# american tax idiot



## sgaldo (Nov 15, 2010)

hi wonderful people! 
US expat in England, here. I moved to the UK this year on a spouse visa. i worked in the US until June 2011 and i've worked here since July 2011.
i have never understood how to file on my own. i've only ever used h&r block and turbo tax to file.

one thing i've noticed is that turbo tax (which is what i used to file last year from within the USA) has a reputation of not accepting foreign addresses. however, i saw on their website that as of today (15 march, 2012) they are accepting foreign addresses for online filing...

Can I e-file with a foreign address? - TurboTax® Software Support

so i just want to take the easy way out. i know, i'm a coward. will this be okay? i mean, will i need to do anything beyond change of address and follow the directions from turbo tax?

sorry if i sound completely clueless... it's mainly because i am. :confused2:
i dont own a business, i've never been self employed... nothing special beyond living and working outside the US for less than a year.
the only thing i actually understand is that i should file as married, but filing seperately for myself.

the last thing i'm not sure of is how to declare any income from my job here in the UK... is it just considered "extra income"? and how do i prove it? 


that's all for that... but now i have a semi-related question:
my wife lived with me in the us and filed taxes for 2010 when she worked as a nanny. she's english, doesnt have a greencard, and didnt work in the us in 2011, but she did live there til april 2011. will she need to file anything?


oh my. thanks for reading my completely pathetic thread.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

sgaldo said:


> hi wonderful people!
> US expat in England, here. I moved to the UK this year on a spouse visa. i worked in the US until June 2011 and i've worked here since July 2011.
> i have never understood how to file on my own. i've only ever used h&r block and turbo tax to file.
> 
> ...


Hey, if you have their software and they say they'll accept a foreign address, then go for it! If all else fails, fill out your forms using their software then print out the forms and mail them in. This is sometimes necessary when filing from overseas if you can't meet some of their requirements for e-filing.



> so i just want to take the easy way out. i know, i'm a coward. will this be okay? i mean, will i need to do anything beyond change of address and follow the directions from turbo tax?


Download Publication 54 from the IRS site to get an overview of how your file from overseas.



> sorry if i sound completely clueless... it's mainly because i am. :confused2:
> i dont own a business, i've never been self employed... nothing special beyond living and working outside the US for less than a year.
> the only thing i actually understand is that i should file as married, but filing seperately for myself.


Read on - your situation in your first year abroad may be different. Or not.



> the last thing i'm not sure of is how to declare any income from my job here in the UK... is it just considered "extra income"? and how do i prove it?


If you're working in the UK, you declare your salary income exactly like you would if you were in the US. The main difference is that you won't have a W-2 form. You may have to go back through your payslips (one of the reasons you are advised to keep pay slips virtually forever) to add up the salary you received in 2011. (The UK tax year is not a calendar year, so you can't use your UK tax documents for your US taxes.) 

Most tax programs require you to "dummy up" a W-2 in order to add your overseas salary to what you earned in the US. Just fill out a second W-2 in the program, filling in only what you absolutely have to to get the program to accept it.




> that's all for that... but now i have a semi-related question:
> my wife lived with me in the us and filed taxes for 2010 when she worked as a nanny. she's english, doesnt have a greencard, and didnt work in the us in 2011, but she did live there til april 2011. will she need to file anything?


If she has no income for 2011, she won't need to file - and you should then file as "married filing separately." Fill in "NRA" on the 1040 form where they ask for your spouse's name and SS number.

You do have the election to file jointly for the year she left the US, but in that case you both are treated as US residents for the entire year - and you lose your foreign earned income exclusion (see form 2555 and Publication 54 for the details). She would also have to declare her entire worldwide income for the year (including any salary she has in the UK). It's usually not such a good idea.

Also, depending on the date you moved to the UK, you may need to hold off filing (by filing for an extension) until you have been outside the US for 12 consecutive months. (Again, Pub 54 explains all.)
Cheers,
Bev


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## quincy (Oct 25, 2011)

sgaldo said:


> hi wonderful people!
> US expat in England, here. I moved to the UK this year on a spouse visa. i worked in the US until June 2011 and i've worked here since July 2011.
> i have never understood how to file on my own. i've only ever used h&r block and turbo tax to file.
> 
> ...


I used Turbotax to file my returns (by mail, not efile). One thing to watch for as you proceed through the interview is the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion(form 2555). I expected to find it under federal deductions, but it's under the following tabs: "Federal Taxes"-"Wages and Income"-"Less Common Income"-"Foreign Earned Income and Exclusion". (at least in 2010, haven't done 2011)


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## ExpatTori (Mar 19, 2012)

I don't think your wife will have to file since she is does not have a SS. I know turbo tax will let you file everyone online but then you have to print it out and mail it in. News to me that they will now let you do it online! That is great!


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