Standard
$119per federal returnUSD
- US and overseas employment income
- Bank interest and ordinary dividends
- Foreign income exclusion, if eligible
WHO IT’S FOR
Made for Americans living abroad.
ExpatReturn.us prepares eligible 2025 individual federal returns for US citizens and resident aliens, and e-files them with the IRS. See which plan fits your income and what is not included, then create an account and answer the interview.
Get startedEligible 2025 federal returns
ANSWER WITH WHAT YOU HAVE
Start from the records you already have.
Three things people often worry will not fit. Each one is handled inside the interview.
- Payslips, no W-2The interview asks whether your employer is outside the US, then asks for that employer’s pay. W-2 details come up only where that form applies.
- A spouse who isn’t AmericanThe interview asks about your spouse’s US status. On a separate return, a spouse who is neither a US citizen nor a US resident and has never been issued a US tax number can be left without one.
- Amounts in your own currencyMost income amounts can be entered in your own currency and are converted at the IRS yearly average rate. A few, such as foreign tax paid, are asked in dollars with a note on which rate applies.
WHO IT SUITS
Three common setups, three plans.
Each plan includes everything in the one before it. Prices are per federal return.
Premier
$149per federal returnUSD
- Everything in Standard
- One business each for you and your spouse
- Self-employment tax calculation
Investor
$199per federal returnUSD
- Everything in Premier
- Investment sales, with or without Form 1099-B
- Rental and royalty income, US or foreign
- TYPICAL STANDARD SETUP
A job overseas and interest from a savings account, with records for both.
- TYPICAL PREMIER SETUP
An independent designer working abroad with one business, ordinary business expenses and a home office.
- TYPICAL INVESTOR SETUP
Shares reported on Form 1099-B, with transaction dates, purchase cost and sale proceeds available.
These examples describe common income patterns, not eligibility approvals. Compare the plans
LIMITS
Not included in the plans.
These are not included in the plans. If one applies, the plans do not cover that part of your return.
| Situation | Where it stands |
|---|---|
| More than one business for one person | Not included in the plans, which cover one freelance business per person. A spouse's own business on a joint return is in Premier. |
| Form 8995-A, the longer qualified business income computation | Not prepared. The QBI deduction by the simple computation (Form 8995), for work done in the United States, depreciation (Form 4562) and the home office (Form 8829) are in Premier. |
| Digital-asset sales (Form 8949 boxes G to L) | Not included in the plans. Rentals, sales of business or rental property (Form 4797), sales without Form 1099-B, capital-loss carryovers and capital-gain distributions are in Investor. |
| Crypto file imports | Excluded from the Investor plan. |
| State returns | We do not prepare them. 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. Arrange the return separately. |
| FBAR | Not included in the plans. FBAR e-filing is prepared separately, $59 per person; Form 8938 is a different report and does not replace FBAR. |
| Catch-up (streamlined) package | Not included in the plans. A streamlined (catch-up) package is prepared separately, from $699. Single earlier-year returns (2019 to 2024, on paper) and an amended 2025 return we e-filed and the IRS accepted are in the plans, each priced per return by the plan its forms need. |
| 2026 returns | Not enabled yet. |
OUTSIDE WHAT WE PREPARE
Outside what we prepare.
Any one of these takes the whole return outside what we prepare.
- Nonresident or dual-status returns Form 1040-NR cases, including a resident who became or stopped being a US resident during the year.
- Foreign company forms A 10 percent owner, officer or director of a foreign company (Form 5471).
- A statutory-employee W-2 This takes the return outside coverage.
- Changing an earlier foreign tax credit A request to change the foreign tax credit on an earlier return.
- Some self-employed health insurance Marketplace coverage, or coverage split across businesses, is screened out.
- An IRA case the IRS text does not settle Form 8606 is prepared for contributions, conversions and Roth distributions; a case the IRS text does not settle is refused by name.
HOW FIT IS DECIDED
The interview checks fit first.
Questions about life abroad, your status and unusual tax situations come before any income figures.
- 1
Your status
Which description fits you for US tax: citizen, green card or resident by days, or neither. A resident alien is also asked whether they became or stopped being a US resident this year; a yes stops preparation.
- 2
Life abroad
Whether you lived abroad, whether you or your spouse earned pay for work abroad, and whether you paid income tax to another country. Those answers open or skip later pages.
- 3
Unusual situations
Foreign company ownership or officer roles, property swaps, nonresident status and other unusual situations. The gate for rare situations is asked first, so most filers answer one question.
- 4
A clear stop
If an answer shows a case that cannot be prepared, a card explains it before you enter income figures. The case is also refused by name when the return is built.
I live abroad. Does that make me a nonresident?
Living abroad alone does not make a person a nonresident alien. US citizens and resident aliens are taxed on worldwide income wherever they live.
My salary fits. Does that mean the whole return fits?
Not always. A person may have more than one kind of income, and a supported salary does not make every other part of a return supported. One excluded situation takes the whole return outside coverage.
I paid tax abroad. Will I owe nothing in the US?
Paying tax abroad does not automatically eliminate US tax. A tax break is included only when your facts and the supported calculation allow it.
I paid foreign tax in another currency. What do I need?
When a foreign tax must use the rate in effect when you paid it, you enter the dollar figure and attach your own short explanation of the exchange rate as a PDF. Entering converted dollars alone does not supply it, and the return is held until it is attached. This does not affect salary or foreign earned income exclusion preparation.
Can I include my spouse and children?
Yes. The interview can collect spouse and dependent information and prepare eligible joint returns and family credits. Credit eligibility depends on your answers, so having children does not guarantee a credit or refund. Employer dependent-care benefits on a W-2, a child or education credit the IRS disallowed in an earlier year (Form 8862 is prepared), or a dependent answer that needs clarification can change the path.
Is Form 8938 a full foreign asset reporting service?
No. Form 8938 is available for supported cases, with account and asset summaries, but it is not a comprehensive FATCA service, and it does not replace FBAR.
What if I am not sure how to answer a question?
Many fit questions offer "Not sure", but an unresolved "Not sure" is not accepted as an answer. Preparation cannot continue until it is settled.
Official sources
- IRS Publication 54: Tax guide for US citizens and resident aliens abroad (opens in a new tab)
- IRS: US residents and residency tests (opens in a new tab)
- IRS: Comparison of Form 8938 and FBAR requirements (opens in a new tab)
- IRS: Instructions for Form 1116 (foreign currency conversion) (opens in a new tab)
Last reviewed 22 October 2026
NEXT STEP
See exactly which forms we prepare.
Form names alone do not settle whether a situation fits, but the form list sets out form coverage and its limits, including the family-related forms.
Check supported forms