# Filing USA income taxes from the UK?



## Steve J sjb (Apr 26, 2013)

Hello again everyone, For those of you who have come to the UK on a fiancee visa then received your first marriage visa I have a question. I still need to file my 2013 USA taxes (I expect a small return about $400 to $500), I started work here in the UK Oct 2014 so suspect I will need to be filing my 2014 expat taxes as well. When in the USA I used H&R Block for many years as I have no clue what I'm doing. I've filed every year on time since I was 16 years old so 2013 was my first missed filing as my friend who was going to sort it for me didn't get it taken care of and mailed my papers back to me. My question is who/how? I'm very lost as to where to go or how to start from the UK for my old USA filing and my new expat filing. 

How do you guys sort your taxes? How do I get 2 returns done will little to know money on hand to pay?

My 2013 taxes are very basic with filing single with low income so a 1040EZ and arizona state return would have been done as well. Had I been in the USA I would have had them take the 80-100 fee out of my return to cover the fees now with 2014 expat taxes needing to be filed as well the $250-$350 H&R Block expat filing which would wipe out any return I might expect. I was told my my workers union I need to contact HMRC here in the UK for advice, does this sound right? My wife and I live together in Stoke-On-Trent on my 16 hour a week contract and her small disability income so paying for filing above what my expected return for 2012 isn't possible.

Needless to say i'm concerned about future late fees or breaking any laws on filing them, I don't need the worries as I approach my next marriage visa in 2016.

Thanks for listening and any help given.

Blessings.

Steve.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Steve, just file tax year 2013 per normal, as you feel comfortable doing. There's no penalty for late filing if you're owed a refund -- you're simply losing access to that refund money the longer you wait. If you still like H&R Block, no problem. Or you can pull out your 2012 tax return, use that as the "inspiration" for filling out your 2013 tax return forms, and file that way. Or choose your favorite tax preparation software for 2013.

Your tax situation changed in tax year 2014, yes. Take a look at IRS Publication 54 to start to get an idea of how your overseas residence affects things. You have a couple deadlines to be aware of:

1. FinCEN Form 114 for 2014 is due by June 30, 2015. There are no extensions. Check to see whether you need to file that form. If you do, it's easy, and you just e-file it.

2. Your 2014 U.S. tax return is now due at the IRS (not overseas postmarked) by June 15, 2015, assuming you attach the simple overseas residence statement that Publication 54 mentions. However, I recommend filing IRS Form 4868 now to extend your filing deadline at the IRS (but not your deadline to pay tax owed) to October 15, 2015. Then you'll have more time to sort out your 2014 tax return, and you'll also at least get very close to having 12 unbroken months of overseas residence, useful if you decide you want to take the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion for your U.K. earned income in 2014. But you'll have time to decide that. You can run some calculations using the free TaxAct.com (for example) if you feel comfortable doing that.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

One of the easiest ways to file your US taxes from overseas is to use one of the online tax preparation services. (H&R Block has one of these, but it has changed name recently.)

For the current year, there are actually online services you can use for free, though be careful because only a few of them can deal with overseas addresses. For back filing (like your 2013 return), you may need to buy the software, but you should be able to get it for $15 to 20 no problem.

Or, just download the forms from the IRS website and fill them in (online or by hand) and send them in.

To get an idea how the whole thing works, download IRS Publication 54 and take a scan through it. Depends a bit on your sources of income, but generally speaking, your "earned income" (i.e. salary) is "excludable" using form 2555, and is only taxed by your "home" jurisdiction (in your case, the UK). Furthermore, the UK has that PAYE thing, so you may not even have to file any forms if that's your main source of income.

This is the main page on the IRS website for general information on filing from abroad: U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad - Filing Requirements Lots of links and references to forms and publications you may have little or no need for.

The first time through the forms is the worst. After that, things fall into a nice, dull rhythm. And if you're in the low to moderate income brackets (remember, only YOU have a filing obligation - you don't need to worry about your spouse's income) it's highly unlikely you'll owe anything to the IRS other than the filings themselves.

Take a look through the sources I've linked you to, and then come on back here with your questions. 
Cheers,
Bev


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## Steve J sjb (Apr 26, 2013)

Thank you guys for the replies, now while at the moment i'm understanding about 20% of what you both said and scratch my head saying huh......i will look into it some more. What I could really use is information on tax preparation help at a reasonable cost so i'm covered against mistakes and audits as well. So I will look into it more but I honestly can't see myself taking them on with any kind of confidence. blessings


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Steve, you're never "covered" for mistakes and audits. Ultimately it's the taxpayer who is responsible for what they file. The preparer can (and should) accompany you through an audit process - but if they've made mistakes, it's still up to you to pay what's owed, and in an audit, the preparer can always say, "well that's what the client told me."

Take a look at Pub 54 and at the tax preparation software. (Go directly to the TaxAct site, as they have a free option available to everyone and at a minimum, you can play with the software to see how easy or difficult you find it for your particular circumstances.)
Cheers,
Bev


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