The Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedure lets you catch up on your US taxes by filing three prior years of tax returns and six prior years of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts reports (FBARs), if applicable. You also sign Form 14653 to certify that your missed filings were non-willful.
Here's an overview of what we'll cover. Click any section to jump ahead.
Who This Applies To
You can use the Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedure if:
- You're a US citizen or Green Card holder living outside the US
- You're behind on one or more years of US tax returns
- You didn't have a US abode and spent at least 330 full days outside the US in at least one of the last three tax years
- Your failure to file was non-willful, meaning you didn't know about the requirement or misunderstood it, rather than choosing to ignore it
If you live in the US, the Streamlined Domestic Offshore Procedure applies instead, with different rules and penalties.
The MyExpatTaxes Streamlining Plan
The MyExpatTaxes Streamlining plan costs $875, VAT included. It covers:
- Tax filings for the current year plus the last 3 years
- FBAR filing for the current year plus the last 6 years
- Extended support and guidance through the process
- Post-submission IRS audit preparation support
- Tax forms signed by a Tax Professional, plus the Streamlined Certification letter (Form 14653)
This pricing applies to the Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedure. Additional costs may apply for services such as state tax returns, certain complex forms, and plan upgrades.
How Can I Activate the Streamlining Plan on MyExpatTaxes?
- Log in to your account and open the Filing History section.
- Select "No" when asked, "Did you file your US taxes last year?"
- Under "Select the year that you last filed a US tax return," choose either "I have never filed" or 4 years or more from the current year. If you want to amend prior returns under streamlining, you can also choose that option by choosing to file three years of amendments when prompted.
- The Streamlining plan now appears as your plan
- Complete the rest of the questionnaire and add your information for all 4 tax years.
- Complete the payment at the end of the questionnaire.
What You Need to Know
- The three streamlined returns must be mailed to the IRS on paper. Only your current year return and your FBARs can be submitted electronically. You'll receive mailing instructions from the tax team once your forms are finalized.
- You can only use the Streamlined Procedure once. If you've already used it to catch up, you can't use it again.
- If you're up to date with your taxes, you can still amend previous years and file them through the Streamlined Procedure.