do i need an extension to send to IRS?

I have already filed one tax season while living in the UK. From what i understand, the tax season here in the UK is from April to April. In the US, the tax year is Jan - Dec 31. I do know you have to file a 1040 form to the IRS even if you are living abroad. The only money that i do have stateside is a bank account, which i have received the interest amount that i earned in 2009. That is income that you have to report. I am working in the UK and you do not get your P60 form til June or JUly. That the equivalent of our W2 form that you receive from your employer. My question is do i just collect a years worth of payslips that i have received while working in the UK and send them to my American accountant along with the interest statement from my American bank so i can file my returns before April 15th? Or is it an option to file an extension since I live aborad? If anybody has an accountancy background here, i would love to get very good advice so i do not run into any trouble with the IRS? 

Your P60 is not going to be helpful to your accountant because the UK tax year runs from April to April, rather than on a calendar year like the US (as you noted).  So the easiest way for you to show your accountant what you earned during the calendar year of 2009 is to provide the payslips.  And yes, you will want to show them your interest statement(s) from your bank account(s) - whether or not you have a statement, you are required to report interest earned for ALL bank accounts, US and UK. 

You can file for an extension as you live abroad.  The form is the Form 4868.  More information is found at
http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/article/0,,id=98155,00.html.

However, you don't need to file for an extension if you can have your return prepared and submitted by April 15.  It's a courtesy the IRS provides to citizens living overseas.

I'm no tax professional by any means, but you definitely don't need your UK payslips or P60. It sounds as though you should just fill in the 1040 and place the amount of interest you earned on your US bank account in the proper place, and then fill in the 2555-EZ (if you meet those requirements) with the amount you earned in the UK converted to US dollars. It isn't as complicated as it seems. I'm a complete baffoon when it comes to taxes and always had someone do mine for me when I was in the US, but I have done mine myself since I've lived here and found it not too difficult. You can download a manual from the IRS site for residents living abroad, which should answer any questions. I just read through that and followed their instructions and it was fine. Good luck!

What if you don't work at all?  Do you still have to file?  What if you have earned no money? 

Just as if you were in the US, if you earn below a certain amount, you are not required to file.  You can read:


http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=30822.0

http://london.usembassy.org.uk/irs/irswho.htm

http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96623,00.html

Your payslips may not show employer contributions to a UK pension plan and a US based tax adviser may not be familiar with whether or not you are subject to UK tax on the bank interest so you may need to provide a whole bunch more info - it is impossible to guess from what you have said so far.