Physical Presence Test Calculator
| Departure | 330-day window closes |
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The physical presence test is the arithmetic door to the foreign earned income exclusion: 330 full days inside a foreign country during any 12 consecutive months - and the window may straddle two calendar years, which is the flexibility most first-year expats miss. Enter your departure date and this calculator closes the 330-day window precisely.
The day you depart does not count as a full day abroad, and neither does the day you return - the window measures the days between, which is why the closing date lands a bit past one calendar year of absence.
How to use
- Enter your departure date from the US; the result shows the date the 330-day window closes and the countdown from today.
- Read the table for common departure dates - a mid-January departure closes just before the next filing season.
- Any US visit day interrupts the count - budget travel so the 330 full days survive the family wedding.
Frequently asked questions
Do the departure and return days count as full days?
No - the statute counts full days, and your presence in transit does not qualify. Practical expats pad both ends: planning 332-335 foreign days rather than 330 keeps a weekend trip home from voiding a year of qualification.
Can the 12-month window cross calendar years?
Yes - and it is the rule’s best feature: a June 2026 to June 2027 window lets a mid-year mover capture exclusion value in both tax years. The window just has to be 12 consecutive months with 330 qualifying days inside it; it does not need to match a tax year.
What happens if I take a two-week trip home?
Days present in the US are not foreign full days, so the window does not extend - you simply need 330 qualifying days elsewhere in the 12-month span. A 14-day trip means targeting roughly 344 days of total span, or using a different 12-month window that dodges the trip.
Should I use physical presence or bona fide residence?
Physical presence is mechanical and survives an audit on flight records alone; bona fide residence has no day count but demands a genuine indefinite-home commitment and can be challenged on facts. Assignments and remote workers with a home-country pull usually run physical presence; settlers run bona fide residence.