02/08/2026
U.S. taxpayers living abroad face severe compliance burdens. They face both statutory and administrative burdens. From a statutory perspective, the United States is one of very few countries that taxes its citizens on income earned overseas, and it requires many taxpayers to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) and comply with the reporting requirements of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA).
From an administrative perspective, taxpayer service is difficult to obtain overseas. There are no Taxpayer Assistance Centers, no free Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs except on certain military bases, no toll-free telephone options, no callback option, and no ability to make tax payments from or receive tax refunds in foreign bank accounts.
We recommend the IRS take several steps to improve the accessibility of IRS services for taxpayers living abroad, read the full recommendation here: https://ow.ly/bYog50Y5ziX