Can anyone suggest a software program for filing US taxes from overseas?

I'm struggling to create a form 1116-AMT in Taxact. Aside from Turbotax, is there any other software that will complete this task for me?

I would still recommend

http://www.taxactonline.com/
or
http://turbotax.intuit.com/

They would make both state and federal tax returns for you at reasonable cost.

Unless turbotax has changed, they do not accommodate the forms expats need. Taxact was the only one I found that would fill in the 11something and 25something forms and would let you pay with a non us address credit card. Might have to call them to do it.

Gearing up to do it again, but I remember that the forms are a bit of a pain and I ended up doing them a few times.

Thanks, Little_bird. I've already bought Taxact, and while it meets most of my needs, it doesn't meet all of them. I can complete my 1040, 2555, 1116, and even my 6251. But it won't create a 1116AMT to support my form 6251.

I've been through the IRS instructions for calculating my AMT-FTC about a dozen times and still can't make heads-and-tails of it. It seems that Taxact won't support this calculation, and my head is already hurting. Turbotax says that it supports both 1116 and 1116AMT, but I was hoping for a cheaper solution.

Having gone through it now myself, I am a more vocal advocate of tax reform for expat Americans -- if not a pure reduction, at least a simplification of the paperwork. I've got a finance background and a Masters Degree -- if I can't figure it out, it's far too complicated!

I have used Turbotax for years. Very occasionally another form is needed, and not infrequently the consumer version has to be overridden. I understand the professional version of Turbotax (used by CPAs and tax preparers) is more flexible, but I don't do enough returns for others to justify buying it.

This was my experience as well. Straight-forward years with nothing more than 1040 + 1116 were reasonably easy, although you had to access the forms directly in order to record your tax paid in local currency (a requirement if you read the IRS instructions, but something you'd totally miss if you relied on Turbotax).

When I had a year where I took the foreign earned income exemption, smoke started coming out of TT's ears. I couldn't figure out exactly how it happened, but somehow Turbotax had double-counted income and I suddenly was reporting a gross foreign income of close to $500k. Maybe it just adds a few hundred grand when you list an address in Switzerland?

In any case, the only way I could figure to get around it was to edit the forms manually. I finally figured out how to do this, and in the end, finished my return. It took all weekend in the 30C heat. Not something I'll repeat anytime soon...

Ok, so Turbotax does all the foreign forms afterall. Good to know.

Looking for an update here to see if other fellow US citizens living abroad use tax software, or if you slog through it by hand?

When I moved to Germany in 2009 I recall TurboTax requiring an US address for buying the software, and when I actually started using it, I couldn't figure it out and gave in and used an accountant (all those moving expenses, selling a house, etc.). Last year, I think I just looked at what the accountant did the year before, re-did that by hand and went with that.

This year, is a bit more complicated as hubby gave up green card (which is good for future years, as he is the only income earner for now) but means I will have to file married filing separately and use dual status for him. Maybe I just need to bite the bullet and use an accountant again, but was wondering if anyone has any good reviews for using software for when living overseas?

Thanks in advance. My head is starting to spin from trying to figure this out again. Just can't figure out why each year I ask the same questions over and over again.

I would recommend that you use a good accountant instead that knows all the particulars of the tax code for foreign filers. Software is generally a good idea, but I know people that have not been able to maximize their returns when using it.

You should also check if it is necessary to file a state return --if you don't live there during the tax year then there is no need to file one.

as far as I know the law requires that you file the same status in both CH and the US, so I am not sure that you can file joint here and separately in the US --something you may want to check on.

Last week, I completed my tax return using Turbotax. My tax situation is not complicated and I didn't spend any time trying to maximize my deductions. With the foreign income exclusion and foreign tax credit, I didn't owe much in the end. Your situation is likely different so getting an accountant might be better for you.

It did take me several evenings to do, though. The software was not designed with foreign income in mind. You have to do exchange rate conversions by hand and you have to attach statements explaining how you computed various entries. You have to copy values from the Form 2555 to the 1116 to compute your foreign tax credit. It won't do it for you. I ended up skipping the guided interviews for the most part and just filled out the forms manually following the IRS instructions but letting the software do the tedious calculations. This is the first year I've used it, so I think it'll be much easier next year now that I know what to look out for.

I've used tax act. You do not need a US address, nor do you need a US credit card - it has most of the forms if not all, and seems to work fine. I should say that I used to be a statistician, and don't have a problem with going back and forth between the program and excel or doing computations, and I had to run some different scenarios, etc. but I think it's doable.

No, sadly, no. However, unless you have a very complicated financial situation, a few hours invested now (in research through the forms) will pay off (in professional fees /not/ spent) for years to come.

Thanks everyone for the responses. I am not sure if my situation is that complicated...since my husband gave back his green card in April, his salary up to that point won't be high enough and I think we are covered with the FEIE. We did have some interest income in the US that was from an account in my name, so I will have to file, (otherwise I am a stay at home mom and don't have income) but I don't think it will be too bad.

If I am correct, if we file jointly, then I would have to include my husband's income for the whole year, which couldn't be a good thing (he is a German citizen and wouldn't otherwise report to the US). How would the US know how we file a tax return here? Since this is our first year here, I am learning as we go about the Swiss taxes. Luckily, my husband's work includes professional Swiss tax help in its benefits. We spent 4 hours yesterday pouring through all the different questions from them and still aren't quite finished! I am counting on year 2 being much easier!

Anyway, I will look at TurboTax and TaxAct and go from there. I am prepared to do it by hand and compare with the software as back up...

funny, I just tried to purchase the download version of TaxAct and it wouldn't let me continue my purchase until I picked a state and entered a valid 5 digit zip code. Called for assistance, but unfortunately got frustrated as the connection wasn't great and I didn't want to have to spell out every second word to the guy. I will now probably just order it using my old us address...or someone in my family...

Correct on both counts. (It would be a good thing only if the US person had a high income, and the non-US citizen had no income; then, you double your Earned Income Exclusion and of course your standard deduction.)

They would know if you tell them (necessary to claim a credit for foreign taxes paid), or if they were auditing you, and asked CH under an information exchange agreement (to compare declared income). Otherwise, they would not know, and would not care.

Yuck. I haven't downloaded this year's yet, thanks for the heads up.

Thanks for the info. I am feeling brave on this Monday...and can tackle it all my own. Might feel differently in a few hours


I just used my sister's address, and it worked without problems. The guy was going to go through it with me over the phone, but I lost patience! If you are a returning customer, possibly this won't affect you?