📖 Reading time: 11 minutes  |  🗓️ Last reviewed: 2026  |  ✍️ ExpatWiki Editorial Team ⚡ Key Takeaways As an H-1B or L-1 visa holder, you are taxed as a US resident on your worldwide income Federal tax deadline is April 15 — automatic 6-month extension available but tax still due You pay federal + state + FICA — three separate tax obligations every paycheck The standard deduction in 2026 is  $15,000 for single filers — reduces your taxable income significantly Most expats should use a CPA or tax software — the US system rewards those who understand it M y first American tax season arrived in April with the particular dread that comes from receiving a W-2 form you have never seen before, from an IRS that has never heard of you, in a country whose tax system makes most other countries' systems look elegantly simple. I remember staring at TurboTax at eleven on a Thursday night, genuinely unsure whether I owed the US government money or wh...