During my first year of living in Vienna, I completely panicked when my mom pointed out that filing US taxes as an expat is something I must do. I was in a state of ‘’ignorance is bliss’’ living abroad – thinking just because I’m in Europe, I don’t have to do anything with US taxes anymore.
I mean, I didn’t learn much about taxes in school – nor received a manual that explained everything on what to do if I’m a US citizen living abroad.
Even though it technically says in US passports, we must file our worldwide income every year living and working abroad – such info can be easily overlooked or forgotten if you’re caught up in the expat life.
The Truth about Filing US Taxes from Abroad
I learned that US citizens living abroad get an automatic extension to file their taxes by June 15th. Plus, they can extend their filing date even longer if need be – to October 15th. They just need to submit the extension form by June 15th to be approved.
Plus, I found out that penalties can happen if American expats skip out on filing US taxes every year. Failing to file for many years can be seen as criminal behavior for the IRS and can trigger penalties of paying 10k or more. Therefore, added stress is just what we need when living abroad, right?
However, if you innocently forget to report your taxes to the IRS, you can apply for a program called the Streamlined Procedure. It’s a pardon for expats to catch up on their forms without double-taxation or penalties.
The Expat Tax Solution for Americans Abroad
One thing I love about living in Vienna, Austria, is the network of international people.
I remember meeting Nathalie Goldstein a couple of years ago at a Christmas party. A driven young woman from Silicon Valley, Nathalie shared about something she was building with IT engineers Markus Finster and Joachim Niederreiter. They essentially were going to revolutionize US taxes for the 9 million Americans abroad. To me, that sounded like quite a feat for a small team.
And what do you know, the following year MyExpatTaxes was born – an innovative product from their startup company, Software Spinner. Their software changes a stressful expat tax obligation into something simple and affordable.
MyExpatTaxes Review by an American in Austria
The MyExpatTaxes software is a US tax solution I found to be smoother than I thought. The registration is simple and secure, and the software design is friendly and intuitive. Since I have a simple tax case, I plugged all my tax information into their software within 15 minutes and voilà. The MyExpatTaxes software pumped out everything needed for the IRS and e-filed my return on my behalf.
What I like about this tax company is how trusted and credible it is. Nathalie is the CEO and an enrolled agent – a title and certification that the IRS awards professional tax consultants. The company provides a lot of helpful tax advice on their social media and were named the leading, most affordable US expat tax software by Yahoo Finance.
If you’re an American living abroad – what are you waiting for? Get started with your taxes and receive 20% off your first tax package!
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This post is sponsored by MyExpatTaxes
