Hi all,
Please excuse the slight rant, but it really feels like expats are being penalised more and more. I've been living in the UK almost all my life, and I've been filing for about 9 years (ever since I realised I had to! I actually missed a few years and back filled my forms).
Last year, as many of you will know, they closed the IRS branch in the London embassy. This led to a search of e-filing websites that actually recognised foreign filing, in the end I could only find one (I'm not sure if we can name websites on here) that provided the 2555 form for free. At this stage I should point at that I make way below the allowable foreign income exclusion, and I've been filling in the forms for years so I really have no need to take it to a third party to fill in the forms for me.
This year I've gone back to the original website I used, and lo and behold, as I get to the foreign exclusion, I'm invited to either sign up for their premium service or cancel the exclusion! Now, its only $15, but its one extra form, that I'm filling out by myself and its always been free. Does anyone know if there are any ways left to e-file for free and get the exclusion? Thanks.
