Tik Shiro Car Crash Sparks Demand for Alcohol Test Inquiry

[isawasnake]

I used turbotax and everything went smooth. I tried to file at the end, and it said I could not. I have saved the pdf's of the 1040 and 2555 forms. Can I just file these on the IRS website, or do I have to mail them? This is the first time I have done tax returns.

I also have some previous years I need to file. I take it I need to mail those in? Can I mail multiple years' forms in a single envelope eg 2011 AND 2012)?

Thanks for any help.

Edited April 4, 2014 by isawasnake

[el jefe]

I don't use TurboTax so I have no idea why you wouldn't be able to efile a 1040 + 2555. You won't be able to file them as PDF's on the IRS website. If you can't find the Turbotax problem you'll have to mail them in.

there's no reason why you can't mail multiple years' tax returns all in the same envelope as long as you clearly mark each check as to which year it applies to.

[Langsuan Man]

Do you use a US address ?

If not then you will have to download the forms from the IRS web site and refill them out using your Turbo Tax printed copies as a reference / guide. Efile is only available for US addresses. If you did use a US address then try a VPN with a US IP address and you should be able to eFile

A free one is Tunnel Bear, available here:

https://www.tunnelbear.com/

Yes, you can send multiple years worth of forms in one envelope but I wouldn't do it, too much chance of something going wrong at the IRS end. Clearly mark which tax year on the outside of the envelopes and pay a little in additional postage for peace of mind

[isawasnake]

Thanks for the help.

[fredge45]

Do you use a US address ?

If not then you will have to download the forms from the IRS web site and refill them out using your Turbo Tax printed copies as a reference / guide. Efile is only available for US addresses. If you did use a US address then try a VPN with a US IP address and you should be able to eFile

A free one is Tunnel Bear, available here:

https://www.tunnelbear.com/

Yes, you can send multiple years worth of forms in one envelope but I wouldn't do it, too much chance of something going wrong at the IRS end. Clearly mark which tax year on the outside of the envelopes and pay a little in additional postage for peace of mind

Efile is available for those not using a US address. If you owe tax you can use a credit card issued by a US bank for payment.

Done this the last couple of years and it really makes life easier.

[Langsuan Man]

Do you use a US address ?

If not then you will have to download the forms from the IRS web site and refill them out using your Turbo Tax printed copies as a reference / guide. Efile is only available for US addresses. If you did use a US address then try a VPN with a US IP address and you should be able to eFile

A free one is Tunnel Bear, available here:

https://www.tunnelbear.com/

Yes, you can send multiple years worth of forms in one envelope but I wouldn't do it, too much chance of something going wrong at the IRS end. Clearly mark which tax year on the outside of the envelopes and pay a little in additional postage for peace of mind

Efile is available for those not using a US address. If you owe tax you can use a credit card issued by a US bank for payment.

Done this the last couple of years and it really makes life easier.

I stand corrected:

Yes, you can file federal (IRS) returns with a foreign address. However, there are several restrictions regarding foreign-address returns:

• Due to IRS regulations, you will need a U.S. bank account to receive your tax refund.
• Similarly, you'll need a U.S. bank account or credit card with a U.S. billing address to pay owed taxes and product fees.
• TurboTax Refund Card and Refund Processing Services require a U.S. address or APO/FPO/DPO address.
• Free products which require registration in lieu of payment require a U.S. address or APO/FPO/DPO address.

At this time, you can also e-file Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, and Rhode Island tax returns using a foreign address. (States not mentioned either don't allow foreign-address e-filing or are not yet set up in TurboTax to do so.)

source: https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900705-can-i-e-file-with-a-foreign-address

[Pinot]

I used turbotax to efile for the first time this year with my Thai address. I had no state return. In prior years, it wouldn't let me efile from turbotax. You can just mail the whole thing to them.

By the way, I filed jointly using my Thai wife. Last year I got her a tax ID number. Filing a joint return with her saved me from paying $1000. Instead I owed nothing.

[Suradit69]

I use Turbo Tax every year and it promised that I can file online, but then it asks for a Electronic Filing PIN.

I've tried to get one using the IRS website, but it claims my address is not the same as I used last year ... have always used my Thai address ... and then they suggested I call them to get the PIN. Since I don't want to join a telephone queue and listen to canned music on an international phone call, I just mail the forms in. Never had a problem. If I owe tax I usually pay that online, so even in the unlikely event that the 1040 is delayed or lost in the mail, they got their (dubiously deserved) money.

[Suradit69]

Do you use a US address ?

If not then you will have to download the forms from the IRS web site and refill them out using your Turbo Tax printed copies as a reference / guide. Efile is only available for US addresses. If you did use a US address then try a VPN with a US IP address and you should be able to eFile

A free one is Tunnel Bear, available here:

https://www.tunnelbear.com/

Yes, you can send multiple years worth of forms in one envelope but I wouldn't do it, too much chance of something going wrong at the IRS end. Clearly mark which tax year on the outside of the envelopes and pay a little in additional postage for peace of mind

"If not then you will have to download the forms from the IRS web site and refill them out using your Turbo Tax printed copies as a reference / guide. Efile is only available for US addresses. If you did use a US address then try a VPN with a US IP address and you should be able to eFile"

Not sure why you'd need to copy anything. TurboTax prints out all the required/approved IRS 1040 and supplementary forms automatically filled in. They even have all the required forms for people employed overseas to take the income deduction and housing allowance if appropriate. Just print them directly from TurboTax, sign in the correct place and mail in. You could include a check or pay on line by credit card. When the check clears that shows the forms were received by the IRS, although I always pay anything due by credit card.

One year I paid before mailing in the forms and then realized I had made an error on the 1040. After correcting that my tax due was less than I had just paid. I figured I'd use the credit balance the following year but it was returned to me almost immediately ... either by a credit to my credit card or directly into my Chicago bank, I forget which.

Edited April 5, 2014 by Suradit69

[Thailand J]

are u saying Efile with Turbo tax you need an US address?

I didn't use Turbo Tax, I got my refund 21 days after Efiled with Thai Address.

[Thailand J]

Are u saying to Efile with Turbo tax you need an US address?

I didn't use Turbo Tax, I got my refund 21 days after Efiled with Thai Address.

[Smokin Joe]

More FYI stuff.

It cost less than 200 baht each to send my Federal and Hawaii tax returns by EMS (Registered). This was for large envelopes that required no folding of the papers.

I was just going to send send regular but figured it was worth it at that price.

[Langsuan Man]

"If not then you will have to download the forms from the IRS web site and refill them out using your Turbo Tax printed copies as a reference / guide. Efile is only available for US addresses. If you did use a US address then try a VPN with a US IP address and you should be able to eFile"

Not sure why you'd need to copy anything. TurboTax prints out all the required/approved IRS 1040 and supplementary forms automatically filled in. They even have all the required forms for people employed overseas to take the income deduction and housing allowance if appropriate. Just print them directly from TurboTax, sign in the correct place and mail in. You could include a check or pay on line by credit card. When the check clears that shows the forms were received by the IRS, although I always pay anything due by credit card.

One year I paid before mailing in the forms and then realized I had made an error on the 1040. After correcting that my tax due was less than I had just paid. I figured I'd use the credit balance the following year but it was returned to me almost immediately ... either by a credit to my credit card or directly into my Chicago bank, I forget which.

You would only have to transfer the information on to the IRS forms if you did not pay for Turbo Tax since the work sheets will not be in the correct format. Unfortunately since the efile option has always worked for me I don't know if it tells you can't efile before or after you pay

[el jefe]

I've filed many returns, including several different states, for clients using foreign addresses. None of them have had a problem having refunds deposited directly into their bank accounts or making payments directly to the IRS, but all of them have US bank accounts.

Sounds like it's definitely an issue for TurboTax.

I don't see why you couldn't just mail the return(s) and check(s).