US Expat Tax Firm for Americans Abroad

In most cases, yes. The U.S. is one of very few countries that taxes its citizens on worldwide income regardless of where they live, and green card holders are generally in the same position. Whether you have to file depends on your income, filing status and any self employment earnings, and even a zero tax return can still require foreign account and asset forms. A quick review tells you exactly which forms apply.

The FBAR is FinCEN Form 114, the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts. It's filed online with FinCEN, not with your tax return. You need one if the combined highest balances of your foreign accounts topped $10,000 at any point in the year. That can include bank accounts, brokerage accounts, some foreign pensions, and accounts you only have signature authority over, such as an employer's. It's due April 15 with an automatic extension to October 15.

Under FATCA, you may need Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets, attached to your income tax return. Thresholds for people living abroad are much higher than for U.S. residents, for example $200,000 at year end or $300,000 at any point for a single filer. Form 8938 and the FBAR overlap but are separate filings with different rules, so filing one doesn't satisfy the other.

Yes, and the sooner the better. How we handle it depends on your income, accounts, history and whether the IRS has already contacted you. If the missed filings weren't willful, the Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures often let you catch up with three years of returns and six years of FBARs, typically without the usual penalties. If the IRS is already involved, we fold the late filings into a broader tax resolution plan.

Yes. The founder is an Enrolled Agent with unlimited practice rights before the IRS, licensed by the U.S. Treasury. Representation is federal, so where you live doesn't change anything. With Form 2848 on file, we handle IRS correspondence, audits, appeals and collection matters for you, which saves you international calls during U.S. business hours.

They're the two main tools, and they work very differently. The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (Form 2555) takes a set amount of earned income off your U.S. return if you pass the physical presence or bona fide residence test. The Foreign Tax Credit (Form 1116) gives you a dollar for dollar credit for income taxes paid abroad. In a high tax country the credit often works better; in a low tax country the exclusion may. Once you revoke the exclusion, you generally can't elect it again for five years, so the choice deserves a careful look.

Bring your last few U.S. returns, any IRS letters, pay records, your foreign tax returns, and year end statements for every foreign bank, investment and pension account. If you own a foreign company, have an interest in a trust, or hold property abroad, bring those details too. A simple timeline of where you lived and when helps us test residency quickly.

Don't set it aside. Note the response deadline, keep everything related, and resist sending a quick partial reply, which often creates more questions. The letter could be about a math adjustment, a missing international form, an audit, a penalty or a balance due. We read it, figure out what the IRS actually wants, and respond for you as your authorized representative.