Can I mail in a copy of a tax return for family member living overseas?

[J-rap]

My dd lives abroad and the mail from where she currently is living is a little spotty right now.  She emailed me her completed tax return in the hopes that I can just print it and send it from here.  Of course that means that her signature is a copy, not the original.  She doesn't owe anything nor will she get anything back.  I've been having a hard time finding out if a copy of her email return will be sufficient!   Does anyone know?

[Emba]

Can she use something like turbo tax to submit an online return? My dh handles our taxes, so I’m fuzzy on the details but I’m sure we haven’t actually mailed a return in several years.

[J-rap]

Well, I know she looked into something like that but didn't want to have to pay a fee since her returns were fairly simple and straight forward and she could do it herself quite easily.  But you're right -- if those things are submitted without the actual original signature, then I don't know why hers couldn't be??

[Emba]

I think? Turbo tax has an free edition for simple returns, but i could easily be wrong about that. I certainly understand not wanting to pay when you know you won’t get money back as a return.

Edited May 10, 2021 by Emba

[Lanny]

I have lived overseas for 26+ years.  Approximately 10 or 15 (?) years ago, it became possible for Overseas Americans to eFile. What a wonderful thing that was for Overseas Americans.

DO NOT submit a return for an Overseas American with an address in the USA.  Use the Overseas Address of the person.

Probably the DD of the OP is eligible for the IRS Free File program. Some of the companies (TurboTax and TaxACT are 2 that have permitted me to file for free if I begin on the IRS web site) allow much better Software and Support if one begins on the IRS.GOV web site than if one begins, for example on the TurboTax web site.  If one begins on the TurboTax web site, they might be able to do their return for Free, but the experience (Software and Support) will be much better if one begins on IRS.GOV

I eFiled the Federal and State returns for DD for Free using TurboTax and I eFiled my Federal return.

Overseas Americans are subject to special laws. Also, I believe we get an Automatic Filing Extension.

I WOULD NEVER MAIL A RETURN TO THE IRS.  TRY NEVER TO MAIL ANYTHING TO THEM.

ETA: This is a URL on IRS.GOV about the Free File program

https://www.irs.gov/e-file-providers/about-the-free-file-alliance

Edited May 10, 2021 by Lanny
Add ETA with URL of IRS Free File

[lulalu]

She automatically gets a 2 month extension. 

She can file online. Is she calming the foreign earned income tax exemption? They are complicated with what can be claimed and what can't. 

We use a tax preparer because they are infinitely more complicated for us. 

I don't know for sure if you can mail taxes or not. But we have had troubles with that kind of thing with other things (banking, license, etc.) 

[J-rap]

4 hours ago, Lanny said:

I have lived overseas for 26+ years.  Approximately 10 or 15 (?) years ago, it became possible for Overseas Americans to eFile. What a wonderful thing that was for Overseas Americans.

DO NOT submit a return for an Overseas American with an address in the USA.  Use the Overseas Address of the person.

Probably the DD of the OP is eligible for the IRS Free File program. Some of the companies (TurboTax and TaxACT are 2 that have permitted me to file for free if I begin on the IRS web site) allow much better Software and Support if one begins on the IRS.GOV web site than if one begins, for example on the TurboTax web site.  If one begins on the TurboTax web site, they might be able to do their return for Free, but the experience (Software and Support) will be much better if one begins on IRS.GOV

I eFiled the Federal and State returns for DD for Free using TurboTax and I eFiled my Federal return.

Overseas Americans are subject to special laws. Also, I believe we get an Automatic Filing Extension.

I WOULD NEVER MAIL A RETURN TO THE IRS.  TRY NEVER TO MAIL ANYTHING TO THEM.

ETA: This is a URL on IRS.GOV about the Free File program

https://www.irs.gov/e-file-providers/about-the-free-file-alliance

Thanks, this is super helpful information!  She's spent so much time trying to figure this all out, and for some reason seemed to come to a road block when trying to file for free online, and of course didn't want to send it in the mail which is why she emailed it to me to see if I could just print it (a copy) and mail it from this end.  I'll tell her to check out the IRS link that you sent.  She also tried setting up an IRS account online thinking she might get some help that way, but for some reason it wasn't letting her -- we assumed because she has a foreign address.

I doubt she knows about the extension -- Wow!  Well, she's been a graduate student overseas and hasn't been able to come home for a year and a half due to Covid, but she has a job there now and will be making her home there for the time being.  So she'll need to figure this all out moving forward.  She thought this year would be fairly easy because her internship stipend there was small.  But, I guess filing as a US citizen living abroad still felt very complicated!

As long as travel remains okay, she'll finally be able to come home for a visit in July!  Then she can always walk the three blocks from our place to an IRS office and ask her questions in person.  🙂  

One more thing, she is also filing a return to our state...  She still uses our address for her US bank accounts, driver's license, etc.  But if she isn't actually living here at all anymore, does she still call it her home state?  Do you have a home state even though you've been living overseas for over 26 years?  And do you still send tax returns there?  Does the free filing work for state tax returns as well?  Just wondering how that works!

Thanks for your insight!

[J-rap]

4 hours ago, lulalu said:

She automatically gets a 2 month extension. 

She can file online. Is she calming the foreign earned income tax exemption? They are complicated with what can be claimed and what can't. 

We use a tax preparer because they are infinitely more complicated for us. 

I don't know for sure if you can mail taxes or not. But we have had troubles with that kind of thing with other things (banking, license, etc.) 

That's great about the 2-month extension...  She'll be happy to hear that!  She was planning to claim the foreign earned income tax exemption, but it felt very complicated (apparently there are other schedules you have to submit with it?).  I think part of it is that she was just finishing up school and is still getting over long-Covid and felt stressed by a number of things.  In the end, because she won't have to pay anything this year (her stipend was small) she decided to submit it without the foreign earned income tax exemption.

I think next year she might want to hire someone over there who handles tax returns for expats, even just once, since she will have property there and be newly married there with a full-time job, so everything will be more complicated.  And then perhaps after that that can use the file for free.

Thanks for the info!

[SoCal_Bear]

Should she need even more time, she can file for an extension which gives her until 10/15 to file her return.  She doesn't owe anything so that's the only thing you have to make sure of is to pay enough in to cover any tax due. 

If you use TurboTax for her return...she might have difficulty being able to download it to use depending on the country. I know it was a big problem for my friend who is an expat in China for example. You could do it for her and just send her the pdf for the signature page that is required for e-filing. She can sign, scan and send you the file easily.

 

[maize]

6 hours ago, J-rap said:

Well, I know she looked into something like that but didn't want to have to pay a fee since her returns were fairly simple and straight forward and she could do it herself quite easily.  But you're right -- if those things are submitted without the actual original signature, then I don't know why hers couldn't be??

My dd used freetaxusa; it's free for federal returns.

[SoCal_Bear]

If you have foreign income, I don't think you will be able to use the free tax filing program. Free file is for very simple returns. 

My DH develops Turbo Tax, and they make the the free file product for the IRS.

I would tell her to file an extension. You can e-file a form 4868.
https://www.irs.gov/publications/p54

 

Edited May 11, 2021 by calbear

[J-rap]

10 hours ago, calbear said:

If you have foreign income, I don't think you will be able to use the free tax filing program. Free file is for very simple returns. 

My DH develops Turbo Tax, and they make the the free file product for the IRS.

I would tell her to file an extension. You can e-file a form 4868.
https://www.irs.gov/publications/p54

 

Oh okay, well maybe that's the problem she was running into then.  Her stipend was from a foreign university and her now job is foreign as well.  Sounds like filing an extension might be a good idea, in any event.  Thanks!  (Also, that's neat that your dh develops Turbo Tax ~ I guess you always have an in-house consultant then!)

 

[Lanny]

On 5/10/2021 at 2:46 PM, J-rap said:

<snip> She doesn't owe anything nor will she get anything back.<snip>

OP:  Has she received all 3 of the "Stimulus" payments?   If not, she must file a Federal return for 2020. If she has a bank account in the USA, hopefully the IRS will Direct Deposit the money to her bank account.  The TurboTax online service that I used, after beginning on IRS.GOV helped me with that and other things.

The IRS mailed a check to me,  which will never arrive here, but thank God they are going to replace it with a Direct Deposit. 

[Lanny]

23 hours ago, J-rap said:

Oh okay, well maybe that's the problem she was running into then.  Her stipend was from a foreign university and her now job is foreign as well.  Sounds like filing an extension might be a good idea, in any event.  Thanks!  (Also, that's neat that your dh develops Turbo Tax ~ I guess you always have an in-house consultant then!)

 

Unless the IRS has changed the law, there is an Automatic Extension for Overseas Americans.  I think it is for 60 days, but you need  to verify.  I filed very early this year (mid February) because I was going to get the Stimulus payment.

BTW: TurboTax has a great forum and several questions I had before and after filing my 2020 return were answered there.  They have some employees (at least during the week) who are CPAs or EAs who are extremely helpful, plus some of the users are very knowledgeable.

NOTE: If she has a bank account overseas she needs to check the box that says she does and comply with the regulations. That may generate another IRS form for her return.   Very quick and simple unless she has a lot of $ in the overseas bank or other assets that need to be reported.   Owning a house, for example, is not an issue.

 

[J-rap]

18 minutes ago, Lanny said:

OP:  Has she received all 3 of the "Stimulus" payments?   If not, she must file a Federal return for 2020. If she has a bank account in the USA, hopefully the IRS will Direct Deposit the money to her bank account.  The TurboTax online service that I used, after beginning on IRS.GOV helped me with that and other things.

The IRS mailed a check to me,  which will never arrive here, but thank God they are going to replace it with a Direct Deposit. 

Yes, she received them (direct deposit to her US bank account...  which also has my name on it in case I need to do any bank business for her here).  

[J-rap]

9 minutes ago, Lanny said:

Unless the IRS has changed the law, there is an Automatic Extension for Overseas Americans.  I think it is for 60 days, but you need  to verify.  I filed very early this year (mid February) because I was going to get the Stimulus payment.

BTW: TurboTax has a great forum and several questions I had before and after filing my 2020 return were answered there.  They have some employees (at least during the week) who are CPAs or EAs who are extremely helpful, plus some of the users are very knowledgeable.

NOTE: If she has a bank account overseas she needs to check the box that says she does and comply with the regulations. That may generate another IRS form for her return.   Very quick and simple unless she has a lot of $ in the overseas bank or other assets that need to be reported.   Owning a house, for example, is not an issue.

 

Oh, good idea about the TurboTax forum.  Well I'm passing on a lot of helpful information to her -- thank you!

[Lanny]

On 5/10/2021 at 10:41 PM, J-rap said:

<snip>

One more thing, she is also filing a return to our state...  She still uses our address for her US bank accounts, driver's license, etc.  But if she isn't actually living here at all anymore, does she still call it her home state?  Do you have a home state even though you've been living overseas for over 26 years?  And do you still send tax returns there?  Does the free filing work for state tax returns as well?  Just wondering how that works!

Thanks for your insight!

You are welcome.  Starting on the IRS.GOV web site, I used the Free TurboTax to do the Federal returns and the NC return for DD. Both were eFiled and both were Free.  

I  do not and would not use an address in the USA because I live overseas.  I use the Overseas address so they know which country we are in.

My suggestion to your DD is that she change her address on her Federal return to her overseas address.  An Overseas American has certain extra issues and filing with a U.S. address could be considered deceptive to say the least.   The Federal returns for me and for DD and the NC Non-Resident for DD, have our Overseas Address.

IMO that is not her "home state" now. She is a Resident of a Foreign Country now if I understand. 

It could be very dicey, if her bank or other financial accounts find out that she is living overseas. There are extreme rules that apply to people overseas having those accounts and if they find out, her accounts might be terminated, immediately. 

Drivers License maybe she can keep at your address, but the other things involve some very complex laws which were written to hopefully reduce money laundering, etc.

IMO someone who is an Overseas American and uses a U.S. address on their Federal tax returns is opening themselves up to trouble.  I suggest, strongly, that her Overseas address is on her U.S. tax returns and that she doesn't file a state return.

I am from a state that doesn't have a state income tax, so I don't have that issue, but DD is in NC and they have a state income tax and I can assure you that I was confused, although TurboTax was leading me through the NC forms. Truly mysterious to me because I am not from NC.

[Lanny]

On 5/10/2021 at 10:47 PM, J-rap said:

That's great about the 2-month extension...  She'll be happy to hear that!  She was planning to claim the foreign earned income tax exemption, but it felt very complicated (apparently there are other schedules you have to submit with it?).  I think part of it is that she was just finishing up school and is still getting over long-Covid and felt stressed by a number of things.  In the end, because she won't have to pay anything this year (her stipend was small) she decided to submit it without the foreign earned income tax exemption.

I think next year she might want to hire someone over there who handles tax returns for expats, even just once, since she will have property there and be newly married there with a full-time job, so everything will be more complicated.  And then perhaps after that that can use the file for free.

Thanks for the info!

If she needs any special schedules, TurboTax will generate those for her.  It more or less holds your hand and walks you through the different forms.

If I were in her shoes, I would NOT consider paying a CPA or EA who "specializes" in Overseas Americans.  It is NOT that complicated if she uses TurboTax.   She should IMO begin on the IRS.GOV web site and use their Free File with TurboTax or TaxAct or another participant that will allow her to do it free.

My return included a Schedule C which is probably why it is still in "Processing" with millions of other returns and the IRS probably only has a small number of people to do that "processing".

Her tax situation is NOT that complicated.

Probably she will not be claiming the Foreign Income Exemption but TurboTax will help her with that if she does qualify for that. I believe it is for approximately the first $100K USD?

She should use the Online edition of TurboTax or whatever she uses. She should not Download anything. If there are changes, the Online versions will have them, immediately or sooner.

[Lanny]

On 5/10/2021 at 11:14 PM, calbear said:

If you have foreign income, I don't think you will be able to use the free tax filing program. Free file is for very simple returns. 

My DH develops Turbo Tax, and they make the the free file product for the IRS.

I would tell her to file an extension. You can e-file a form 4868.
https://www.irs.gov/publications/p54

 

Go to TurboTax from the IRS Free File web site pages, after doing a search, to see which of the companies might do it for you  free, depending on if you are overseas, have a state income tax, your age, etc., and then you can check them out.

2020 was the last year that I will file a Schedule C for.  If you will look at the TurboTax web site, directly, not via IRS.GOV, I believe that you will find that if one needs to file a Schedule C, that is one of the most expensive returns one can do if paying TurboTax.

I believe that going in from IRS Free File to TurboTax that I got one of the most complete TurboTax services. Possibly THE most complete TurboTax service (excluding the other services one can also pay for)  Including Free (U.S. based I believe) phone support.

I don't think Foreign Income is a problem.  Please do your own due diligence to confirm what I wrote (I'm tired but I think it is correct)

I have also used TaxACT in fact I used it for years and recommended it, but one year there was a big price increase (I suspect the company was sold and the new owners increased the prices) and that's when I went to IRS.GOV and then to TurboTax.   I have used that for DD and for me and now I do our taxes free.

One year I did use FreeTaxUSA, which was mentioned in this thread and that was fine, but the next year when I went to use it, they would not take an Overseas (not in  USA) address and when I inquired I was told it had something to do with an EU regulation and we live in South America and we have nothing to do with the EU, so that was the end of our using FreeTaxUSA...

NOTE: When you eFile a Federal Return you make a 4 (?) digit signature code and the next year you may need that to eFile.  You DO NOT sign as you would a paper return. It is done with codes. 

TurboTax is NOT perfect, but I believe their Online Help when navigating through the forms with their guidance is better than with the other companies I have used over the years.  And as I wrote earlier, I have learned that their Support Forum can be quite awesome.   After I filed my 2020 Federal return, I wondered if I made a mistake and should change the Filing Status, and I started a thread (this was during the week) one morning and a few minutes later, one of their employees who is a CPA or EA answered me with a thoughtful reply.  She told me not to file an Amended return and that what I had done was OK. I asked 2 or 3 questions and got answers to all of them.

[Longtime Lurker]

Another option is IRS Free Fillable Forms. These are free to people of any income level and support almost all of the unusual forms. It is exactly like the paper forms except you can e-file them. If you know how to fill out the paper forms, it is a great option. Paper forms could take months as the IRS is very backed up this year.

[J-rap]

23 hours ago, Lanny said:

You are welcome.  Starting on the IRS.GOV web site, I used the Free TurboTax to do the Federal returns and the NC return for DD. Both were eFiled and both were Free.  

I  do not and would not use an address in the USA because I live overseas.  I use the Overseas address so they know which country we are in.

My suggestion to your DD is that she change her address on her Federal return to her overseas address.  An Overseas American has certain extra issues and filing with a U.S. address could be considered deceptive to say the least.   The Federal returns for me and for DD and the NC Non-Resident for DD, have our Overseas Address.

IMO that is not her "home state" now. She is a Resident of a Foreign Country now if I understand. 

It could be very dicey, if her bank or other financial accounts find out that she is living overseas. There are extreme rules that apply to people overseas having those accounts and if they find out, her accounts might be terminated, immediately. 

Drivers License maybe she can keep at your address, but the other things involve some very complex laws which were written to hopefully reduce money laundering, etc.

IMO someone who is an Overseas American and uses a U.S. address on their Federal tax returns is opening themselves up to trouble.  I suggest, strongly, that her Overseas address is on her U.S. tax returns and that she doesn't file a state return.

I am from a state that doesn't have a state income tax, so I don't have that issue, but DD is in NC and they have a state income tax and I can assure you that I was confused, although TurboTax was leading me through the NC forms. Truly mysterious to me because I am not from NC.

She does have her foreign address on her return.  She isn't yet a legal permanent resident there.  These past two years she's been there on a student visa, but the first year she had no income.

I'd forgotten that some states don't have state income tax!  Well, after this year, she'll probably hire someone to do her taxes for her once.  2021 will be her first year of being there on a more permanent work visa, owning property there, and married to a citizen there.  

ETA:  Just read your other post.  Yes, maybe Turbo Tax will be all she needs for a long time to come then.  It sounds like a super helpful site.  Thanks!

Edited May 13, 2021 by J-rap