porcupinejo

Hi There,

Has anyone used the IRS tax service in the London embassy?
I have lived here half my long life and have never had to file my taxes until now.
I am a USC and my partner is British. I never made enough money in the states to claim (student and worked part time) therefore I do not understand any of it.
I was just wondering, do the tax office help with filling out the forms at the embassy? Do I need to work out everything first and then they will check it. Or do I need to hire an accountant to fill it and then go to the Embassy to file it? Basically ,I need to know the process and how much help they provide.
I have three years to do but I won't have much to put in it because I work part time and my British partner pays all of the bills.
I would like my family to immigrate and I was told I need to show that I have done the tax return.
Also, does anyone know how much they charge at the US embassy?
Looking at the Embassy web site I can turn up first come bases, does this system work?
Thanks for any help ( i am terrible with paper work like this).
Kind regards

dreadsoc

Hi Porcupinejo

I see you have successfully found our USA forum, which is the likely place you will get an answer to the dreaded tax question (damn taxes eh?) - someone on that forum will know.
That just leaves me to say welcome to BE and good luck with the tax thing

Good to hear of someone coming the opposite way over the Atlantic

Dread - x

porcupinejo

Thanks Dread
The website has been great for me and my family.
I am so glad I found it.

Thanks again
P

dreadsoc

Bob

The IRS tax filing is pretty simple, just read through it and go through it bit by bit.

The London IRS office is very helpful, but you need to do a bit of the work yourself so that you'll understand the help. There's plenty of help dealing with taxes in both the wiki here, for late filing via the London Embassy and in the main US forums.

Good luck

Bomjeito

Your WORLDWIDE income is taxable, not just what you'd earn in the USA.

The folks at IRS London will not DO your taxes. They will only assist with the proper forms and assist with the filings. You can get all the same info on the IRS website. The IRS offices are more for assistance, like if you have issues or questions, such as how to fill out certain things or how to find your taxable rate. They will not do your taxes for you. They are not a tax service. The are an advice bureau more than anything. They function just like an IRS office inside the USA.

They also answer questions over the phone; at least in 2009 they did when I talked to them.

Also if you are married (as opposed to just partners) you may need their advice on filing status.

porcupinejo

Thanks for your advice.
I'll wait until the olympics is over and shoot right down there for advice.

Kind Regards

TimandRae

My wife used the IRS office in the Embassy to file about five years' worth of tax returns earlier this year and they honestly could not have been any more helpful.

The lady behind the counter talked her through the different filing options and even indicated which ones might be the most helpful in the long term.

I would suggest checking their opening hours on the US London embassy website as they're closed for about an hour over lunch and on Mondays and Fridays (although I may be wrong about that one). It would be a pain to show up only to find that they're closed!

As I recall, you didn't need to make an appointment - we certainly just showed up.