---
title: "US tax returns for Americans abroad | Expat Tax Abroad"
url: https://expattaxabroad.com/
description: "US tax returns for Americans abroad, prepared and signed by an IRS Enrolled Agent. Federal, state, FBAR, FATCA and housing exclusion included — $599 flat."
lang: en
---

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IRS Enrolled Agent · One preparer, every return 48 country guides 48 guides (https://expattaxabroad.com/countries/)

Verify at IRS.gov: https://irs.treasury.gov/rpo/rpo.jsf

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Jorge-I-Rivas-ExpatTax/61572578032002/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jrivas0013/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorgeirivas1186sm
X: https://x.com/jrivas0013

US tax for Americans abroad

# US tax returns for Americans abroad — _prepared and signed_ by a licensed Enrolled Agent.

Federal, state, FBAR and FATCA, with the foreign housing exclusion actually claimed. Complete returns $599. Every price published below.

Book a 15-minute call: https://expattaxabroad.com/book/

See what it costs: https://expattaxabroad.com/pricing/

Federally licensed Flat fees, published One preparer, every return 46 country guides

Image: Jorge I. Rivas, EA (https://expattaxabroad.com/_astro/jorge-rivas-avatar.BkTc9hQv_Z2prOOi.webp)

15-minute call

Free · no obligation · with me, not a salesperson

Free

Next available — your local time

Mon 08:45: https://expattaxabroad.com/book/
Mon 15:00: https://expattaxabroad.com/book/
Tue 07:15: https://expattaxabroad.com/book/
Tue 18:45: https://expattaxabroad.com/book/

Open the calendar (https://expattaxabroad.com/book/)

Times are shown in your time zone. Pick one and I'll confirm it by email with a calendar invitation.

14years

In practice, since 2012

11years an EA

Enrolled Agent since 2015

46countries

Each with a written guide
https://expattaxabroad.com/countries/

$599flat

Complete return, all in
https://expattaxabroad.com/pricing/

Who I work with

## Four situations, and the one thing each gets wrong.

Most returns from abroad are not wrong because of arithmetic. They are wrong because one election, one form or one day-count was missed. See all five situations (https://expattaxabroad.com/who-i-work-with/).

01

### International school teachers

The foreign housing exclusion on employer-provided housing is routinely missed. Dependent-tuition benefits are compensation and get misreported. A mid-year school move can break the 330-day physical presence test.

For teachers (https://expattaxabroad.com/who-i-work-with/teachers/)

02

### Missionaries and ministry workers

The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion removes income tax. It does not remove the 15.3% self-employment tax. Support raised as a self-employed minister is SECA income, and a totalization agreement rarely covers it.

For ministry workers (https://expattaxabroad.com/who-i-work-with/ministry/)

03

### Catch-up filers, several years behind

Years behind has a way back. If the miss was non-willful, the Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures waive the penalties: three returns, six FBARs, Form 14653, in a $1,395 Catch-Up Package. A free call settles whether you qualify.

For catch-up filers (https://expattaxabroad.com/who-i-work-with/catch-up-filers/)

04

### Professionals in the Gulf

High income, no local income tax, and usually no US tax treaty and no totalization agreement. Above the exclusion there is no foreign tax credit to fall back on, so the housing exclusion and the timing of the move decide the number.

For professionals abroad (https://expattaxabroad.com/who-i-work-with/professionals-abroad/)

What it costs

## These are the prices. All of them, on the page.

| Service | Flat fee |
| --- | --- |
| **Complete Return** Federal, one state, FBAR, FATCA, FEIE/FTC optimisation, foreign housing exclusion, treaty positions | $599 |
| **Essential Return** Federal + FBAR, single country, employment income | $449 |
| **Complex Return** Self-employment, rental, investments, dual-status, or multiple countries in one year | $995 |
| **Catch-Up Package** Streamlined: 3 returns, 6 FBARs, Form 14653, plus next year's Complete Return free | $1,395 |
| **FBAR-Only Filing** Up to 5 accounts (+$45 per additional 5) | $125 |
| **Additional state return** | $89 |
| **Expat Tax Position Review** 45 minutes, written summary, credited in full against any package booked within 60 days | $195 |
| **Federal extension (Form 4868)** | Free |
| **Qualification call** 15 minutes, bookable directly | Free |

These are the prices. If your situation needs something outside them, you'll get the number before any work starts — not after. And an FBAR can always be filed free through FinCEN's own system; what you're paying for here is the review of whether it's the only thing you're missing.

Verification

> Prepared and signed by Jorge I. Rivas, EA. You can verify the credential yourself in the IRS Return Preparer directory.

An Enrolled Agent is federally licensed and holds unrestricted representation rights before the IRS. There are 68,548 Enrolled Agents, against 208,519 CPAs. Nobody else in this category asks you to check.

IRS Return Preparer directory

Name Jorge I. Rivas

Credential Enrolled Agent

EA since 2015

Checked 2026-07-28

Look me up on irs.gov (https://irs.treasury.gov/rpo/rpo.jsf)

The tools

## The reference tables I use, published in full.

Read them, copy them, check my work. Each one is dated and sourced.

**Treaty & totalization matrix — extract**6 of 46 countries

| Host country | Income tax treaty | Totalization agreement |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kuwait | No | No |
| United Arab Emirates | No | No |
| Saudi Arabia | No | No |
| Japan | Yes | Yes |
| South Korea | Yes | Yes |
| Germany | Yes | Yes |

Sources: IRS Publication 901; Social Security Administration totalization agreement list. Checked 28 August 2026.

**Treaty & totalization matrix**All 46 host countries: treaty, totalization, and whether SECA still applies.: https://expattaxabroad.com/tools/treaty-totalization-matrix/
**Asset → form router**What you hold, and which form reports it: FBAR, Form 8938, 8621, 5471, 3520.: https://expattaxabroad.com/tools/asset-form-router/
**Streamlined decision tree**Which amnesty route fits, now that the Delinquent FBAR Submission Procedures have ended.: https://expattaxabroad.com/tools/streamlined-decision-tree/

The short answer

## Do Americans living abroad have to file US taxes?

Yes. US citizens and green-card holders file a federal return on worldwide income, wherever they live. For tax year 2025 the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion is $130,000. Returns from abroad are due 15 June under the automatic extension, and 15 October if Form 4868 is filed. Foreign accounts may also require an FBAR.

FEIE 2025 · $130,000 FEIE 2026 · $132,900 Rev. Proc. 2025-32

IRS Enrolled Agent

Federally licensed, unrestricted IRS representation rights.

Publicly verifiable

Listed in the IRS Return Preparer directory. Checked 28 July 2026.

14 years in practice, 11 as an Enrolled Agent

In practice since 2012; Enrolled Agent since 2015.

48 country guides

Each host country has a written guide to its treaty and totalization position.

Free, and useful before you decide anything

## I'll file your federal extension (Form 4868) at no charge.

It buys you until 15 October and costs nothing. Tell me your host country and your situation and I'll send the confirmation, plus the two figures that matter for your case.

Image: Federal tax forms and a calculator on a desk (https://expattaxabroad.com/_astro/desk-forms.C0tKAR2x_WeUNi.webp)

## Fifteen minutes, with the person who will sign the return.

Bring last year's return if you have one, and the countries you were in. You'll leave the call knowing the filing route, the forms and the fee.

Image: Jorge I. Rivas, EA (https://expattaxabroad.com/_astro/jorge-rivas-avatar.BkTc9hQv_Z1eug5C.webp)

About the author

Jorge I. Rivas, EA

An IRS Enrolled Agent working only on US tax for Americans living abroad. I prepare and sign every return myself — 14 years in practice, 11 of them as an Enrolled Agent.

Verify in the IRS directory →: https://irs.treasury.gov/rpo/rpo.jsf
jorgerivas.pro →: https://jorgerivas.pro/

Complete return $599

Prepared and signed by an Enrolled Agent

Book a call (https://expattaxabroad.com/book/)

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