Never filed US tax on my own, now need to file from UK. help

Hi,

I know this is terrible but I'm 25 and I've never filed my own taxes before (I have a multitude of terrible excuses for this). My mom always filed mine in the states for me. In May 2013 I moved to the UK on a spouse visa and now I need to file my taxes from here. My mom has my w2 at home in the US and wants to e-file for me this year since she has the paperwork. She wants to use TaxACT to file online. Do you think she could file for me at home online? Or should I file my own taxes from here and if so what forms do I need to submit in the post?

 I cashed in my 401k before I left so I have no idea how to report that. I know I would file married separately and I don't need to submit a fbar because I am well under the limit. For future tax years I think I need to file a form about being away for the year, can you tell me which one that is? I don't think I need that this year because I've only just moved in May 31 2013. My mom was on the phone with the IRS for an hour trying to get information but they said to refer to the website. In general what forms would I need to file for the next tax year when I have been in the uk all year?

Any guidance would be really welcome. I'm sure these are terribly dumb questions but if you have any free time to provide some pointers I would really appreciate it! Thank you

Are you or have you worked in the UK?  You have to report your UK earnings to the US as well.

Thanks for your response. Yes I have been employed through a Job agency since July this year. Is there a certain form I need to use to declare my earnings here? Do I report the amount earned before or after uk tax? Also I read somewhere that I don't need to report the pension but I'm not sure if that's right

I would recommend downloading Turbo Tax.  You can use it for free, you only pay to file.  That will give you an indication of which forms you'll need to fill out.  Once you get this year figured out, you can use it as a template for your US taxes each year.  The good news is as an expat, you have an automatic extension to June 15th.

I heard about turbo tax that it doesn't let you proceed if you don't have a ssn for your spouse on the online forms. Do you know if it allows you to file as married without your spouse having a ssn? Thanks for all your help honestly appreciate it so much.

I heard about turbo tax that it doesn't let you proceed if you don't have a ssn for your spouse on the online forms. Do you know if it allows you to file as married without your spouse having a ssn? Thanks for all your help honestly appreciate it so much.

Not true -- I didn't have an SSN for my husband until 2008; we've used TurboTax for much longer than that.

 I cashed in my 401k before I left so I have no idea how to report that.

Your 401k administrator will send you a 1099-R that shows the amount you received. You'll have to pay a 10% penalty and tax on the amount. The commercial tax software packages will prompt you to enter the amounts from the 1099-R so the in the correct places on the 1040.

I know I would file married separately and I don't need to submit a fbar because I am well under the limit. For future tax years I think I need to file a form about being away for the year, can you tell me which one that is? I don't think I need that this year because I've only just moved in May 31 2013. My mom was on the phone with the IRS for an hour trying to get information but they said to refer to the website. In general what forms would I need to file for the next tax year when I have been in the uk all year?

Any guidance would be really welcome. I'm sure these are terribly dumb questions but if you have any free time to provide some pointers I would really appreciate it! Thank you

You have to file the same forms and maybe a few extra to deal with foreign earnings.
There are two ways to avoid double taxation on your UK wages. You can either claim a tax credit on your US taxes for UK taxes paid using Form 1116 or exclude the UK earned income from you US taxes using the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE) and Form 2555 or 2555-EZ.

Remember the US taxes US citizens on their worldwide income so that includes everything, UK bank interest, dividends etc etc. as well as your UK salary.

Your filing status would normally be "married filing separately" unless you have dependents who cannot be claimed as dependents by another US taxpayer.

You do need to be aware some of the changes that came into effect in 2013. If your husband has no US source income, you may be able to claim an exemption for him. BUT - he must have an ITIN - see:

http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/General-ITIN-Information

It is no longer sufficient to write "NRA" in lieu of a social security number or ITIN when claiming the spouse exemption.

I'm confused about the itin and this is the first time I'm hearing of it. My husband is a ukc with no intention of ever living in the states. His earnings go to his own bank account and we have no joint assets to report on. Why does he need to send in original documents to the us for a number to allow him exemption from us taxes? Why can't we write NRA? I'm really confused by this

edit - i have been reading into this and it seems like im still allowed to select NRA on taxact and information on the turbo tax site is saying and itin would be needed for an exemption. i'm not sure if i need that exemption or what the benefit is?

additionally, i've been reading about the physical presence test and i have only been in the country for 213 days (220 days with the addition of a 7 day visit in April before i moved). what is the benefit of filing for an extension to be eligible for the physical presence test? will i owe money if i file without this extension? i've only earned about 9 thousand pound in the tax year on a foreign income and i will report my income before moving as well, but if i just file without the foreign exemption is that a bad idea / will i owe tax on it? is it better to file for the extension?

really appreciate all the responses on this. you guys have been so helpful.