Living Abroad as a U.S. Citizen

U.S. Expat Tax Filing for Americans Living Abroad

Living abroad does not end U.S. tax obligations. U.S. citizens (and many green card holders) generally remain subject to U.S. tax filing and international reporting requirements, even when life, work, and money are based overseas. Most expat issues are intricate - comprising of a set of interlocking rules around worldwide income, credits and exclusions, offshore reporting, and how foreign accounts and investments are classified for U.S. purposes. We help clients determine what applies, what has been missed (if anything), and how to file accurately going forward and avoid preventable reporting issues while building a clear plan for ongoing compliance.

U.S. Expat Tax Support for Americans Living Abroad

Expat tax issues are rarely “just one form.” Most cases involve a combination of:

U.S. tax returns (Form 1040) with foreign income considerations
Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (Form 2555) and/or Foreign Tax Credit (Form 1116) strategy
Offshore reporting such as FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) and FATCA (Form 8938)
Foreign pensions, investment accounts, employer plans, and country-specific tax documents
Multi-currency income, capital gains, and cross-border withholding
Ongoing questions like: “Do we still have a state filing obligation?”

Our role is to remove guesswork and replace it with a filing position that is accurate, defensible, and repeatable year after year.

Common Situations We Help With

Clients often contact us when:

They moved abroad and need a U.S. expat tax plan (first year overseas or long-term expat)
They have foreign wages, self-employment, consulting income, or multiple countries of income
They have foreign brokerage accounts, foreign funds, or other investments that may trigger PFIC reporting (Form 8621)
They have foreign pensions/retirement accounts and are unsure how the U.S. treats them
They discovered missing FBAR/FATCA filings and want to address it correctly
A prior preparer did not handle international reporting, or handled it inconsistently year to year
They want clarity on U.S. reporting for foreign gifts/inheritances or foreign entities (as applicable)

Offshore Reporting for Americans Abroad

Offshore reporting is where many expats get surprised, because it is not intuitive and it is not “optional.”

Depending on your facts, you may need:

FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) for foreign financial accounts
FATCA reporting (Form 8938) for specified foreign financial assets
Additional international forms in more complex fact patterns (for example, certain foreign entities, trusts, or transactions)

We help you determine what applies, what documentation supports the filings, and how to avoid filing mismatches that invite notices.

How We Work

1) Assess
We review your residency facts, foreign income streams, accounts, and prior filing history (when relevant).

2) Plan
We map the best approach for FEIE vs FTC, reporting requirements, and any cleanup strategy (if something was missed).

3) File and Support
We prepare the return and required international forms, then give you a clear forward-looking compliance plan for the next year.

What We Typically Request

To keep this efficient, we usually ask for:

Foreign wage statements and/or self-employment income records
Foreign tax returns or tax assessments (if filed)
Year-end and highest-balance information for foreign accounts (for FBAR)
Brokerage statements and transaction summaries
Prior-year U.S. returns (if available)
A short timeline of moves, countries of residence, and major life events
Ready to Get This Handled?
If you are looking for U.S. expat tax support and want a clear plan for your U.S. filing, offshore reporting, and cross-border compliance, book a paid consultation.
(Your foreign accounts deserve better than “I think we are fine.”)

Living Abroad as a U.S. Citizen

U.S. Expat Tax Filing for Americans Living Abroad

FBAR (FinCEN 114) & FATCA (Form 8938), Compliance for U.S. Taxpayers With Foreign Accounts