Annual U.S. tax returns for Americans abroad
U.S. tax preparation when your life is outside the United States.
An annual U.S. return for someone living abroad can involve foreign income, residence, travel, foreign taxes and additional reporting questions.
FileAbroad AI agents check evidence within supported workflows, without human review. You confirm the source-linked facts and provide corrections when information is incomplete.
Preparation and filing require a connected workflow that supports the forms involved, a separate accepted scope and your authorization.
Agent evidence checks · Written scope and price · Customer fact confirmation
The return
What an expat return may involve
An American living abroad still files within the U.S. tax system, but the facts behind the return can look very different from those of someone living entirely in the United States.
Foreign earned income
Wages or self-employment income earned while living abroad may raise questions about foreign-earned-income rules and where services were performed.
Foreign income taxes
Income taxes paid or accrued to another country may be relevant to the U.S. return and the Foreign Tax Credit.
Residence and travel
Where you live and the days you spend inside and outside the United States can matter to provisions used on an expat return.
Foreign financial accounts and assets
Foreign accounts or assets may create reporting questions separate from the calculation of income tax.
State filing obligations
Moving abroad does not automatically resolve every state filing question. State obligations depend on the particular state and the taxpayer’s continuing facts.
Which of these issues actually belongs in your return depends on your facts.
Preparation
Evidence and questions to define in the scope
The accepted scope defines the evidence checks and workpaper. Any preparation or submission requires a separately supported workflow.
Form 1040 scope
Income sources, filing history and schedules to consider for the annual return. This identifies preparation questions; it does not prepare a return.
FEIE and Foreign Tax Credit evidence
Travel, residence, work-location and foreign-tax records relevant to Forms 2555 and 1116. Missing eligibility or calculation facts remain unresolved.
Foreign-reporting inventory
Account and asset facts that may need separate FBAR, Form 8938 or other information-reporting work. Each form needs its own supported scope.
Customer confirmation
Source references, open questions and corrections to check before any separately supported preparation or authorized filing.
More complex returns
Some expat returns need additional review.
Foreign business ownership, trusts, gifts, investment funds, pensions, digital assets, prior-year filing problems, treaty positions, and other cross-border facts can create work beyond an ordinary annual return.
Start with a foreign pension consultation when plan classification, treaty, or reporting must be scoped before annual preparation.
Lifetime gifts from abroad — including cash, property, business interests, or digital assets — may trigger Form 3520 or 708 questions that need mapping before preparation. You can start a foreign gift consultation to scope those questions.
Digital-asset activity — including trading, staking, mining, lending, DeFi, and foreign platform use — may require a separate scoping review. You can start a crypto consultation to map those questions before preparation begins.
Include these facts in the intake. Work must fit a supported workflow before acceptance; legal, representation or unsupported specialist questions may require a qualified external professional.
The process
How it works
- 1
Share the year and filing history
List countries, income sources, prior returns, accounts and the question you need addressed.
- 2
Check the available scope
The relevant forms and evidence checks must be supported by a connected workflow before work is accepted.
- 3
Confirm records and terms
Accept the deliverable and fee, then provide the agreed records through the secure workflow. Agents flag gaps; you confirm facts.
- 4
Scope any preparation separately
Return preparation and submission require their own supported workflow and terms. Your filing authorization remains required.
Before you start
Questions about annual expat tax preparation
Can you prepare my U.S. return while I live abroad?
Preparation is available only when a connected workflow supports the forms and facts involved, under a separately accepted scope. An evidence plan or this page does not establish that preparation or filing is available.
Do I automatically qualify for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion because I live abroad?
No. Living outside the United States by itself does not establish eligibility for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion. The applicable requirements need to be reviewed using your residence, tax-home, travel, and income facts.
Should I use the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion or Foreign Tax Credit?
There is no universal answer. The appropriate treatment depends on your income, foreign taxes, residence and other facts. Any comparison must fit a supported scope and retain missing eligibility or calculation facts as unresolved.
Are FBAR and Form 8938 automatically included?
No. Foreign-account and asset reporting is included only when it applies to your situation and is part of the accepted engagement scope.
What if I have not filed for several years?
Include these facts in the intake. Prior-year filing problems require a separate review of the filing history and facts before the appropriate preparation path can be determined.
Can you handle a return involving a foreign business, trust, or investment fund?
Those facts require additional screening. Some engagements may be accepted with a separately defined scope, while others may require another professional. Describe the issue during the intake before sending documents.
Primary source
IRS guidance for U.S. taxpayers abroad
For current federal filing rules and agency guidance, start with the IRS information for U.S. citizens and resident aliens abroad.
Start here
Describe the filing year and records.
Describe where you live, which years need attention, your income sources and the question you want to resolve. Include only broad facts in the inquiry. Any paid evidence assessment or return work must fit an available connected workflow and its written terms.
Contact FileAbroadReady to begin? Start intake
Do not send sensitive tax documents through the public intake form or ordinary email.