Ed note: We hear from U.S. citizens living abroad fairly frequently. Usually when they’ve tried to use a simple (DIY) online tax prep tool and end up a little stumped. We have a specialized service at H&R Block to help out expats, so we wanted to explain how to use it. Leer en español.
If you’re an American living abroad, do you know you still need to file a U.S. tax return? U.S. citizens and residents are taxed on their worldwide income. This means that regardless of where you work, you must report your income as if you worked within the United States. However, certain rules and benefits are available to expats, such as the foreign earned income exclusion.
Filing U.S. taxes while living overseas can be daunting, and that’s why we launched H&R Block Expat Tax Services. We offer two convenient ways to have your taxes prepared – work with us remotely using our virtual tax service or meet with us in person at one of our international offices. Our dedicated expat team consists of CPAs, enrolled agents and tax attorneys who can handle simple to the most complex tax returns.
Our virtual tax preparation has five easy steps:
- Register online at hrblock.com/expats
- Provide your tax information and discuss with our expat tax expert
- We prepare your return
- Pay for and review the return
- We file your return with the IRS
To get started, visit us at www.hrblock.com/expats and fill out the inquiry form. Once you electronically sign the Client Service Agreement, we’ll set up your own personal account and match you with the right tax advisor. Using this secure portal, simply upload your tax documents and we’ll take care of the rest.
Have questions? You can be confident you’re working with a tax professional who has the answers and the international expertise to ensure you’re compliant with the IRS.
We specialize in simple to complex U.S. taxes for expats:
- Federal tax preparation and filing
- State tax return preparation and filing
- FBAR filing (Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts)
- Past-due tax returns from prior years
- Year-round audit support
- Free extension filing
- Tax consulting and advice
- Local tax return preparation in some countries
If you live abroad and haven’t been filing a U.S. return, you’ll want to get started now. In June of 2014, the IRS announced changes to its Streamlined Compliance program, which allows Americans living overseas to get back into Uncle Sam’s good graces by filing the last three years of delinquent tax returns and the last six years of foreign bank account reports. In contrast to the first program launched in September 2012, the June 2014 program removes many of the “high risk” factors that put the original program out of reach for many Americans overseas. The time to get caught up is now.
Visit H&R Block Expat Tax Services today to get started www.hrblock.com/expats.
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