# Tax Preperation for Australian's living in New York



## hutais (Jul 2, 2010)

Hi All,

Wow just trying to work exactly what and who we should see about do our taxes here in NY.

What has complicated matters is that I have started my own home based business (Travel Agent) here in NY so I am an Independent Contractor.
In Australia we all submit our tax returns individually so to speak but here it seems to be different? So as I understand it (I could be totally wrong) some of my deductions could in fact offset some of my husbands taxes? 
Just wondering if there is any information online to read up before I speak to a professional besides the IRS website.
Also we have property back in Australia that we need to also declare.
People have suggested we do it ourselves however I think to save a few $$ here we could miscalculate and end up costing more.
Luckily what I have made in income is minimal however the costs to set it up have probably offset any tax I need to pay to the IRS. However I am just speculating so I need to be well informed.

Any advice from you experts would be so appreciated


----------



## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

In the US, you have the option to file separately or jointly when you're married. In most cases, it's a big advantage to file jointly, because of exactly what you said - some of your deductions may offset the joint income pool.

It's not that difficult to file on your own - though the first time you probably want to get some form of help. Since you don't have the language issue, you might want to think about getting a tax preparation software to guide you through your return. Most programs have a "guided tour" that should enable you to do it yourself for the most part. (Many of the tax programs are available online, too, but for the first time through, I find it handy to have the program on your own computer at home so you can "play" with the program a bit to learn how things work.)

Probably the best instruction book on US taxes overall is the IRS' publication 17, which you can download for free from the IRS website. (Most tax programs include a copy of pub 17 as a base for their help system, though they may not call it that.)

Remember, too, that there is no one "correct" way to do your taxes. The US tax system is full of "options" that you can take or not. The nice thing with the software is that you can try things a couple different ways before you decide which option to take.

Tax preparation software is available in most stores that sell software (and usually includes the appropriate state income tax software in the deal) or you can buy it online. Google "tax preparation software" and you'll find gazillions (well, lots) of possibilities. The big names are Turbo Tax, TaxCut - and of course, there is always H&R Block, whose advertisements you'll soon start seeing all over the television.

The books on doing your own taxes usually aren't on the shelves until February, but that's another source of information.
Cheers,
Bev


----------



## hutais (Jul 2, 2010)

Thanks so much Bev!! Will talk to a friends accountant and see how he charges and what he has to say too. I looked at some of those programs and they looked ok too.


----------

