Expat Tax Is More Than Filing a Form 1040
U.S. citizens and green card holders still have U.S. filing obligations while living abroad. The issue is usually not whether a return is required, but how the foreign income, foreign accounts, local tax, and residency facts all fit together. FBAR, FATCA, FEIE, foreign tax credits, state residency, and self-employment rules can all change the result.
Common expat filing work includes:
- Form 1040 with foreign wage, self-employment, pension, and investment income
- FBAR and FATCA reporting
- Foreign tax credit and FEIE analysis
- State domicile and residency review
- Foreign pension and account reporting
- Streamlined filing support for missed prior years
The Filing Position Matters More Than Most Expats Expect
For many expats, the real planning question is not whether they file, but how. FEIE and foreign tax credits do not produce the same result, state tax ties can linger after a move abroad, and self-employment income can create U.S. tax even where local income tax is already being paid.
We help compare the filing options, choose the position that fits the facts, and keep the annual reporting consistent year after year. The hub below goes deeper on FEIE, foreign tax credits, and other expat filing issues.
Getting Current and Staying Current
If you are behind on returns, FBARs, or other foreign filings, the goal is usually to get current in the cleanest way possible and then keep the process manageable going forward. We can help assess streamlined filing procedures, clean up prior-year reporting, and put the annual filing on a repeatable system.
Expats We Work With
We work with Americans living abroad, dual citizens filing as U.S. taxpayers, green card holders outside the U.S., and expats with foreign employment, self-employment, pensions, or investment accounts. This is especially useful when the filing has gotten more complex than a basic expat return or prior years were missed.