Tax Samaritan’s Expat Tax Preparation Process
Our Experts Provide Secure and Accurate U.S. Expat Tax Preparation Worldwide
File your taxes in five simple steps.
Tax Samaritan breaks down the complex process of filing expat taxes into Five Easy Steps. Get your taxes done accurately and efficiently without the hassle.
Below is an overview of our simple tax process:
Complete Our Tax Quote Questionnaire
Some tax preparation companies quote an affordable price at the beginning of the process and hit you with a rate increase right before filing. At Tax Samaritan, we believe our clients should know exactly what to expect when they trust us with their tax needs, so we take the time to get to know your tax situation before we ever provide a quote.
To provide an accurate tax quote, we will ask you to complete a tax quote questionnaire that covers all the details of your situation, such as your income sources and location. After we have analyzed your responses and determined your filing needs, we will draft a detailed engagement letter for your review. The engagement letter details the scope of the work that we will perform for you and the cost for these services.
As long as the questionnaire is accurate and complete, there won’t be any surprises later. If we uncover an issue that was missed on the questionnaire, we will request and seek your approval for a change in engagement scope. If desired, we are available to meet by phone or skype to assist you in completing the quote questionnaire.
Review and Sign the Engagement Letter
After reviewing your questionnaire and calculating our fees, we will send our detailed engagement letter for your review. If you are satisfied with the terms offer, you will return the signed engagement letter and we will send you an invoice for 50 percent of the quoted fee.
After you have paid this fee, we will send you an invitation to register on our collaboration portal within one business day. You can use this secure portal to exchange documents, share files and communicate with our team. This all-inclusive tool combines the security of an online portal with the simplicity of an email account to simplify all communications and make the process as easy for our clients as possible.
As our team continues to work on your project, we will provide real-time updates via the online portal. We will also list tasks and/or instructions for you in this private area so you always know the progress of your return. Our portal can be used on iPhone, Android, Google Chrome and the Web. Everything is in the cloud, accessible anywhere and anytime, and 100% secure.
Tax Samaritan Prepares Your Tax Return
During the third step of the process, you will provide the requested documents to Tax Samaritan and we will do all the hard work behind the scenes. If you are not able to use a scanner to upload and submit your documents, you can also send them to us via mail or fax. After Tax Samaritan receives all your documents and other requested information, you can expect to see your completed return within 15 business days. Rush service is available upon request.
Submit Final Payment and Review Your Tax Return
Once your return is prepared and ready for your review, your final payment will be due (the remaining 50% of your invoice). As soon as we receive this final payment, a draft of your tax return will be posted on the secure client portal for your review. We can schedule a meeting with you over the phone or skype (with screen share) to provide an overview of your return or to clarify and answer any questions that you may have. We will be happy to make any changes or revisions to your return as needed before moving on to the next step in the process.
Your Tax Return Is Filed.
Once you have reviewed your return and let us know that you are satisfied, we will e-file your returns with the IRS and appropriate state taxing authorities if possible. If e-filing is not a possibility, we will give you simple instructions for submitting your tax return by mail.