Articles

Best virtual mailbox services for American expats (2026 guide)

Quick facts What it is: A real US street address that scans and stores your mail online. Why expats need it: IRS compliance, US banking, and avoiding state tax risk. Best overall pick: US Global Mail (from $19.95/mo, Texas address)....

Form 673 guide (2026): Stop US tax withholding on foreign earned income

If you're a US citizen working abroad, you've probably noticed something frustrating: US federal income taxes being withheld from your paycheck every month, even though you live and work overseas. Form 673 is the practical fix. By giving this form to your employer, you may be able to reduce – or stop – that withholding on qualifying for...

What is Form 1040 Schedule 2? A comprehensive guide

The 2026 tax filing season is a good reminder that old Schedule 2 guides can go stale quickly. IRS Form 1040 Schedule 2 is still the place where you report additional taxes that do not go directly on Form 1040, but the 2025 version used during the 2026 filing season is broader than many older articles suggest. That matters even more aft...

What happens if you don't file taxes while living abroad? Penalties & IRS rules explained

Most Americans who move abroad don't realize they're still required to file US tax returns – and by the time they do, they're often several years behind. Missing those filings can mean penalties, growing interest charges, and foreign account reporting violations that compound the longer they go unaddressed. Before diving in, here are a ...

Returning to the US: Essential tax checklist for expats (2026)

Returning to the US after living abroad can be exciting, but the tax side of a mid-year move can get complicated fast. A returning to the US expat may need to deal with federal deadlines, partial-year exclusions, foreign accounts, state residency, and new health coverage decisions in the same filing cycle. This expat tax checklist is up...

How the IRS can find you if you haven't filed taxes while living abroad

The IRS has multiple ways to identify US citizens and green card holders abroad who have not filed. Foreign bank reporting under FATCA, separate disclosures on FBAR and Form 8938, digital asset reporting, travel records, public internet research, whistleblower claims, and newer IRS AI enforcement/data matching have made non-filing abroad much eas...