Tax Advisor Recommended To Put US Address?

So I have started the wonderful journey that is filing taxes from abroad. I lived and worked in the US the entirely of 2017. My husband moved back to the UK in September, and started working in November. I moved to the UK earlier this month(Feb).

I gave all of my tax information to my mother's tax advisor. I wanted to put my current UK address because that is where I am living. He asked a higher up about having my address as foreign, and they recommended against it because it would automatically trigger an audit.

I am worried that doing so may cause problems in the future. When I file next year, I want to use the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion. But if I put my address as a US address this year, wouldn't that show the IRS that I haven't been away for that long and then be forced to pay US taxes?

Also, another sort of related question about this foreign earned income requirement:

"A U.S. citizen or a U.S. resident alien who is physically present in a foreign country or countries for at least 330 full days during any period of 12 consecutive months."

For the 2018 tax year, I would have been in the UK for about 320 days. However, by February 2019, the time I usually file taxes, I would have been in the UK for 350 days the past 12 months(From Feb 2018-Feb 2019). Does this still count, or does the 12 month period have to be in a tax year?

To answer your second question first. It is the date you file your taxes that counts towards the 330 days. Our son moved back in September 2017 and worked for 3 months in the UK. He will be filing an extension to October and in September he will file his US taxes to claim both the FEIE and also avoid the health insurance surcharge which also has that 330 days limit.

I think that the address and phone number you put on the return is the address you are living at now. This is where the IRS will contact you and possibly send you a refund cheque. Working for all or most of the year in the USA and filing after you have moved overseas has to be an event regularly seen. I would however be sure I filed before April 18th rather than take the overseas automatic extension to June 15.

There are 8 or 9 million US citizens living outside the US. Almost none of them are audited, it is disappointing this myth still exists.

To answer your second question first. It is the date you file your taxes that counts towards the 330 days. Our son moved back in September 2017 and worked for 3 months in the UK. He will be filing an extension to October and in September he will file his US taxes to claim both the FEIE and also avoid the health insurance surcharge which also has that 330 days limit.

That's good information to know. Is "date filed" the day you mail them, the date you sign them, or the date the IRS receives them, do you know?  The Daughter will need to file, and although she is exempt from the mandate of the ACA because of no income (there is an out if you can't afford a policy), it would be easier if she didn't have to go down that path at all.

That's good information to know. Is "date filed" the day you mail them, the date you sign them, or the date the IRS receives them, do you know?  The Daughter will need to file, and although she is exempt from the mandate of the ACA because of no income (there is an out if you can't afford a policy), it would be easier if she didn't have to go down that path at all.

I did a trial run with TurboTax and it is the date you sign the return (either electronically or by hand). TurboTax won’t let you electronically sign until until the 330 days are up if you are claiming FEIE.

He asked a higher up about having my address as foreign, and they recommended against it because it would automatically trigger an audit.

I would be very wary of an adviser who gave that nonsense advice.