Flat-Fee Expat Tax Preparation

Greenback’s U.S. federal tax return preparation is a flat $565, quoted before any work begins. The fee covers Form 1040, the expat exclusions and credits, and the standard schedules most expat tax returns need. If your situation calls for an add-on form, your accountant tells you the price before adding it, and there is no hourly billing.

Greenback’s $565 federal package includes Form 1040 preparation and IRS e-filing, Form 2555 for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion or Form 1116 for the Foreign Tax Credit, one each of Schedules A, B, C, D, and E, one rental property, up to 3 Schedule K-1s, and up to 20 bank and brokerage transactions. Anything beyond that is a published flat-fee add-on, so you see the cost before agreeing to it.

Most sole proprietors need only Greenback’s standard $565 federal package, which covers self-employment income on one Schedule C. Each additional Schedule C is $120. A business set up as its own legal entity, such as a corporation or partnership, also needs a business return at $750, and your Greenback accountant confirms which applies once they have seen your questionnaire.

Your Greenback accountant works that out for you. After you complete your questionnaire, your CPA or IRS Enrolled Agent reviews your income sources, residency, foreign accounts, and business interests, then tells you which forms your situation requires and what each one costs before preparing anything. You do not need to know form numbers in advance.

Greenback completes most federal returns within two to three weeks of your accountant receiving your full questionnaire and documents. Returns involving a business, rental properties, or several additional forms take longer, and the pace depends most on how quickly you answer follow-up questions. Your accountant gives you a timeline once they have reviewed your questionnaire.

Greenback can still prepare your return when records are missing or incomplete. Your accountant tells you which records matter, what can be rebuilt from bank or payroll statements, and what can be reasonably estimated. Gaps are common in a first year abroad or after moving between countries, and they rarely affect the final numbers.

Greenback handles both: FBAR filing is $125 for up to 5 accounts, and FATCA reporting on Form 8938 is $120 for up to 5 assets. The same accountant prepares them alongside your federal return, so the figures line up across every filing, and they confirm which ones your situation requires before anything is added to your total.

Greenback reviews federal returns prepared elsewhere for $350 and prepares amended returns on Form 1040-X for $565. If a past return missed the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion or the Foreign Tax Credit, an amendment may bring a refund, and your accountant tells you whether one is worth filing before you pay for it.

Greenback prepares U.S. federal and state returns in-house, and for the UK it also prepares your HMRC Self Assessment in-house, with the UK and U.S. professionals coordinating directly. For other countries, your Greenback accountant advises on the U.S. side and can coordinate with a local specialist where that helps.

Greenback needs only a few answers about your situation at signup. You create your account, answer those questions, and get paired with an expat accountant, who then sends you a document list built around your answers.