US Expats... Do you have to return to US each year to do your tax?

You don't have to go back to the States to file your taxes. But you are still required to file them if you make a certain amount of money.

Also remember if you are retiring and planning on collecting Social Security, they will not send your payments to Vietnam. Best thing to do is maintain your US address and have it direct deposited into a US account.

To renew a U.S. driver’s license, contact the Department of Motor Vehicles in your home state.
U.S. citizens residing abroad (except those living in Canada) should renew their passports at the nearest U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate.
And this link will help about tax.
http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Internat … ens-Abroad

I am on good terms with my ex-wife and am able to continue to use her address as an address.
There are many mail box companies in Houston that can give you a street address for your mail to go to and many will also forward your mail to you.
Texas allows you to renew your drivers license online.

My taxes are fairly straight forward (for someone working and living overseas and married to a foreign citizen)and have used H&R Blocks tax software for the last few years. The IRS has an address you can use to send your returns via mail courier(FedEx, DHL)
Remember, unless you are trying to repatriate as a Vietnamese citizen, you will not be a resident there.

Parmyd wrote:

You don't have to go back to the States to file your taxes. But you are still required to file them if you make a certain amount of money.

Also remember if you are retiring and planning on collecting Social Security, they will not send your payments to Vietnam. Best thing to do is maintain your US address and have it direct deposited into a US account.

You can receive your benefits here in Vietnam, you just have to request it and play Mother may I every month with the Consulate. The paper checks that used to be mailed out all over the world stopped back in March, everything has to be direct deposit to your bank account.

WOW....THANKS for the reply.  Let me comment to EACH response:

1) Parmyd: THANKS but if you keep your house in the US, who lives there to maintain it?  What about your home insurance? Utilities bills? Yearly Property tax? This is A LOT of effort and money to maintain a house in the US.  Also, if you have pension and Social Security, then you are forced to file taxes and pay the IRS, how do you do that?  I might copy what you are doing.....

2) Charmavietnam: THANKS for your reply about Passport but I did called the US Consulate in Vietnam. You can ONLY renew the Passport for 1 year (NOT the standard 10 yrs like when you renew in the US). Therefore, you have to pay $110US to renew in Vietnam for 1 yr....whereas you pay $110US to renew in the US for 10 yrs. Is this what you do?

3) VungTauDon: NICE to hear from you again my friend!!  As for your reply about Texas mail box companies that WILL forward your mail to you, will they "forward" ALL the way to Vietnam?? FOr your explanation, do you mean your ex-wife received ALL of your tax information and file tax using H&R Block software for YOU each year??? If so, you are VERY VERY LUCKY.  But what happens when she decided to STOP doing it. How will you do it?  Please let me know...I might copy what you are doing.

THANK YOU ALL!!!

Budman1 wrote:

You can receive your benefits here in Vietnam, you just have to request it and play Mother may I every month with the Consulate. The paper checks that used to be mailed out all over the world stopped back in March, everything has to be direct deposit to your bank account.

"pahying mother may I" each month with the Consulate is a lot of hassle.  I heard that VN is trying to pass a law that allow US Expat to receive Social Security each month.  Is this true?

tien.tran wrote:

As for your reply about Texas mail box companies that WILL forward your mail to you, will they "forward" ALL the way to Vietnam?? FOr your explanation, do you mean your ex-wife received ALL of your tax information and file tax using H&R Block software for YOU each year??? If so, you are VERY VERY LUCKY.  But what happens when she decided to STOP doing it. How will you do it?  Please let me know...I might copy what you are doing.

I just found this company online and may check into using them myself

usglobalmail.com/

My exwife just holds mail for me and forwards important items to me.

My company uses ADP for payroll so I can download all my W-2s and such and I do my taxes at home on computer then FedEx back to US

tien.tran wrote:

WOW....THANKS for the reply.  Let me comment to EACH response:

1) Parmyd: THANKS but if you keep your house in the US, who lives there to maintain it?  What about your home insurance? Utilities bills? Yearly Property tax? This is A LOT of effort and money to maintain a house in the US.  Also, if you have pension and Social Security, then you are forced to file taxes and pay the IRS, how do you do that?  I might copy what you are doing.....

2) Charmavietnam: THANKS for your reply about Passport but I did called the US Consulate in Vietnam. You can ONLY renew the Passport for 1 year (NOT the standard 10 yrs like when you renew in the US). Therefore, you have to pay $110US to renew in Vietnam for 1 yr....whereas you pay $110US to renew in the US for 10 yrs. Is this what you do?

3) VungTauDon: NICE to hear from you again my friend!!  As for your reply about Texas mail box companies that WILL forward your mail to you, will they "forward" ALL the way to Vietnam?? FOr your explanation, do you mean your ex-wife received ALL of your tax information and file tax using H&R Block software for YOU each year??? If so, you are VERY VERY LUCKY.  But what happens when she decided to STOP doing it. How will you do it?  Please let me know...I might copy what you are doing.

THANK YOU ALL!!!

@tien.tran

"A limited passport is any passport issued with less than full 10-year validity to individuals 16 years and older and less than 5-year validity for individuals under the age of 16. Passports can be issued with limited validity due to a person's lack of citizenship evidence, multiple losses of passports, and passports lost or stolen while overseas. Passports limited in validity because of multiple losses are not extended."

This was a copy and paste off another website. It's normally 10 years.

tien.tran wrote:

Budman1 wrote:

You can receive your benefits here in Vietnam, you just have to request it and play Mother may I every month with the Consulate. The paper checks that used to be mailed out all over the world stopped back in March, everything has to be direct deposit to your bank account.

"pahying mother may I" each month with the Consulate is a lot of hassle.  I heard that VN is trying to pass a law that allow US Expat to receive Social Security each month.  Is this true?

@tien.tran Where did you hear this? Why would they even get involved with US SS??

Budman1 wrote:

This was a copy and paste off another website. It's normally 10 years.

Yeah, that can see from link.

Budman1 wrote:

tien.tran wrote:

Budman1 wrote:

You can receive your benefits here in Vietnam, you just have to request it and play Mother may I every month with the Consulate. The paper checks that used to be mailed out all over the world stopped back in March, everything has to be direct deposit to your bank account.

"pahying mother may I" each month with the Consulate is a lot of hassle.  I heard that VN is trying to pass a law that allow US Expat to receive Social Security each month.  Is this true?

@tien.tran Where did you hear this? Why would they even get involved with US SS??

I always had the impression that the reason for no direct deposits to VN banks was not because VN did not allow it but because of US mistrust of the banking system here.  Maybe the law you heard of is to get the system here in line with international treaties.  Why they should get involved is the money.  I don't always transfer my SS money here every month but if I could direct deposit here I guess I would.  Vietnam needs to be more aware that retirees from western countries are a boon to the economy.  Thailand and the Philippines know this and make things like long term visas easy.

charmavietnam wrote:

Budman1 wrote:

This was a copy and paste off another website. It's normally 10 years.

Yeah, that can see from link.

THANKS Charmavietnam / Budman1.....I'll save the link you provided concerning Passport renewal. Hope you are right and that would save me a lot of time/money/travel. Going to US Consulate / US Embassy in HCMC would be ideal.

VungTauDon wrote:

I just found this company online and may check into using them myself

usglobalmail.com/

My exwife just holds mail for me and forwards important items to me.

My company uses ADP for payroll so I can download all my W-2s and such and I do my taxes at home on computer then FedEx back to US

===================================================================

THANK YOU Don!  I'll check out the link.

Michaelray wrote:

Here is a website that may help you aaro.org/

I suggest you go to your bank and set up a system to transfer money.

Set up an address where you can have your mail transferred (there are many companies that do this) or you may be able to use some address in your family who can forward it.

In regards to taxes, I use a company recommended by the US Embassy in Thailand. I scan in any income statements (interest etc.,) and e-mail it to them. They do the forms and after I check it they e-mail it in. Last year they charged me USD80. By law you will also have to fill out Bank Report form 90221. IRS will also mail overseas.

Good luck

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THANK YOU Michael..I have the bank setup to transfer money for living in Vietnam. I will use the idea from VungTauDon to setup mail transfer.  I quess asking the US Embassy in Vietnam for company to handle tax for US might not be a bad idea.  I plan to start the re-instating my Vietnam Citizenship as soon as possible. However, I am currently living and working in Houston, Texas.  Plan to quit in 2 yrs and start this ENTIRE process that EVERYONE has provided ideas in this forum!!

THANK YOU ALL (VungtauDon, Michaelray, CharmaVietnam, THIGV, Budman1)

tien.tran wrote:

Budman1 wrote:

You can receive your benefits here in Vietnam, you just have to request it and play Mother may I every month with the Consulate. The paper checks that used to be mailed out all over the world stopped back in March, everything has to be direct deposit to your bank account.

"pahying mother may I" each month with the Consulate is a lot of hassle.  I heard that VN is trying to pass a law that allow US Expat to receive Social Security each month.  Is this true?

Yes the US Government has removed Vietnam from the restricted list once the Vietnamese Government can come up with a plan to report US citizens deaths to them.

Your best bet is to maintain a US address and bank account. You don't have to maintain a house just a mailing address. I have found the cheapest and easiest way to get my money here is to transfer it to my ex-wife and she sends it here via the local pho restaurant and I receive that same day or the next day in dollars.

@parymd as of the 26 of April this year the restriction still hasn't been lifted. Oh how I wish it was.

https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0302650022#a

I file my own taxes every year using TurboTax. To the OP: My situation is different from yours because I still have a house back home in CT, so I obviously list that as my residence and I get to travel back home to the states for work every 3-4 months for a couple weeks at a time.

Hi Jerry. What I do is download the forms from the IRS site fill them out and send them via VNPT back to the States. Been doing it for years with no problems they have a special address that USA folks overseas have to send the 1040's to:

http://www.irs.gov/uac/INTERNATIONAL--- … fessionals

Hey Budman,

Thanks for the info. Do you have to pay for that service? I've always used TurboTax just because it's so straight forward and it carries all of your information over from year to year. Since I travel so frequently back and forth between America and Vietnam, TT just directly deposits my tax return every year into my bank account back home.

No it's free. You just get the forms, fill in the blanks print it out and mail them in. I don't print out the instructions, too many pages. You have to do the calculations yourself though.

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040.pdfhttp://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040.pdf

Rick

I like using TaxCut for the same reason JVo18 likes TT. It does a very good job of importing all my pay info from ADP and is easy to calculate foreign tax credits and everything. I could do it by hand but to me the $40 is well spent.

tien.tran wrote:

We plan to retire OVERSEA (like Vietnam) but does that mean we have to sell our house in the US?

I just noticed that no one has really addressed this essential question.  You absolutely do not have to sell your house even if you elect to establish dual citizenship.  In fact there are reasons as others covered here why it is beneficial to retain a US address and it will be a lot easier if you own the home.  Although you are headed the other way, one reason is that only a resident can sponsor immigration to the US. 

Keeping your house would not preclude renting it out.  You could even make a deal with the tenants or your rental agent to forward mail.  Otherwise you will need to rely on relatives, a friend (as I do) or a semi-fictitious address.  There is a somewhat subjective line in US tax law between what is temporary and what is permanent residence overseas. It has as much to do with intentions as it does with length of stay.  Which side of that line you want to fall may depend on your circumstances.  Check Publication 54: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p54.pdf but of course remember that it is the government's point of view.  As good as advice on this page may be, you might want to consult a tax attorney. As your bio says you are in Houston, I would think you should be able to find a Viet Kieu attorney in your community with experience in the specific VN-US issues involved.

Budman1 wrote:

@parymd as of the 26 of April this year the restriction still hasn't been lifted. Oh how I wish it was.

https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0302650022#a

Reading that it looks like the US government has been waiting on the Vietnamese government for the last 17 years. In another 17 years or so you might be able to get it direct deposited here in Vietnam.

Not sure what law you speak of. Perhaps they are going to pass something that will implement vital statistic reporting. This is what is at issue with the SSA in the U.S. As it currently stand VN does not report your death to the SSA. So one must go to a Foreign Services Post (FSP) and show their live body. Sure hope they will get something going to report deaths.
I just wonder what your VN wife and children will have to do to collect their SS benefits when you start pushing up daisies. Will they be able to report to the FSP also.

Going back often can lead to you paying Uncle Sam and Uncle Charles. I knew a guy that got hit in the wallet VERY hard.

I haven't filed since 2008.  I don't owe them and they don't owe me. 

I aloso didn't file between the years of 2000-2003.  I made a decent amount of money and thought I was going to owe.  Finally, I went to the local IRS office, where they informed me that I was owed $3,000. I don't think that will be the case if I ever file again.

Sounds like that although you didn't file your taxes for those years you were still having money withheld from your pay checks to cover the taxes. If you were owed $3000 I imagine if you had filed on time you would have got $6000 back.
I do know that the IRS does very little in the way of hunting people down but they can put a flag on your passport. We had a guy on my drilling rig who was stopped at LAX on his return home from Vietnam 2 years ago. His was a bit more serious case though

The tax credit only applies if you are paying income tax to a foreign country. Your tax credit is equal to the amount of tax you pay. Even though I paid 36,000 (or had withheld from my paychecks) last year I didn't get a tax credit because in Qatar they do not have an income or employment tax.
I was able to claim foreign residency because I was out of the US 355 days so I only had to pay $16,000.
It is a tax deduction not a tax credit

Teacher Mark wrote:

I haven't filed since 2008.  I don't owe them and they don't owe me.

I think you can technically be charged with willful failure to file but this is exceptionally rare and usually occurs in cases that involve not filing as some kind of protest, like Joan Baez during the VN war.  It won't happen to you.

Teacher Mark wrote:

I aloso didn't file between the years of 2000-2003.  I made a decent amount of money and thought I was going to owe.  Finally, I went to the local IRS office, where they informed me that I was owed $3,000. I don't think that will be the case if I ever file again.

If you don't owe taxes, there is no interest or penalty no matter how late you file.  The only thing is late filing can be a real pain both in finding the forms and in digging up your own info.  Also interest with Uncle Sam is a one way street.  You pay him but he does not pay you so if he owes you then file.

VungTauDon wrote:

We had a guy on my drilling rig who was stopped at LAX on his return home from Vietnam 2 years ago. His was a bit more serious case though

I think this is a whole order of magnitude compared to Teacher Mark who even if he files is surely under the exclusion.  I can't imagine a teacher in Vietnam making over $92K.  Mark:  If you are please let us know where.

If you are a US citizen you HAVE to file taxes.

If you live abroad there is a exemption that you may not have to pay the tax but you MUST file. I believe if you have under 90k a year in income you are exempt from paying the tax while living abroad. However you must still file and claim your yearly income.

You do not have to return to the US to file. I have lived in Vietnam over 4 years and just file with an online tax program.

If you have have not filed taxes for past years there is NO penalty as long as you do not owe anything to the government. However, if you do owe money, then there is a penalty and also interest on the amount you owe the government that is past due.

I was joking about the interest.

If there are no repercussions for not filing, as I know they aren't, then I probably won't do it until I go back. 

That 92K mark is well above my yearly earnings. I knew a teacher that made about 40k, with a furnished apartment, which is also well above where I'm at.

Ttra.

This forum can ONLY give you pointers not absolutes when it comes to USCIS immigration related issues, US citizens relocating overseas, and filing taxes from overseas.

But your best option to clearly understand what to do is to sacrifice some $ to consult an immigration lawyer. You will get the best results and clearly know what to do within the US legal system. And you will not be guessing or live in doubts when you decide to take an actions.

Note that free advance is easy to come by, but facts are not.

Hi Libhero,

The last response on this thread is more than five years old. You can create a new thread on the Ho Chi Minh City forum if you have any other questions or something you want to share.

Thanks.
Anas,
https://www.expat.com team