US Citizen living in England-Need help with filing taxes

Hello.
I was wanting to know a few things about filing my 2012 tax return.

I know that I have to file my Federal and state taxes. I was going to use Turbo Tax to file. It says on their website that I need a US checking account to receive my refund and I need a US credit card to pay for any taxes owing. Is this correct because I don't have neither? I am not based in England due to a job so I don't have any ties to the US such as bank accounts or credit cards.

Also, do I need to file as a half year resident? I quit my job in the US the last part of April.

This is all so confusing to me because this is the first year of trying to file my US taxes.

Please don't tell me to use an international service to file my taxes because I don't have the money to pay a huge amount for someone to file for me. I have to file on my own.

Also, anything else I need to know about filing that would help a poor confused person like me to make this more simple.

Thank you for your answers.

Forget TurboTax for a bit; you may not even need it, and for simple returns, paper forms are pretty easy. If your income was low and you meet certain criteria, you may be able to use the 'free fillable forms' or one of the free file services.

First of all, have you been working in the UK? And do you have bank accounts in the UK earning any interest? Are you married? Any dependent children that you can claim?

If your ONLY income was in the US from Jan-April, it's no more difficult than filing any other year. The federal return is the federal return - it's not a 'part year resident'. Your state return might be, depending on the state.

Folks will provide more answers I'm sure, but not without specific information on your situation.

Married to a Brit that is a permanent resident of the US (green card holder) and no children.

No bank accounts in the UK earning interest.

Important thing is: do I need a US checking account and US credit card to receive a refund or owe taxes?

Thanks for your answers.

You can receive a paper check for the refund, but it will take time for it to clear in a UK account. You can send a paper check or money order to pay taxes. Not sure how you'd do it in the UK...international money order, maybe?

You can receive a paper check for the refund, but it will take time for it to clear in a UK account. You can send a paper check or money order to pay taxes. Not sure how you'd do it in the UK...international money order, maybe?

Thanks for the info.

If your husband still has a green card, I believe he is also required to file a return. You are required to report your worldwide income, but depending on how long you've been here and the source of the income, you may qualify for the earned income exclusion or choose to take a tax credit for tax paid here which offsets tax due in the US. No one could point you in the correct direction without some more specifics on your situation/status.

If the aggregate value of your bank accounts in the UK exceeded $10K at any point during the year, you are also have FBAR form(s) to file with the Treasury Department.

You may or may not owe US tax, but if you do, there are other ways of paying that don't involve a US bank account, though some will incur fees.