Who I work with · updated 15 October 2026
Five 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. Find the situation closest to yours.
Find your situation
International school teachers
Employer-provided housing is income and a qualified housing expense. Left unclaimed, you overpay.Missionaries and ministry workers
The exclusion removes income tax, not the 15.3% self-employment tax on the support you raise.Professionals abroad
With no local income tax there is no credit, so the housing exclusion decides the number.Catch-up filers
Most people behind on filing are non-willful, and Streamlined waives the penalties.Retirees abroad
Social Security and pensions are not foreign earned income, so the exclusion does not shield them.Not on the list?
Most Americans abroad file the same return with different facts. Fifteen minutes will tell you what yours needs, and the call is free.
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.