Tips For Receiving Your Overseas Tax Refund When Living Abroad

Tips To Receive Your Overseas Tax Refund

When living abroad, the quickest and best way to receive your overseas tax refund from the IRS is by direct deposit to your bank account. With the varying reliability of mail service overseas, direct deposit ensures delivery. However, direct deposit of your overseas tax refund can only be made to a U.S. bank account.

In the event you don’t have a U.S. bank account or choose to have a direct deposit of your overseas tax refund, your refund will be mailed to the address listed on your tax return. Mailing a check overseas can take a long time and to help ensure deliverability and any undue delay, make sure that the correct mailing address is reflected on your tax return.

What To Do If You Haven’t Received Your Overseas Tax Refund

If an error is made in your mailing address, the IRS will require a Form 8822, Change of Mailing Address before re-sending a replacement check. Before a replacement check is issued, you will want to make sure that you send a new Form 8822 and contact the IRS international office at 267-941-1000 to let them know that your overseas refund check has not been received and that the check should be cancelled and re-issued to your corrected address.

IRS overseas tax refund status can be checked 24/7 at Where’s My Refund . If the response indicates that your overseas tax refund check was mailed, but you do not receive it within 45 days after the mailing date, call the International Taxpayer Service Call Center by phone or fax. The International Call Center is operational Monday through Friday, from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. (Eastern Time). The telephone number (not toll-free) is 267-941-1000. The fax number (not toll-free) is 267-941-1055.

If you are a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident (i.e. green card holder) living outside the United States, please register with the State Department’s Office of American Citizens Services and provide them with your most current contact information (local address and phone number, email address, etc.) and update them as frequently as necessary. This will help them contact you about the delivery of any refund check that may not include your correct mailing address.

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Tax Samaritan is a team of Enrolled Agents with over 25 years of experience focusing on US tax preparation and representation. We maintain this tax blog where all articles are written by Enrolled Agents. Our main objective is to educate US taxpayers on their tax responsibilities and the selection of a tax professional. Our articles are also designed to help taxpayers looking to self prepare, providing specific tips and pitfalls to avoid.

When looking for a tax professional, choose carefully. We recommend that you hire a credentialed tax professional such as Tax Samaritan that is an Enrolled Agent (America’s Tax Experts). If you are a US taxpayer overseas, we further recommend that you seek a professional who is experienced in expat tax preparation, like Tax Samaritan (most tax professionals have limited to no experience with the unique tax issues of expat taxpayers).

Randall Brody is an enrolled agent, licensed by the US Department of the Treasury to represent taxpayers before the IRS for audits, collections and appeals. To attain the enrolled agent designation, candidates must demonstrate expertise in taxation, fulfill continuing education credits and adhere to a stringent code of ethics.

Every effort has been taken to provide the most accurate and honest analysis of the tax information provided in this blog. Please use your discretion before making any decisions based on the information provided. This blog is not intended to be a substitute for seeking professional tax advice based on your individual needs.