Prepare your own Tax Return

Will Americans Overseas help me to complete the tax return myself?

Many people who live outside America file their American declaration themselves, if you have the knowledge to do this and are handy with it, this is certainly possible.

Americans Overseas cannot support this, the risk of fines and the changes that occur yearly with the IRS are of such a nature that we know from experience that only a specialized accountant who has experience in filing American returns for people living outside the United States can take care of a proper declaration without the risk of double taxation or fines.

If you plan to prepare and submit your tax return yourself, an exploratory intake at Americans Overseas or within our network is not the service you are looking for.

Why can’t I get an exploratory intake if I want to file my declaration myself?

During an intake interview, we will discuss your personal situation in order to ultimately be able to provide a suitable referral to an expert for submitting your declaration. During the interview, however, we do not provide tax or legal advice, as we are not accountants ourselves.

Quality first!

We consider the quality of your declaration to be the most important. You want to make a “first time right” declaration to avoid double labour, fines and/or other additional risks. Certainly in the case of a Streamlined Procedure, Exit Procedure, Relief Procedure, or income from your own company, the declaration is extra complex.

What are the advantages of completing and submitting your tax return yourself:

• You save the costs for an accountant;

• You have an overview and keep control;

• You do not have to wait to submit the return(s)

What are the disadvantages of completing and submitting your tax return yourself:

• It can take you a long time to find out which forms you need;

• In case of incorrect / non-application of the tax rules, you pay double tax;

• If you fill in the forms incorrectly, you will be subject to fines;

• If you need an expert to correct your mistake, you still incur costs.

Where can I go with my questions?

Do you have sufficient experience and do you therefore expect to be able to take care of the declaration yourself, but do you still have a few questions? Then we have a number of useful links for you where you can find more information:

• General information: https://www.irs.gov/
• Instructions 1040 https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040gi.pdf
• FBAR information: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/report-of-foreign-bank-and-financial-accounts-fbar
• Self employment: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed
• Phonenumber IRS: 800-919-9835.

Can I still ask some questions to an accountant?

No, at the moment there are no accountants in out network available to service clients who files their own tax returns.