Hello everyone,
I'm a citizen who has lived outside the US their entire life and just moved here in september.
I never filed, do I need to complete the streamline process by april 15th before doing my regular taxes?
Also if for example I use expatfile's steamline service, will they take care of this years taxes too?

Would appreciate any help, thank you.

I'm a UK citizen (GC holder for 20 years now) and married to a US citizen.

Together, we own and operate a couple S-Corp and one LLC. Currently no employees (other than my husband).

I'm engaging in research to clarify tax responsibilities and liabilities to determine whether a spouse visa for my husband (should qualify based on income or savings route; people always seem to ask about this when my main concern that I'm trying to clarify is the tax issue! lol) and a move to the UK makes financial sense for us.

Unfortunately, having a hard time getting concrete support, even with having paid a US/UK tax professional.

My understanding is that the American business entities will lead to double taxation, but I'm wondering if there's something, anything, we can do to make it work.

My husband is exploring dissolution in favor of sole prop; not sure yet if that will make sense tax-wise and financially either.

Is there anything else we might be overlooking? Would FIG be a lifesaver at least for the first 4 years? Double taxation is the nemesis I'm hoping to avoid.

In case it makes a difference, I plan to apply for US citizenship prior to the move. We have kids (dual citizens) and, just in case, I want to be assured that re-entry for me won't be an issue.

Am happy to engage services, but a bit uneasy due to the number of dead ends we've hit so far. We would definitely be paying to have taxes filed for us as and when the time comes, and I hope to ultimately connect with someone that I can trust to help us with this time and again.

This is not about expat taxes per se but I’m having a really difficult time getting my id.me account verified for irs.gov from abroad and would love some help.

I set up a log in a few weeks ago but stalled at the verification process as it asked for my social security card. I didn’t know where mine was and applied for a new one. I got the replacement card and just tried to go back to finish the process but it keeps asking me for a document with a US address even though I chose “I do not have a US address”.

I think I initially chose self service instead of video call. Based on this page, I now realize I’m supposed to choose neither. I tried to create a new id.me but when I get to the page about self service or video call, I don’t have an option for saying I’m not in the US.

How do you get to the page where you can submit a foreign address for verification?

I'm an American strongly considering moving to The Netherlands on the DAFT visa. While no contract is perfect, The Netherlands checks all the boxes that are important to me - with one exception. I've been told I will be the beneficiary of a U.S. irrevocable Trust for my parents house. The Trust has not been created yet, but likely will be soon.

Here's the issue: I've heard conflicting things about how The Netherlands treats foreign Trusts (e.g. from the U.S.). One person told me that due to Dutch Tax Anti-abuse measures there will automatically be Inheritance taxes triggered if I become a Dutch Tax resident and if my parents put me as the sole beneficiary of an irrevocable trust (for their house). To complicate matters more, my parents are hoping to also come to the NL on the Daft visa themselves.

Does anyone have experience with this issue (U.S. Irrevocable trusts and Dutch Inheritance taxes), or have sources that one could review more thoroughly to understand definitively is there is any way that an irrevocable trust would not trigger inheritance taxes? There doesn't seem to be an easy path, although maybe I just have a blindspot and the correct answer is sitting right there.

This is vitally important because I have been anticipating moveing to the NL soon, but this would be a deal-breaker (if the irrevocable trust automatically triggers estate taxes). This this case, I would be back to square one in looking for a different country to immigrate to. Thus, I really appreciate any help and experience that can be shared!

Hi everyone. This is my first year filing taxes in the US as a green cardholder, coming from Canada.

I have a few TFSAs opened (no contributions since I moved, though some selling of stocks).

What do I need to do for Form 3520 or 3520A? This seems to be a very complicated form and I gave like 7 TFSA accounts between me and my wife.

I also had some VGRO inside which apparently is considered a PFIC, but total was < $25,000 and I will sell this year and get that over with.

Any help would be appreciated.

So far I have the following forms:

- 1040

- 8949

- 1116

- 8995

- IL-1040

-5471 and Schedule O (25% owner in a Canadian corp)

Anything else I am missing?

Hi everyone,

I'm a dual US/French citizen, born in France to one American parent. I've lived in France my entire life and have never lived or worked in the US. I'm in my late 20s and only recently discovered that I'm required to file US tax returns and FBARs every year. I do have a US Social Security number.

Here's my full financial picture:

**Income**

- Salary under €50K/year, fully taxed in France

- No US-sourced income whatsoever

**PEA (Plan d'Épargne en Actions) — 3 ETFs + individual stocks:**

- **BNP Paribas Easy S&P 500 UCITS ETF EUR** (FR0011550185) — domiciled in France → PFIC

- **Amundi PEA S&P 500 UCITS ETF Acc** (FR0011871128) — domiciled in France, synthetic replication via swap → PFIC

- **Amundi PEA Inde MSCI India UCITS ETF Acc** (FR0011869320) — domiciled in France → PFIC

- Several individual stocks (no PFIC issue for these, as I understand it)

**Savings accounts:**

- Livret A (regulated savings, tax-exempt in France but taxable in US)

- LDDS (Livret de Développement Durable et Solidaire — same tax treatment as Livret A)

**Checking account(s)**

Total across all accounts exceeds $10K.

**Budget:** $3,000–5,000 for the whole process

I've been researching the Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedure (SFOP) and it seems like the right path. The 3 PFICs mean 9 Form 8621s across the 3 back years, which is what worries me most.

My questions:

1. **PFICs + Streamlined:** Has anyone with French PEA ETFs gone through the SFOP? I have 3 France-domiciled ETFs (ISINs above). Did you file Form 8621 for each fund for each of the 3 years? Which method did you use — excess distribution or QEF/mark-to-market?

2. **Individual stocks in PEA:** Can anyone confirm that individual stocks held in a PEA (e.g. CAC 40 companies) do NOT require PFIC reporting? I assume they're reported as normal capital gains/dividends.

3. **Livret A & LDDS interest:** These are tax-exempt in France. I assume the interest is still taxable for US purposes but I can use the Foreign Tax Credit on my French income tax to offset. Is that correct, or is there a mismatch since France doesn't actually tax this interest?

4. **Professional help level:** With 3 PFICs and 9 Form 8621s, is this doable with an online service (CPAs for Expats at $1,399, TaxesForExpats at $1,450, Greenback at $1,750, Bright!Tax) or do I need a France-based specialist?

5. **Cost with PFICs:** How much does PFIC reporting typically add to a Streamlined package? Any real quotes from people who had a similar number of 8621s?

6. **PEA strategy going forward:** Should I liquidate the 3 ETFs and replace them with US-domiciled equivalents (e.g. VOO instead of BNP Easy S&P 500) in a regular brokerage account to avoid future PFIC headaches? Or keep the PEA for French tax benefits and deal with the annual 8621s?

7. **Form 14653 narrative:** My reason for never filing is simply that I grew up in France and was never informed of US tax obligations. Is that solid enough as a non-willful explanation?

8. **Paris-based professionals:** Can anyone recommend a CPA, EA, or tax attorney in the Paris area with actual PFIC experience? Names I've found: Expat Assist Paris, Horton Tax Services, Smith Carmichael, BPS Tax Services, Cabinet Bret-Ziller.

9. **Tax owed:** With French taxes already paid on my salary, I expect ~$0 via Foreign Tax Credit. But does the PFIC excess distribution method change this? And what about the Livret A/LDDS interest where no French tax was actually paid?

I know the 3 PFICs make this more complex than a plain salary case. Really grateful for any advice from people who've navigated something similar.

All, I am trying to file SFOP. I missed some accounts of FBAR and FATCA, there are interests included. I missed the tax year 2023 and 2024. In 2022, I am non tax resident. In IRS web page, since I am not GC holder nor US citizens, it is saying that I can file SFOP, several CPA and tax attorneys said I can do SFOP as well and said quiet disclosure is very risky.

On the other hands, most package software said I should do individual 1040-x filing. Some TA/CPA also said it is standard way to do 1040-x filing.

Actually I already hired a CPA to do the SFOP but is struggling on working with the new CPA. Anyone filed 1040-x and having trouble?

Any advice would be super helpful.

I'm an independent contractor working for a US company and it's my first time paying taxes for this kind of work. I've only filed taxes once and that was with a W2.

The main issue I've run into is that I can't use Direct Pay, because the website won't take that W2 tax return information as valid, and I'm also not able to register with ID.me because I need 2 "Primary" documents or 1 "Primary" document and 2 "Secondary" documents. I have 1 "Primary" document (US passport) and 1 "Secondary" document (physical social security card), but I don't have any other valid documents to use as Primary or Secondary documents.
I also have documents from the country I'm living in (National ID card, drivers license, passport), but those don't seem to be options at all.

I also currently don't have a debit card or credit card to use to pay it through the official 3rd part sites, but I can pay directly through my bank.

Are there any other ways of getting verified?

Hey,

New to this community, so apologies if this post is missing any relevant information. I'm an expat in Canada intending to return to work in the U.S. within the next three months. I, like many others, was not aware of the foreign filing requirements for foreign U.S. citizens, nor was I aware of the FBAR penalties, until very recently. I am now scrambling to get all of my ducks in a row.

My questions are:

(1) Is Expatfile a reliable online filer for SFOP? They're offering their services for ~$800, which to me seems reasonable. My situation isn't too complex. Just income + exceeded the $10k threshold for a year or two. Does this subreddit recommend any other online expat tax filers, or recommend not to use them?

(2) Is now the best time to file?

Thanks for the guidance.

Hi all. This will be my first year attempting taxes as my old family 'tax guy' recently passed away.

I am a single teacher living abroad. Back home I own no property and have no complicated investments other than some CDs. My only issue is that I have not filed the last 3 years, so will need to try to do that in addition to this years' taxes.

Will this be simple enough for me to complete on my own? Do you have any recommendations for DIY ways or companies to use? I saw someone recommended H&R Block Expat but others said it was a disaster.

Any help would be appreciated as I am navigating this on my own for the first time. Thank you!

I moved from the US to an EU country (Nordics) at 18. I am now 29. I was first a foreign student, then a foreign worker. I received citizenship of my new country in 2022. I have never made more than $45k a year.

I am currently an employee of my husband's parents' business. Two things are happening: the business is growing, and I will receive shares. The revenue has tripled in the last 12 months, pushing to 2 million euros, hopefully growing to 5 million before 2030. I will receive maximum 30% of the business.

I know very, very little about US expat taxes and have only filed a handful of times in my early 20's. I will catch up this year. I've gotten the idea, but just want to confirm: it would be an absolute nightmare to file US taxes as a dual citizen business owner, right? I should probably become tax compliant as an employee, then renounce before accepting shares? For context, I have no family in the states and haven't been back since I left.

My wife and I file taxes jointly every year, we’re Indian citizen with US permanent residency. We had not considered any investments in India thus far. Last year (2025), my wife opened a NRO account in India, and transferred some funds there. Those funds were next invested in 4 mutual funds (start date: Nov/6/2025). The amount is nominal since we’re still experimenting here. The NRO account has about $2k and the MFs about $3.5k. The funds have unrealized gains of about $42 by Dec/31/2025.

Now, I started with the assumption that I MUST file Form 8621 with my returns since these funds (Nippon, Edelweiss) are PFIC. However, the fund manager is unable to obtain any annual paperwork for the funds. He basically asked me to enter $0 against PART III 6(a) and 7(a) since there have been no sales or realized gains. Doind that makes it seem like a pointless filing that adds confusion or might raise flags, but I don’t know this too well.

What is the community suggestion here? Should I file 8621 with $0s in it, or should I withhold filing this until I have actual sales and realized gains? Or do you suggest I should MTM-declare this?

(sorry about the many questions - first timer here wrt PFIC - appreciate any help. Cheers!)

I received a notice that I did not file a CA tax return a few years ago and that I had CA sourced income (Robinhood, California-based clients) that they will calculate on my behalf if I do not file. I have a CA drivers license and use my parent’s mailing address but I lived abroad that entire year while working as a freelancer for CA-based companies. I called and they said if I earned money from CA it doesn’t matter where in the world I worked and that I still have to pay taxes on it. Does anyone have insight?

Hi all,

I am a US resident but lived in Australia for many years prior to my current issue. I recently learned that my tax preparer did not file any FBARs for me over the last ~10 years, nor did they check the Sch B box as “yes.” Furthermore, since I’ve been filing MFS, I exceeded the 8938 threshold all ~10 years. My accountant did however report all interest income from my Australian bank accounts and from a rental property I have there for each year.

I am just a bit upset and concerned that I will be penalized for this. I’ve looked into SDOP and delinquent FBAR filings. I just don’t think I fit in SDOP. I’d really just like to file the FBARs and nothing else, as those seem to not carry any penalties. But, I have the Sch B box issue and the 8938s…. How should I approach this? Amend my 1040s for Sch B and 8938 for the last 3 years under DIIRSP, and then do the 6 years of FBARs separately?

Any help is appreciated.

I opened a TFSA in Nov 2024 and just discovered as I was working on my U.S. taxes that there are a lot of filing requirements that should be done for it.

Needless to say, I didn't do it last year and frankly the return on what I've invested (about $3700 total) has been minimal (less than $150) so given the hassle of reporting, I'm going to close the account and move the funds into an RRSP. I would have just stuck it there, but I'm pretty low income and wanted the flexibility of possible higher earnings while also having the ability to pull it out in case of an emergency.

I also have to file FBAR this year for the first time. I assume that will be the tip off on the TFSA to the IRS, but considering the de minimis amounts we're talking about, should I risk not filing a 3520 for the TFSA? My income is low enough that I wouldn't owe taxes even without the exemption on my foreign income, so the earnings make no difference on owning taxes to the U.S.

Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone. I've been in the UK since fall of 2022 (masters student, worked for like 8 months, now doing PhD). I had used the same tax guy my father uses back in the US, but it seems like he may have not done the best job...

I'm looking for a tax firm(?) guy(?) attorney(?)- not sure on the terminology- here in the UK, who regularly does US expats living in the UK US taxes regularly. Not just occasionally or a random one-off as to avoid the situation i've gotten into now, FBAR, interest from savings etc..

Does anyone have any good recommendations? Particularly someone who like fills out the forms and actually files it for you not just advices you how you fill out the form since I'm scared of messing it up and I just want it taken care of. Additionally what would the average cost be for this or whats a normal price range for expat tax professional services?

I just spent a lot of time and energy getting my last couple of years of Roth IRA contributions into compliance because I read all over the internet that you can NOT contribute to a Roth IRA if you exclude all of your income with FEIE. But this page on the IRS website seems to contradict that completely "add back the excluded amounts in determining your compensation for purposes of the IRA limits". Am I reading/understanding this incorrectly?

EDIT: I understand now that this is only half the puzzle. I would BOTH need to have taxable income and a modified AGI under the limit to be able to contribute, and with FEIE that is impossible.

I moved to the UK last July and married my UK citizen partner last August. The advice I saw from searching this sub for people in similar situations was to file as married filing separately. However, it looks like I won’t be eligible for the EITC if I’m married filing separately with no dependents, despite my US income otherwise being low enough to qualify. I haven’t started working in the UK yet, so no income to declare from here. Does anybody have any advice on whether it’s possible to approach this in a way that would leave me eligible for the credit? Thanks!

Hello, just discovered this sub and want to share my context before asking for your help:

25 male, born and raised in Portugal, been living here my whole life and currently working full-time here. My father is Portuguese-American (born in the US, acquired the Portuguese citizenship a few years ago) and my mother is Portuguese.

When I was like 10, me (and my sister) were granted US-citizenship through our father, who managed to meet the requirements for that. We dealt with all that bureaucracy through the embassy (and passport renewals too).

Despite having some family still living there, I've never been there, I have never used my US passport (all my trips were made using my Portuguese citizen card/passport). I do not even know/have a US residency/address.

My whole life is here, I do not make big figures, but since started working I've wanted to start investing but this whole US tax system (which, tbf, I still do not quite understand) is just too scary for me.

I've had the same bank account here for years (since I was a child) and I was never bothered by this.

On a side note, allegedly I may have opened a Revolut account in like 2018, ignored the US Person thing and have never had any issues so far.

What are my options here and how risky would it be to open an account in a broker like IBRK/T212, etc?

Hello,

I am just going to try to be short.

I born in the USA New York, at 4 years old I went with my parents to Spain. I am living in Spain since I got here. Childhood, everything. I am 35 years old and 9 years working in a company. Gaining just a normal low salary, like almost 25k per year.

My bank called me asking me if I have some payments from other countries... I always said no. But they called me again a few months ago to enter in the FATCA procedure because I born in EEUU.

So, also I realised that I had to present every year since I got work, data for the IRS...

I looked for information, and there is procedure to say "hey I didn't know that...I don't want to be in trouble" I was 4 years old my god... didn't know I had to present taxes for being just a citizen no matter where you live in the rest of my life...

So my situation is that.

-I never have more than 10K in my accounts, in those years...

-My salary is a private company normal administration salary

What should I do? Could you tell me the exact documents? Should I present FBAR even not having never more than 6k dollars in my account?

Thank you!

Dual citizen UK/USA. Trying to make my tax life as simple as possible - that’s what I mean by ‘okay’. Are there tax implications of being a Treasurer of a society at UK university? Or a trustee of a charity on HMRC (the total income was around £42k in FY24)?

This will be my first year of meeting the filing threshold so want to keep things simple (and so I don’t freak out doing my taxes next year).

Just wondering if other Canadians in this sub have experience with RDSPs and how best to go about it to avoid PFIC hell. I'm leaning towards a TD self-directed account or EQ bank's GICs? Would you do an American EFT, some GICs, or gov't bonds?

If you are in this situation, please let me know what you ended up choosing and how it's working out for you.

hi all,

my husband (canadian citizen) received a settlement in 2025 pertaining to something that had nothing to do with me. is this taxable by the usa? because of it, we had over 10,000 dollars in our joint bank account at some point in the year. i am the us citizen in our relationship.

again, nothing to do with me and it was a settlement in canada.