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International Living is promoting: “Expat Taxes Made Easy: The Complete Guide to U.S. and Foreign Taxes for the American Overseas.”
Is the book worth buying?
Victoria, the answer must lie in whether your tax situation is simple or complex. I’ve been using TurboTax for several years. It couldn’t be much easier, but our situation isn’t complicated. On the other hand, friends who just moved here and who sold a farm and other things in the U.S. before leaving also just used TurboTax and likewise found it pretty simple.
Were it mine to do, I’d go the TurboTax route first. You create an account online, input all your information, answer all their questions, and they compute your answer. Only when you either print out the return to file by mail or go to e-filing do you actually pay any money, so there’s no risk except for your time. See
The form 5471 is a breeze to fill out, and you can submit it via conventional mail through the Costa Rican Correo, if TurboTax doesn’t make provision for it (which I think it does not).
I filled out one 5471 several years ago leaving the “Tax Year” field blank. Every year, I make a copy, enter the Tax Year dates, sign it anew and send it in. So far, IRS seems to have been placated.
If TurboTax would suffice in all other respects, I don’t see how the book you asked about is going to give you much new information. Knock out the 5471, mail it in, and go on with your life.
It’s really easy.
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