Best Tax Software for Expatriates
That's an excellent question. Not all tax prep programs support Form 2555. The top two tax software programs, however, do support Form 2555 (foreign income exclusion) and Form 1116 (to claim the Foreign Tax Credit). TaxAct and TurboTax for the Web (Basic and Premier versions) support the foreign income forms.
Here's some cautionary tips. First, you won't be able to e-file your tax return, unless you have a US mailing address. Even if you do have a US address, many software programs will not allow e-filing if your adjusted gross income figure is zero (which is the case with many expats). So most likely you will have to file your return on paper. So prepare your tax return online, print out the forms, sign them, and mail it off to the IRS. You should file your tax return with the Philadelphia Service Center. They handle all the expat and foreign tax returns. Their mailing address is:
Internal Revenue Service Philadelphia, PA 19255-0215 USA
If you are going to mail your tax return by an private delivery service (such as FedEx or UPS), then you should use the IRS' street address:
600 Arch St. Philadelphia, PA 19106 USA
Some final tax tips.
Being an expat is a terrific deal from a tax perspective. There are several tax pitfalls that you should be aware of. One is qualifying for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion using the bona fide or physical presence tests. This can be a tricky area, especially for expats who just moved overseas. Second, some expats are better off taking the Foreign Tax Credit (Form 1116) instead of the exclusion on Form 2555. However, once you start using one method, you cannot switch to the other method without first asking the IRS' permission to change your accounting methods. You may want to consult with a tax professional who has plenty of experience in preparing expat tax returns.
I tried TurboTax and it doesn’t work for this – you have to enter everything yourself, which of course requires that you know everything like a tax expert.
Yes I agree…. Turbo Tax does not really do the Foreign Tax Credit. Plus when you ask for support they never really answer the question. Plus I found that my depreciation schedule would not print out but the numbers flowed into the Sch E form and their response was well maybe you need to redo the numbers again. So for Expat taxes…do not use Turbo Tax…