# Foreign income tax exclusion?



## blondie226791 (Jan 10, 2013)

Hi- hoping for a bit of help here! I've been living in the UK on a spousal visa since March of 2013 and working since October of that year. I am now aware I have to file for some sort of tax exemption but I have no idea how to do this or what I need! I've never filed taxes myself so I am a newcomer to these things. Any advice is welcome!


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

You have to file a U.S. tax return (Form 1040) and, potentially, FinCEN Form 114. As part of your tax filing you can choose the Foreign Earned Income and Foreign Housing Exclusions, and you calculate those using IRS Form 2555. Alternatively, or sometimes in addition, you can choose the Foreign Tax Credit which you calculate using IRS Form 1116.

Your U.S. tax return is due June 15 (at the IRS, in general) provided you attach a simple letter to your tax return stating that you live overseas and qualify for a 2 month filing extension. FinCEN Form 114 is due June 30 and is filed online, electronically.

See IRS Publication 54 for a good summary of tax filing considerations from overseas.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

There is an IRS office at the US Embassy in London, though they don't seem to publish all that much information on their website. The IRS office in Paris is a bit more forthcoming with handy information and summaries. Internal Revenue Service | Embassy of the United States Paris, France

You can ignore the stuff about French taxes, but be sure to download their "Tax Assistance Information Booklet" mentioned over on the right side of the webpage. It's one of the most concise summaries I've seen on the issue of filing from overseas.

Allegedly, there are only 5 free-file sites this year (down from 8 last year), but it is possible to e-file from overseas, using freely available tax preparation software. Details on the Paris IRS office website.
Cheers,
Bev


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## ForeignBody (Oct 20, 2011)

Bevdeforges said:


> There is an IRS office at the US Embassy in London, though they don't seem to publish all that much information on their website. The IRS office in Paris is a bit more forthcoming with handy information and summaries. Internal Revenue Service | Embassy of the United States Paris, France
> 
> You can ignore the stuff about French taxes, but be sure to download their "Tax Assistance Information Booklet" mentioned over on the right side of the webpage. It's one of the most concise summaries I've seen on the issue of filing from overseas.
> 
> ...


The US Embassy in London has good links here as long as you go to the bottom and select them:

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) | Embassy of the United States


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