Never filed... oops!

Hello all,

I was just catching up with this website the other day and realised I may have made a big mistake. I've never filed my taxes with the US. We even have a financial advisor who did not seem to think I needed to file! That was helpful (not). I'm really quite embarrassed I've put myself into this kind of situation...

I never filed my taxes while I was living in California as I never needed to. I first started working in the UK in August 2012.

So do I actually need to file then? How do I go about catching up with the years I've missed? Is it likely I could get in trouble for being so far behind?

Any advice with what to do/how to sort this out would be appreciated. As I have never filed before, I literally have no idea what I am doing. 

Thanks very much for any help!

US citizens have to file taxes each year if their income comes above some minimum threshold. Many people are a lot further behind in their taxes than you. Read the wiki on here about tax filing and see if you can do it yourself, otherwise go to a company like

http://www.greenbacktaxservices.com/expatriate-tax-services/

and for a few hundred bucks they will help you out.

Thank you Nun for the recommendation!

Styler83, Nun is right, you will need to file a US return as long as your income was above the threshold for filing (roughly 9K if you are single).

Fortunately you are in a really common situation, and one that is swiftly remedied by submitting the proper paperwork. The IRS also has programs in place now that make it easier than ever to get caught up on your taxes!

More than likely you will qualify under the Streamlined program, and that is the best way to get caught up on your US taxes. With the Streamlined program you can file the last three years of taxes, and up to six years of FBAR (FBAR's are needed if you have more than 10K in your foreign accounts).

There are a lot of great resources that explain these items in more depth on the IRS website, and also on our website (greenbacktaxservices.com) if you would like to learn more.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Good luck!

The best place to start is on the IRS website here:
http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Streamlined-Filing-Compliance-Procedures

Have a go at preparing your own returns so you are in control.

Another good place to start on IRS website:

http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Options-Available-to-Help-Taxpayers-With-Offshore-Interests [nofollow]

http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers [nofollow]

I'm in the same boat. If you are not shy, let me know how you get on. I was going to wait until the New Year to pop into the Embassy with a bag full of pay slips and bank statements to see if they can't point me down the right path.

If either of you would be interested, we actually wrote a small book on the steps needed to get back on track, and the things to know if you need to get caught up on your US taxes.

Among other topics, the guide covers:
 
 -How the Streamlined Program, Quiet Disclosure, and OVDP work
-Income reporting requirements
-How the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE) works
-Why the Foreign Tax Credit (FTC) may be more useful for individuals in high tax     countries


If you would like to download the guide (for free), please follow this link and fill out the form to the right.

http://www.greenbacktaxservices.com/tax-guides/expat-tax-guide-for-americans-living-abroad-filing-taxes-late/

Good luck!

Hi guys,

I was looking for advice for expats who never filed and came across this forum. Seems like I'm in the same boat as the original poster!

Has anyone had experience filing several years' worth of returns under OVDP? I'm still not clear on how the penalties work and really quite scared!

GB

Has anyone had experience filing several years' worth of returns under OVDP? I'm still not clear on how the penalties work and really quite scared!

You might have to give a tad more in way of details.

Have you knowingly and wilfully evaded paying $millions in tax, hiding it in a foreign account for years? If so, the OVDP may be for you.

If you're like many others who weren't aware of their obligation to file a tax return and informational forms and had not done so wilfully, have now realised your oversight, and wish to become compliant; then there are several ways to come in from the cold. A quiet disclosure (supposedly frowned upon) or the Streamlined Programme are suggested.

Are you sure you're over the thresholds for filing tax and information forms? Have you reviewed the link given in the last post by Greenbacktax? I've not seen it, but I'm assuming it's informative.

Thanks @theOAP. If I've understood everything I read correctly I'm over the requirement to report (more than $10k) but under the requirement to pay (WAY less than $95k per annum). Now I just want to file as quickly as possible and get in the clear!

Have contacted Greenback so hopefully will hear back soon.