# Easiest way to file US federal and CA state taxes from France ?



## Sneetch

This will be the first year I will be filing taxes for the US (federal and California) while living in France. I have never filed electronically in the past but I am thinking that probably makes the most sense for this year. But before I just jump into that I figured it would be good to hear what experiences others have had, both good and bad, and get some recommendations.

If you have filed US taxes electronically could you share your experiences and what software/web sites you used ? 

many thanks


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## Bevdeforges

How (and whether) you can file electronically depends on quite a few details of your financial situation and what you are filing in your taxes. If you have a fairly simple return and can meet the income, age and other requirements of one or more of the free file vendors, you may be able to make use of the Free File programs available through the IRS

If you don't meet any of the Free File program requirements, you can always use one of the vendors on a paid basis, though my understanding is that the price of some of the popular tax prep services have gone up this year, some by quite a bit. Make sure you find a tax prep service online that a) has all the forms you will need (ex. forms 2555 and/or 1116) and b) will allow you to use their software to e-file (probably not an issue so much anymore).

If you're used to preparing your own tax returns, you may be able to use the IRS Free File Fillable Forms service, which doesn't actually "prepare" your forms, but does do some of the basic math and transfer of date if you know which forms you need to fill out. Free File Fillable Forms | Internal Revenue Service Be sure to read the information for foreign filers here: Free File Fillable Forms Military and International Filers | Internal Revenue Service and check the Forms and Limitations page referenced under Specific Unsupported Forms.

I have filed using the IRS Fillable Forms thing - but a few years ago. At the time I found it kludgy and not particularly easy to deal with. I didn't have to file a 2555 nor a 1116, so I can't speak to any workarounds for those forms that might be necessary. 

As far as the California returns are concerned, I don't know if or how well any California state tax filing system online works. OTOH, some of the Free File vendors will only accept to do your forms if you have a state form to be filed (some include it in the freebie deal, while others do your Federal forms for free, but you have to pay for the related state form). If you are looking to cut your ties to the state of California, I can advise filing a regular CA state return for January 1 to your move date and then file a CA NR form for the remainder of the year. (No guarantee, but it at least gives them fair warning of your intention to leave the state "for good.")


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## 255

@Sneetch -- I have forever utilized the free fillable forms on Internal Revenue Service | An official website of the United States government up until last year. The forms mirror the actual forms and can be saved online and printed out for mailing to the IRS. I also filed my AZ returns similarly. I escaped CA years ago! Whenever I moved overseas (many times,) I always moved from a tax free state, so no State tax issues. There are also tax prep. software, both paid and free, that many forum members have used, in the past, with various degrees of difficulty. I bought one of these programs one year (less than $30.00,) but ended up not using it because it didn't support all the forms I needed.

Last year, I used Home | MyTAXPrepOffice but it's pretty pricy (about 10 times retail programs available to individuals.) This software is professional level, intuitive and did calculations on the fly. It also does State taxes. It literally cut my tax preparation times in half and has a good support staff, if you require any assistance. I don't know if I'd subscribe to it, for a one off -- but I file dozens of returns a year. Cheers, 255

P.S. I'd recommend you extricate yourself from Cali. ASAP. Assuming you moved to France in 2021, you should file as a part year resident https://www.ftb.ca.gov/forms/2021/2021-540nr.pdf . Then make every effort to change your domicile outside of CA. More CA info.: https://www.ftb.ca.gov/forms/misc/1100.html .


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## Bevdeforges

This article doesn't mention anything about overseas taxpayers, but it does have quite a bit of information about pricing changes for some of the "standard" online tax prep services that might be worth considering - and some information about the IRS Fillable Forms thing:


https://wapo.st/3rCZk81


Just for reference, this article is available without a subscription to the WaPo - though the link may only work for a limited period of time. This is being made available through the WaPo's "gifting" program (which I am, obviously, still figuring out).


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## Peasant

Sneetch said:


> If you have filed US taxes electronically could you share your experiences and what software/web sites you used ?


1) Fire up the VPN and buy TurboTax as a download from Amazon US ($39.95 for Federal & State)
2) Run TurboTax Federal and State.
3) Fire up the VPN again and file electronically for $39.95.
4) Either pay what you owe or accept your refund out of/into your US bank account.


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## Bevdeforges

Do you actually need to use a VPN to use TurboTax (or any of the standard online services?). I notice that all their non-free versions seem to include both forms 2555 and 1116. (Didn't check the freebie version since there are all sorts of other restrictions - at least on the Free File versions.)


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## MyExpatTaxes

We can help you! We specialize in US expat taxes no matter where you live. 😊


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