pdf ), and the U.S. IRS tax treaty table from 2019 ( https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-utl/Tax_Treaty_Table_1_2019_Feb.pdf ), and my impression is that I pay NO national-level tax at all to Belgium (other than local taxes), only to the U.S..

Curious if there are any U.S. expat retirees here in Belgium that has any experience with this. Note, that I own no property in either country, do not have a Belgian bank account, and do not generate employment income at all from either country; just a retirement pension.

Thanks in advance!

becasse

The appropriate expert to ask is the Inspector in your local tax office and his/her advice comes free. Note that it has to be declared anyway on the Belgian annual tax form and it is unlikely to be totally tax-free as usually you have to pay the local element of Belgian tax even if the majority of tax is applied in the US.

Feb 3, 2021 13:40
anon

You haven't said what taxes you are paying in the US, but in any case, agree with above, just ask your local tax office here in Belgium.

Feb 3, 2021 18:00