State returns, $99 per state
Added to any federal package. We do not prepare or file state returns; our state check tells you whether a state may expect one, and for seven states only says to check with the state.
COMPARISON
ExpatReturn.us and Expatfile, side by side.
A plain comparison of the ExpatReturn.us plans with Expatfile's offer, as published by Expatfile on 22 October 2026. Where Expatfile offers something we do not, we say so.
Written by ExpatReturn.us. Expatfile (expatfile.tax, operated by Expatfile.tax LLC) is a separate provider; naming it implies no endorsement or affiliation.
AT A GLANCE
Coverage and prices, row by row.
The Expatfile column is as published by Expatfile on 22 October 2026: its own statements, not an independent test, and they may change. The ExpatReturn.us column describes our current plans and prices.
ExpatReturn.us: current plans and prices. Expatfile: as published on 22 October 2026.
| Topic | ExpatReturn.us | Expatfile |
|---|---|---|
| How you file | Create an account and answer the interview; answers save as you go. You review your return on screen, pay, open a PDF of the prepared forms and sign with a self-select PIN, and we e-file the return with the IRS. Prepared scope: eligible 2025 federal individual returns. | A customer filing offer with registration and login. Filers log in, pick the tax year, answer a questionnaire, pay, download and review the return, then e-file it with the IRS themselves. |
| Federal prices | Per federal return: Standard $119, Premier $149, Investor $199. | Standard $119, Premier $159, Investor $199, each “per tax return”. Standard is labelled “MOST COMMON”. |
| When you pay | You review your return on screen before paying. Payment is taken before you sign, submit or download the PDFs, and before an FBAR file or the streamlined package is produced. | “Get started for free, and only pay once you've completed your expat tax return and are ready to e-file.” Its terms state a fee is charged before the return can be submitted to the IRS. |
| E-filing | We e-file your signed return with the IRS, and the app shows when the IRS accepts or rejects it. A return that goes on paper is printed, signed and mailed by you. | States it is an authorized IRS e-file provider and sends an acceptance or rejection notification. |
| Salary and expat forms | Standard ($119): supported employment income, interest, ordinary dividends and eligible Form 2555 preparation. Form 1116 covers eligible calculations including carryovers; complex apportionments are refused by name. Form 4952 covers investment interest on 2025 returns only, with its limits. | Standard lists Form 1040; Schedules 1, 2, 3; Schedule 1-A; Schedule B; Forms 1116, 2555, 5329, 6251, 8606, 8833 and 8960, with support for W-2, 1099-G, 1099-INT, 1099-SSA and 1099-R. |
| Self-employment | Premier ($149) adds one eligible freelance business per person (on a joint return, one each for you and your spouse), Schedule C/SE, Form 4562 for ordinary depreciation and Form 8829 for one business in one home, or the simplified home office. Form 8858 covers one foreign branch of your own business whose books are in US dollars; a branch with books in another currency and a foreign disregarded entity are not included. Form 8995 prepares the qualified business income deduction by the simple computation, and only for work done in the United States. Section 179, vehicles and other listed property and more than one business for one person are not included in the plan; statutory-employee cases are excluded. | Premier adds Schedule C, Schedule SE and Forms 4562, 8812 and 8829, “Refundable child tax credits”, “Self-employment tax exemption”, and support for 1099-DIV, 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC. |
| Investments and rentals | Investor ($199) covers eligible sales with the figures you enter, reported on Form 1099-B or with no Form 1099-B (Form 8949 boxes C and F), prior-year capital-loss carryovers and capital-gain distributions, plus rental and royalty income on Schedule E Part I, with Form 8582 when a rental loss is limited because you did not actively participate. Form 4797 covers the sale of depreciated business or rental property, Form 8621 covers PFIC reporting, and Schedule E Part II covers partnership and S corporation K-1s for 2025, each with its limits. Digital-asset sales (Form 8949 boxes G to L) and crypto imports are not included in the plan. | Investor adds Schedule D, Schedule E and Forms 8938 and 8949, “Capital gains, incl. crypto's”, “Rental & royalty income”, support for 1099-B and 1099-MISC, and states it “Includes FATCA reporting”. |
| Form 8938 | Limited account and asset summaries, with Part III income linked to the return and assets already reported on Form 3520 or 3520-A (Part IV). | Listed in the Investor plan and on its supported-forms page. |
| Retirement and treaty forms | Form 5329 covers the early-distribution tax with the exception you state, checked against its limit (an amount above it is refused by name) and against the year it began, and the extra tax on an excess IRA or HSA contribution. Form 8606 covers nondeductible contributions, the pro rata rule, Roth conversions and Roth distributions. Forms 8880, 8889 and 5695 are in Standard too. Form 8833 uses a position you supply; no personal treaty advice. | Forms 5329, 8606 and 8833 are listed in the Standard plan and on its supported-forms page; it does not describe their coverage limits. |
| PFIC and foreign companies | Form 8621 PFIC reporting is in the Investor plan, with its limits. Foreign-company reporting (Form 5471) is not prepared; a 10 percent interest in, or officer or director role at, a foreign company is refused. | Neither Form 8621 nor Form 5471 is on its published list of supported IRS forms, which says a form not on the list is not supported. |
| FBAR | Prepared separately from the tax return, not in the plan price. When you ask us to, we e-file your FBAR with FinCEN through the BSA E-Filing System for $59 per person, with a Form 114a you sign by typing your name. | $59 per person ($118 for separate spouse FBARs), unlimited foreign accounts, e-filed through FinCEN’s BSA E-Filing site alongside the tax return. States it is a FinCEN authorized transmitter. No stand-alone FBAR filing yet. |
| Extensions | Forms 4868 and 2350 are at no charge. For a 2025 return we fill in the form for you to mail, up to the return's due date. That date has passed, unless an IRS disaster relief notice gives your area a later one. We do not e-file these requests today. | Its pricing page links to “Extension Filing (Form 4868)”. |
| State returns | We do not prepare or file state returns. The state check tells you, from saved state rules, whether the state you last lived in may expect a 2025 return; for seven states it only says to check with the state. | “$99 per state return (added to any federal package)”, covering one state, a residency review, coordination with the federal return and direct filing with the state. |
| Earlier years (catch-up) | Returns for 2019 to 2024 are prepared as paper packages, each priced per return by the plan its forms need. A 2025 return we e-filed can be amended once the IRS accepts it, priced the same way. A Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures package (delinquent returns, FBARs and a Form 14653 preparation sheet) is prepared separately, not in the plan price: Standard $699, Premier $819, Investor $939 by tier, covering the three past returns and the FBARs. The returns and certification are printed, signed and mailed by you to the IRS in Austin; they are not e-filed. | Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures packages: Standard $699, Premier $819, Investor $939, each “total”, including all required prior-year returns, a Form 14653 certification statement and up to 6 years of FBAR. |
| Expert help | No included accountant preparation, personal tax advice, professional review or audit-defense service. | An “Unlimited” package at $499 per tax return in which “a dedicated tax expert” prepares the return, reached through “Contact us”. It also “can review your return before you file” and offers “optional audit protection services” (no price shown for either). |
Filing, prices and payment
| Topic | ExpatReturn.us | Expatfile |
|---|---|---|
| How you file | Create an account and answer the interview; answers save as you go. You review your return on screen, pay, open a PDF of the prepared forms and sign with a self-select PIN, and we e-file the return with the IRS. Prepared scope: eligible 2025 federal individual returns. | A customer filing offer with registration and login. Filers log in, pick the tax year, answer a questionnaire, pay, download and review the return, then e-file it with the IRS themselves. |
| Federal prices | Per federal return: Standard $119, Premier $149, Investor $199. | Standard $119, Premier $159, Investor $199, each “per tax return”. Standard is labelled “MOST COMMON”. |
| When you pay | You review your return on screen before paying. Payment is taken before you sign, submit or download the PDFs, and before an FBAR file or the streamlined package is produced. | “Get started for free, and only pay once you've completed your expat tax return and are ready to e-file.” Its terms state a fee is charged before the return can be submitted to the IRS. |
| E-filing | We e-file your signed return with the IRS, and the app shows when the IRS accepts or rejects it. A return that goes on paper is printed, signed and mailed by you. | States it is an authorized IRS e-file provider and sends an acceptance or rejection notification. |
What each plan covers
| Topic | ExpatReturn.us | Expatfile |
|---|---|---|
| Salary and expat forms | Standard ($119): supported employment income, interest, ordinary dividends and eligible Form 2555 preparation. Form 1116 covers eligible calculations including carryovers; complex apportionments are refused by name. Form 4952 covers investment interest on 2025 returns only, with its limits. | Standard lists Form 1040; Schedules 1, 2, 3; Schedule 1-A; Schedule B; Forms 1116, 2555, 5329, 6251, 8606, 8833 and 8960, with support for W-2, 1099-G, 1099-INT, 1099-SSA and 1099-R. |
| Self-employment | Premier ($149) adds one eligible freelance business per person (on a joint return, one each for you and your spouse), Schedule C/SE, Form 4562 for ordinary depreciation and Form 8829 for one business in one home, or the simplified home office. Form 8858 covers one foreign branch of your own business whose books are in US dollars; a branch with books in another currency and a foreign disregarded entity are not included. Form 8995 prepares the qualified business income deduction by the simple computation, and only for work done in the United States. Section 179, vehicles and other listed property and more than one business for one person are not included in the plan; statutory-employee cases are excluded. | Premier adds Schedule C, Schedule SE and Forms 4562, 8812 and 8829, “Refundable child tax credits”, “Self-employment tax exemption”, and support for 1099-DIV, 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC. |
| Investments and rentals | Investor ($199) covers eligible sales with the figures you enter, reported on Form 1099-B or with no Form 1099-B (Form 8949 boxes C and F), prior-year capital-loss carryovers and capital-gain distributions, plus rental and royalty income on Schedule E Part I, with Form 8582 when a rental loss is limited because you did not actively participate. Form 4797 covers the sale of depreciated business or rental property, Form 8621 covers PFIC reporting, and Schedule E Part II covers partnership and S corporation K-1s for 2025, each with its limits. Digital-asset sales (Form 8949 boxes G to L) and crypto imports are not included in the plan. | Investor adds Schedule D, Schedule E and Forms 8938 and 8949, “Capital gains, incl. crypto's”, “Rental & royalty income”, support for 1099-B and 1099-MISC, and states it “Includes FATCA reporting”. |
Specific forms
| Topic | ExpatReturn.us | Expatfile |
|---|---|---|
| Form 8938 | Limited account and asset summaries, with Part III income linked to the return and assets already reported on Form 3520 or 3520-A (Part IV). | Listed in the Investor plan and on its supported-forms page. |
| Retirement and treaty forms | Form 5329 covers the early-distribution tax with the exception you state, checked against its limit (an amount above it is refused by name) and against the year it began, and the extra tax on an excess IRA or HSA contribution. Form 8606 covers nondeductible contributions, the pro rata rule, Roth conversions and Roth distributions. Forms 8880, 8889 and 5695 are in Standard too. Form 8833 uses a position you supply; no personal treaty advice. | Forms 5329, 8606 and 8833 are listed in the Standard plan and on its supported-forms page; it does not describe their coverage limits. |
| PFIC and foreign companies | Form 8621 PFIC reporting is in the Investor plan, with its limits. Foreign-company reporting (Form 5471) is not prepared; a 10 percent interest in, or officer or director role at, a foreign company is refused. | Neither Form 8621 nor Form 5471 is on its published list of supported IRS forms, which says a form not on the list is not supported. |
FBAR, state, catch-up and expert help
| Topic | ExpatReturn.us | Expatfile |
|---|---|---|
| FBAR | Prepared separately from the tax return, not in the plan price. When you ask us to, we e-file your FBAR with FinCEN through the BSA E-Filing System for $59 per person, with a Form 114a you sign by typing your name. | $59 per person ($118 for separate spouse FBARs), unlimited foreign accounts, e-filed through FinCEN’s BSA E-Filing site alongside the tax return. States it is a FinCEN authorized transmitter. No stand-alone FBAR filing yet. |
| Extensions | Forms 4868 and 2350 are at no charge. For a 2025 return we fill in the form for you to mail, up to the return's due date. That date has passed, unless an IRS disaster relief notice gives your area a later one. We do not e-file these requests today. | Its pricing page links to “Extension Filing (Form 4868)”. |
| State returns | We do not prepare or file state returns. The state check tells you, from saved state rules, whether the state you last lived in may expect a 2025 return; for seven states it only says to check with the state. | “$99 per state return (added to any federal package)”, covering one state, a residency review, coordination with the federal return and direct filing with the state. |
| Earlier years (catch-up) | Returns for 2019 to 2024 are prepared as paper packages, each priced per return by the plan its forms need. A 2025 return we e-filed can be amended once the IRS accepts it, priced the same way. A Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures package (delinquent returns, FBARs and a Form 14653 preparation sheet) is prepared separately, not in the plan price: Standard $699, Premier $819, Investor $939 by tier, covering the three past returns and the FBARs. The returns and certification are printed, signed and mailed by you to the IRS in Austin; they are not e-filed. | Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures packages: Standard $699, Premier $819, Investor $939, each “total”, including all required prior-year returns, a Form 14653 certification statement and up to 6 years of FBAR. |
Expatfile details as published by Expatfile on 22 October 2026; quoted text is Expatfile's own wording. Sources are listed at the end of this page.
WHERE EXPATFILE OFFERS MORE
What Expatfile offers that we do not.
Each item below is as published by Expatfile on 22 October 2026. None of these is included in the ExpatReturn.us plans.
Expert-prepared Unlimited, $499
A dedicated tax expert prepares the return, with optional return review and audit protection. Our plans are limited DIY preparation with no accountant review.
Crypto gains in Investor
Its Investor plan states “Capital gains, incl. crypto's”. Digital-asset sales (Form 8949 boxes G to L) are not in our plans. Our Standard lists Forms 2441, 8863 and 8959, which Expatfile’s pricing page does not list in its Standard. Check each provider’s form list against your situation.
PROCESS, PAYMENT AND SECURITY
How each one works in practice.
Expatfile's process, payment terms and security measures are as published by Expatfile on 22 October 2026; we have not tested them.
ExpatReturn.us: current plans and prices. Expatfile: as published on 22 October 2026.
| Topic | ExpatReturn.us | Expatfile |
|---|---|---|
| How a return is built | The interview collects your facts, saves your answers as you go and gives an answer review. Investment sales use amounts you enter. | Create an account, answer questions, review the generated return, then e-file with the IRS through its e-file connection. |
| Filing status updates | The app shows when the IRS accepts or rejects your return. Signing is not acceptance; acceptance comes only from the IRS acknowledgement. | States the IRS can formally take up to 48 hours to report a return’s status and that its software in practice receives the notification “in a couple of minutes”. |
| Support | General product contact by email at contact@expatreturn.us. | “Free chat and e-mail support” is listed among what all packages include. |
| Payment and refunds | You review your return on screen before paying; payment is taken before you sign, submit or download the PDFs. A full refund for any reason before we transmit your return or you first open or download a paper package; an FBAR stays refundable until we file it with FinCEN. | Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards plus local methods by country and device, processed through Stripe. Its terms say it “may charge additional fees” for additional tasks and “Termination by the User shall not result in a refund”. Neither the pricing page nor the terms state a money-back guarantee. |
| Security | Our security page describes the protections in the preparation system. | Expatfile states: post-quantum key exchange on public connections; AES-256 encryption at rest; sign-in by emailed link, passkey, or Google or Apple account (no password); card payments by a PCI DSS Level 1 provider, so it does not store card numbers; weekly independent vulnerability scans; commissioned penetration tests; personal data deletion on emailed request. |
A note on foreign-currency tax credits
The IRS Form 1116 instructions require an explanation of the conversion rate when amounts need conversion from foreign currency. ExpatReturn.us either writes that explanation (where it converted the tax at the IRS yearly average rate) or requires your own before the electronic return is sent.
CHOOSING A PROVIDER
Questions to ask any provider.
Whichever provider you choose, confirm its current offer covers your year, your income and your deadline.
- List your income and assets. Salary, business, investments, pensions, foreign assets and prior-year items, then check exact case restrictions with the provider.
- Check FBAR, state and earlier years one by one. Whether each is included in a package, prepared separately, or needs another provider.
- Confirm the final scope and charges. Before purchasing from any provider.
Our supported forms Our plans and prices Self-employed expats Expat investors FBAR and Form 8938
Sources
- Expatfile: homepage offer and process (opens in a new tab)
- Expatfile: pricing (opens in a new tab)
- Expatfile: supported IRS forms (opens in a new tab)
- Expatfile: FBAR offer and FAQ (opens in a new tab)
- Expatfile: state-return FAQ (opens in a new tab)
- Expatfile: streamlined filing (SFOP) packages (opens in a new tab)
- Expatfile: how it works (opens in a new tab)
- Expatfile: security (opens in a new tab)
- Expatfile: FAQ (opens in a new tab)
- Expatfile: terms and conditions (opens in a new tab)
- IRS: Instructions for Form 1116 (2025) (opens in a new tab)
Last reviewed 22 October 2026 (Expatfile pages as published that day)
QUESTIONS
See what we can prepare.
Browse the forms and cases we prepare, or write to contact@expatreturn.us.
View supported forms