FileAbroad

Streamlined Foreign Offshore consultation

Considering Streamlined Foreign Offshore? Screen the Facts Before You Certify.

Streamlined Foreign Offshore is one possible procedure for eligible taxpayers whose covered failures were non-willful and who satisfy the applicable non-residency and other requirements. It is not the default path for every late return. In a paid consultation, I review the relevant years, residence, prior filings, IRS contact, missing income, international information returns, FBARs, and certification records to determine whether FileAbroad can scope a Streamlined preparation engagement or whether another professional or filing path is needed.

Start My Streamlined Intake

The preliminary intake is free. Do not send sensitive tax documents through the public intake form.

30 minutes · $100 · directly with Chip

The consultation

What we'll review

The consultation focuses on the facts that determine what needs further attention.

Current procedure and covered years

The current Streamlined rules, return due dates, original or amended return status, FBAR periods, taxpayer identification, and any year-specific exceptions that must be verified before a scope is written.

Foreign non-residency facts

U.S. status, abode, country of residence, travel days, and both spouses’ facts where applicable; living abroad or meeting a different tax test does not by itself establish the Streamlined requirement.

Income, forms, accounts, and tax

The income, tax, international information returns, foreign financial assets, and FBARs involved, including records needed for complete returns and current procedure instructions.

Certification chronology and records

The taxpayer’s chronology of knowledge, advice, and conduct plus supporting records, without FileAbroad deciding willfulness or using an online answer as the certification.

IRS contact and professional fit

Examinations, investigations, notices, prior corrective filings, assessed penalties, deadlines, and whether FileAbroad can accept preparation or attorney/representation referral is required.

After the call

What you leave with

By the end of the consultation, you'll have a clear map of the issues that need attention and the next practical step.

  • A Streamlined-specific fact and covered-year map based on the current procedure—not a generic late-return rule.
  • A records request for residence, travel, income, tax, accounts, entities, prior filings, IRS contact, and certification support.
  • An issue list identifying eligibility, completeness, certification, payment, deadline, and referral questions without deciding non-willfulness.
  • A next step: accepted Streamlined Foreign Offshore preparation in a separate written scope, return to the broader late-return path, or referral to a qualified attorney or representative.

You are not required to hire FileAbroad for preparation after the consultation.

Scope

What the consultation does not include

The consultation is a review and scoping session. It does not include preparation or filing of a tax return, FBAR, information return, amended return, or Streamlined submission.

It also does not create an open-ended support engagement. Additional research, document review, preparation, or follow-up work is included only when it is specifically agreed or purchased.

FileAbroad does not provide legal advice or tax litigation services.

Current pricing

Start with the $100 scope assessment

30-Minute Expat Tax Scope Assessment

$100

Focused review of your filing situation with a written list of the years and forms that need attention, a document checklist, key scope flags, and an exact preparation quote when FileAbroad can accept the work.

Preparation is priced separately after the consultation. Straightforward tax-year-2025 federal expat returns start at $575, and standalone current-year FBAR preparation starts at $100. Prior-year, delinquent, amended, entity, trust, partnership, PFIC, Streamlined, and other complex international work is quoted after review.

View all FileAbroad services and published pricing

The process

How it works

  1. 1

    Start the intake.

    Tell me the broad facts of your situation without uploading sensitive tax documents through the public form.

  2. 2

    I review the inquiry.

    I personally review the intake to determine whether a FileAbroad consultation appears appropriate.

  3. 3

    Book the consultation.

    If the situation fits, you'll receive the scheduling and payment link for the $100 30-minute consultation.

  4. 4

    We review the situation together.

    We use the call to identify the relevant filing questions, missing information, and next practical step.

  5. 5

    Preparation is separate.

    If FileAbroad can accept preparation work, you receive the written scope and price before preparation begins.

Before you book

Questions we'll use to screen a possible Streamlined Foreign Offshore scope

For which tax-return and FBAR years have the current filing deadlines passed, and were the income-tax returns never filed, already filed, amended, rejected, or prepared by the IRS?
What was your U.S. tax status, abode, country of residence, and day-by-day travel history for the relevant years, and—if a joint return is involved—what are your spouse’s corresponding facts?
Which foreign income, accounts, financial assets, entities, trusts, gifts, pensions, funds, or other items were not fully reported, and which tax returns, information returns, and FBARs are affected?
When and how did you learn about the reporting failures, what advice did you receive, and what filings, payments, corrections, or other actions did you take afterward?
Has the IRS contacted you, opened a civil examination or criminal investigation, assessed a penalty, or received prior delinquent or amended filings, and is attorney or representative review needed before any certification?
What should I send before the consultation?

Start with the public intake and describe the broad facts of your situation. Do not send Social Security numbers, tax returns, bank statements, or other sensitive tax documents through the public intake form. If documents are needed later, I will provide secure upload instructions.

Will you tell me exactly what I need to file?

The consultation is designed to identify the filing issues that need attention and the information required to determine the next step. Some questions can be resolved during the call; others may require records, additional research, or preparation work outside the consultation.

Do I have to hire FileAbroad afterward?

No. The consultation stands on its own. If FileAbroad can accept preparation work, you can decide whether to proceed after the scope and price are confirmed.

Can you review documents during the consultation?

Limited document review may be possible when agreed in advance, but the consultation is not a substitute for a full document review or tax-preparation engagement.

Related paths

If this is not the right starting point

Not sure Streamlined is the path?

Start with the broader late-return map when original returns, amendments, information forms, FBARs, notices, or the correct procedure remain uncertain.

FBAR catch-up consultation

Use the FBAR path when filed income-tax returns are otherwise current and missed or incomplete FBARs are the known historical issue.

Amended expat return consultation

Use the amendment path when a filed return may be inaccurate and the correction question—not an unfiled original—is primary.

IRS notice abroad consultation

Use the notice path when an IRS letter, substitute-return proposal, examination, assessment, collection action, or response deadline is primary.

Accidental American consultation

Use the status path when citizenship, taxpayer identification, FATCA banking, or renunciation questions remain part of the core problem.

Streamlined filing guide

Read the current procedure-specific framework after the filing inventory shows why Streamlined may be relevant.

Expat tax filing service

Use the ordinary filing service when the required returns and filing path are already known and no corrective-path triage is needed.

Start here

Tell me what's going on.

You don't need to know which form, filing procedure, or service you need. Start with the broad facts, and I'll review whether a FileAbroad consultation is the appropriate next step.

Start My Streamlined Intake

Prefer email? info@fileabroad.com

Do not send sensitive tax documents through the public intake form or ordinary email.