The expat tax document checklist: everything to gather before 15 October
A complete return takes about two weeks once the documents are complete, and considerably longer when they arrive one at a time.
A complete return takes about two weeks once the documents are complete — and considerably longer when they arrive one at a time. The checklist below covers what to have ready before anything starts, so nothing holds up a filing at the point in the year when time is shortest.
What the checklist covers
Income documents. Every W-2, 1099 and foreign employer statement. If your employer issues nothing a US form recognises, a payslip summary or an annual statement in the local currency is enough — the conversion is done here.
Foreign accounts. Every foreign bank, brokerage, pension and investment account, with the highest balance each one reached during the year — not the year-end balance. That is the figure the FBAR asks for, and it is the detail most often got wrong when the form is filled in alone.
Housing costs. Rent, utilities and insurance. Employer-provided housing is worth flagging separately: it is treated differently under the foreign housing exclusion, and it is the single most commonly missed item on an expat return.
Travel record. Dates in and out of the US during the year. This is what decides the physical presence test for the foreign earned income exclusion — worth up to$130,000 for tax year 2025 — so the dates matter more than they look.
Last year's return, if it was prepared elsewhere. It gives the full picture and catches anything carried forward.
Why the order matters
Each of those categories sits behind a specific question on the return: housing costs feed the housing exclusion, travel dates decide the exclusion itself, and the highest — not the year-end — account balance is what the FBAR actually requires. Gathering them in advance rather than mid-preparation is the difference between a return that takes two weeks and one that stretches across two months. The dates those documents are working towards are set out in the2026 deadline guide.
Get the checklist
Enter your email and the country you live in, and the checklist comes back by email with the notes that apply where you are. Stated plainly, because it is the policy here: no upsell, and no automated follow-up sequence. Just the guide.
Once the documents are gathered, book a call or read thepublished prices. A return is typically turned around in about two weeks from complete documents.
Frequently asked questions
Is this checklist specific to my country, or generic?
The categories apply to every expat regardless of country, but a few details — the foreign housing exclusion limit among them — vary by location. Naming your country on the form means the version you get carries the notes for it.
Will signing up put me on a marketing list?
No. There is no drip sequence and no upsell here. You get the checklist, and nothing follows automatically.
I already have most of these documents. Is it still worth downloading?
Mainly as a final check. The two items people most often think they have but do not are the highest — not the year-end — balance of each foreign account, and a clear record of travel dates.
Talk to the person who signs the return.
Fifteen minutes, free, and you will know which deadline is yours and what it needs.