Accidental American Tax Help
Received a bank request about US tax status, never filed a US return, or considering expatriation? Start by discussing your filing history and the questions you need answered before choosing a service.
Use the introductory call to explain your situation and discuss next steps. Confirm the work, fees and responsibilities before starting a paid engagement.
Are You an Accidental American?
Start with the situation that brought you here. Gather the relevant records, resolve any status uncertainty and review the filing rules before choosing a preparation service.
Born on US Soil, Left as an Infant
Were you born in the United States and raised elsewhere? Gather your birth, nationality and prior filing records before discussing possible US filing requirements. Seek qualified nationality advice if your citizenship status is uncertain.
Born Abroad to a US-Citizen Parent
Were you born outside the United States to a US-citizen parent? Resolve any uncertainty about citizenship with qualified nationality counsel before deciding which tax rules apply. Bring the resulting status documentation to your tax review.
Green Card Holders Who Moved Abroad
Moving abroad does not itself end status under the green card test. The IRS lists written abandonment, administrative termination and judicial termination as ways that status can end. Review the relevant dates, documents and any treaty position before deciding your US tax residency and filing obligations.
Dual Citizens Who Just Learned They're 'US Persons'
Have you recently learned of a possible US filing obligation? Start with your status, income, residence, filing history and any correspondence. Filing duties and available catch-up procedures depend on the facts; the accidental-American label does not establish eligibility.
Why Being an Accidental American Is So Complicated
Review tax returns, account reports and citizenship questions separately. Each has its own rules; one document does not settle every obligation.
US Filing Requirements Abroad
US citizens and resident aliens abroad generally follow the same federal income-tax filing rules as people in the United States. Whether you must file depends on income, filing status, age and other applicable requirements. When testing the filing threshold, include income excluded under the foreign earned income or housing exclusions. Account and information-reporting duties need a separate review; a filing obligation does not by itself establish tax owed.
FATCA and Bank Requests
FATCA generally requires foreign financial institutions and certain other foreign entities to report specified US account-holder information or face withholding on applicable payments. Individuals can also have separate foreign-asset reporting duties. Review the actual bank request alongside your own filing requirements; a request does not establish the tax owed or eligibility for a catch-up procedure.
FBAR Reporting Threshold
FBAR is a separate report filed with FinCEN. US persons generally must report foreign financial accounts when their aggregate value exceeds $10,000 at any time during the calendar year, subject to the applicable financial-interest, signature-authority and exception rules. Civil penalty limits are adjusted for inflation; a fixed $10,000 penalty ceiling is not a reliable current statement.
Form 8938 — FATCA on Your Own Return
Form 8938 and FBAR have different filer, asset and threshold rules; filing one does not replace the other. Form 8938 can include specified foreign investments outside financial accounts, while FBAR can cover signature authority without ownership. Check each set of instructions separately for your residence, filing status and assets.
No Social Security Number — A Common Roadblock
The identification-number rules depend on the filing route. Streamlined submissions require a valid taxpayer identification number; for US citizens, the proper number is an SSN. However, the IRS Relief Procedures for Certain Former Citizens allow an otherwise eligible person without an SSN to submit without obtaining one solely for those procedures. Review the applicable instructions before delaying a submission.
Citizenship and Tax Compliance Are Separate
Citizenship relinquishment and tax compliance are separate processes. The IRS states that tax compliance is not a precondition to relinquishing citizenship, but expatriation can create tax and reporting obligations. Consider legal counsel before making an irrevocable nationality decision.
Our Accidental American Services
Use these topics to identify questions for your consultation. Eligibility, preparation scope and any need for separate legal advice must be established before choosing a service.
Status Documents & Filing Review
Bring citizenship or immigration records and any prior tax-residency analysis to the initial discussion. Resolve disputed or uncertain nationality questions with qualified legal counsel. A tax engagement should identify its scope and the status information on which it relies.
Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures
Eligibility requires non-willful conduct and the applicable non-residency test, plus the general Streamlined conditions. Eligible submissions cover the latest three tax years whose filing deadlines have passed and delinquent FBARs for the latest six years whose deadlines have passed, with required information returns, Form 14653, and payment of tax and interest due. Penalty relief depends on eligibility and following all instructions; it is not an automatic result of being an accidental American.
Before choosing catch-up preparation, review our Streamlined filing eligibility and submission requirements.
FBAR & Form 8938 Catch-Up
Review the accounts, assets, ownership and signature authority for each relevant year. FBAR and Form 8938 have different rules, reporting destinations and valuation instructions. Confirm which reports are required and included in the proposed preparation work.
SSN Application Guidance
Confirm which identification-number rules apply before arranging an SSN application. The IRS explains the Streamlined requirements separately from the SSN exception for eligible former citizens using the Relief Procedures. Any FBAR requirement also needs its own filing-instruction review.
Relief Procedures for Certain Former Citizens
These procedures require non-willful failures, relinquishment after March 18, 2010, no filing history as a US citizen or resident, compliance with the average annual net income-tax threshold, net worth below $2 million at both expatriation and submission, and aggregate tax of no more than $25,000 for the expatriation year and five preceding years under the prescribed calculation. All required returns and supporting information must be submitted. Read the IRS eligibility rules and exceptions before choosing a route.
Expatriation Reporting & Form 8854
Form 8854 reports expatriation information and includes certification about the preceding five tax years. Filing it does not itself renounce citizenship. Review the applicable expatriation date, covered-expatriate tests and required returns before deciding how to proceed.
Ongoing Annual Compliance
Review your filing requirements each year using your status, income, age and other applicable rules. Check foreign-account and information returns separately. Ask which preparation work and ongoing support are included in a proposed engagement.
FATCA Letter Response
Bring the bank request, its deadline and any forms it asks you to complete to your consultation. Confirm what tax preparation assistance is available and seek legal advice where needed. Ask the bank directly about its account requirements; a tax engagement cannot guarantee that an account will remain open.
What to Confirm Before Paying
Ask for a written quote covering the years, forms, account or entity limits, support, exclusions and additional fees relevant to your situation. Confirm the scope before starting paid work.
Catch-Up Filing
Questions for a proposed catch-up engagement
- Which procedure fits the facts?
- Which years and information returns are required?
- Are FBAR preparation and certification support included?
- What tax, interest and separate fees may apply?
Former-Citizen Relief
Questions before requesting relief-procedure preparation
- Are all IRS eligibility conditions satisfied?
- Which returns and supporting records are required?
- What work is included in the written quote?
- Is separate nationality advice needed?
Expatriation Reporting
Questions for a proposed tax-reporting engagement
- Which expatriation date and tax rules apply?
- Which Form 8854 and final-year filings are required?
- Are analysis and preparation priced separately?
- Which legal or consular services are excluded?
Explore the Programs Behind Your Options
Review the relevant filing procedures and reporting requirements before deciding which preparation work to request.
Streamlined Filing Procedures
Review the eligibility, required returns and conditional penalty relief under the Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures.
Learn moreRenunciation & Exit Tax
Explore expatriation reporting, Form 8854 and covered-expatriate questions. Nationality decisions require a separate review.
Learn moreFBAR Filing
Review FinCEN Form 114 reporting requirements and the records needed for foreign financial accounts.
Learn moreExpat Tax Services
Explore US tax-return preparation questions for Americans abroad, including exclusions, credits and information reporting.
Learn moreFrom Initial Questions to an Agreed Scope
Use the introductory call to describe your situation, then confirm the work and responsibilities in a written engagement.
Status Assessment
Bring your status documents, filing history and correspondence. Identify any questions that need legal advice before a tax engagement.
Choose Your Path
Discuss the applicable filing options and eligibility requirements. Confirm the proposed work, exclusions and fees before choosing a service.
Prepare & File
For agreed preparation work, confirm the required records, covered years, forms, review responsibilities and submission method in the engagement.
Records & Follow-Up
Keep copies of submitted documents and payment records. Review any follow-up correspondence and future filing requirements; submission does not guarantee immunity from examination.
Accidental American Tax FAQs
Filing and reporting questions to review before choosing a service.
Am I really a US citizen if I was born there but left as a baby?
I got a FATCA letter from my bank — what do I do now?
Do I owe US tax if I've never even lived in the United States?
I don't have a US Social Security Number — can I still file?
Can I just ignore all of this?
What should I review before considering renunciation?
What is the difference between Streamlined and the Relief Procedures?
How much does this cost?
Primary Sources
- IRS: Filing requirements abroad — read September 24, 2026.
- IRS: FATCA overview — read September 24, 2026.
- IRS: Form 8938 and FBAR comparison — read September 24, 2026.
- IRS: General Streamlined eligibility — read September 24, 2026.
- IRS: Streamlined Foreign Offshore instructions — read September 24, 2026.
- IRS: Former-citizen relief, including SSN exception Q16 — read September 24, 2026.
- IRS: Expatriation tax and Form 8854 — read September 24, 2026.
- IRS: Green card test — read September 24, 2026.
Sources checked September 24, 2026. This overview does not determine your nationality, eligibility or individual tax liability.
Discuss Your Filing Questions
Book a free 15-minute introductory call to explain your situation and discuss which preparation work to consider.
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