What does Streamlined filing cost?
Streamlined procedure cost varies by case: every Streamlined filing is scoped and quoted individually by Capital Tax Limited based on your specific facts. A straightforward case typically runs into the low thousands of US dollars all-in; cases with complex assets, rental properties, or foreign business entities run higher. Here is what drives your proposal fee.
Straightforward Catch-Up
For expats with single-country employment, standard bank accounts, and clean tax ties.
- 3 Years of Federal Tax Returns (Form 1040)
- 6 Years of FBAR Disclosures (FinCEN 114)
- Form 14653 Non-Willful Certification Narrative
- Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE) or Tax Credit optimization
- Post-filing correspondence support
Complex Financial Profiles
For expats with foreign corporations, complex investments, local trusts, or US state residency ties.
- All core requirements of the standard Streamlined program
- Foreign Mutual Funds & ETF Reporting (PFIC Form 8621)
- Foreign Corporation Ownership Disclosures (Form 5471)
- Foreign Trust & Local Tax Shelter Analysis (e.g. TFSAs)
- State Tax Domicile exit reporting (where applicable)
What do other firms charge for Streamlined filing?
Comparing Streamlined quotes is harder than it should be, so we collected what the major providers publish.
Some firms quote only on request. Others publish a price, but on a separate fee page rather than the one you land on, and the headline figure is often a base that excludes common forms. Before the numbers, it is worth knowing why they vary as much as they do, because the same IRS procedure (3 tax returns, 6 FBARs, and one non-willfulness statement) is quoted across a wide range.
Why the same procedure costs more at one firm than another
- Who prepares it. At the low end you do the work yourself in software. In the middle a preparer completes it. At the upper end a credentialed professional reviews your facts before anything is filed.
- What the quoted price actually includes. Some quotes cover 3 returns and 6 FBARs complete. Others are a base fee, with foreign corporations, PFICs, rental properties or state returns billed on top. A lower headline price can finish higher than a flat fee once the add-ons land.
- Who writes the non-willfulness statement. Form 14653 is the part of a Streamlined package that is not arithmetic. It is a factual statement made to the IRS under penalty of perjury, and it is the document an examiner reads first.
With that in mind, here are the published package prices of the largest US expat tax providers, taken from each firm's own pricing page and checked on 7 August 2026.
| Provider | Streamlined package | Who does the work |
|---|---|---|
| Expatfile | $699 / $819 / $939 | You, in DIY software |
| Expat Tax Online | $1,195 | Preparer |
| USofAExpatTax | $1,300 | Preparer |
| CPAs for Expats | $1,399 | CPA |
| Taxes for Expats | from $1,450 | CPA or Enrolled Agent |
| Greenback | $1,750 | CPA or Enrolled Agent |
| Bright!Tax | from $1,860 | CPA |
H&R Block is not listed. It sells an expat service but does not publish a Streamlined package price, so there is no figure to report. Capital Tax Limited is not in the table either. Its typical all-inclusive Streamlined scope is shown in the card above. We left it out so the table reports the market rather than making a case for the firm this site refers you to.
The headline price is not the price
The published figure is a starting point. Most of these packages do include the Form 14653 certification: Expatfile at $699, USofAExpatTax at $1,300, and CPAs for Expats at $1,399 all say so on their own pages, and Greenback includes assistance with it. What separates the quotes is what else gets metered.
Two examples from the providers' own fee pages. Greenback covers 6 years of FBARs at up to 5 accounts per form, then charges $60 for each additional 5 accounts. CPAs for Expats publishes a full add-on schedule alongside its $1,399 amnesty package: a state return is $125, a Form 5471 for a foreign company is $500, Form 8938 is $100, and additional Schedule B accounts are $25 each. Both firms are unusually transparent in publishing this. The point is not that they charge extra, it is that a base price and a final price are different numbers, and only one of them is on the table above.
Before comparing any two numbers, ask each firm how it treats:
- The Form 14653 narrative: included, added, or a template you complete yourself.
- A state return, if you kept ties to a US state.
- Foreign mutual funds or ETFs, which trigger PFIC reporting on Form 8621, often priced per fund.
- A foreign company you own or direct, which triggers Form 5471.
- Additional foreign accounts beyond whatever count the base fee assumes.
Then ask for the all-in figure for your actual facts, in writing, from everyone you are considering. The cheaper headline is not reliably the cheaper filing.
What drives your flat-fee proposal
While a Streamlined Foreign Offshore package has a fixed shape (3 returns, 6 FBARs, and 1 non-willful statement), the preparation time varies significantly. Here are the core drivers of expat complexity:
US State Ties
If you maintained domicile in a US state (or a state tax agency asserts you did), filing late state tax returns adds individual state years of work.
Rental Properties
Preparing Schedule E (calculating depreciation, converting local currencies, and cataloging expenses) is labor-intensive per property, per year.
Self-Employment
Running an overseas sole proprietorship requires Schedule C and Schedule SE calculations, along with coordinating totalization agreement exceptions.
Foreign Corporation Form 5471
A long, schedule-heavy filing. Direct ownership in an active foreign business entity adds extensive corporate balance sheet reviews.
PFIC Holdings Form 8621
Foreign mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and similar pooled structures are usually PFICs, though that turns on the issuer meeting the statutory income or asset test. Where a filing circumstance applies and no exception does, each fund needs its own Form 8621 for that year.
Account Volumes & FBARs
Expats with a substantial number of overseas accounts, high transfer frequencies, or complex currency exchanges require intensive transactional sorting.
The Simplicity Discount: The most significant factor that lowers preparation pricing is simplicity. Expats residing in a single foreign country, earning a single salary with local tax withholding, holding zero US state ties, and owning standard bank accounts sit at the lowest end of the flat-fee range.
What the flat fee covers
Capital Tax Limited uses a transparent scope of work. Your itemized quote outlines exactly what is covered without hidden filing surprises.
✓ Included Deliverables
- Federal Preparation: 3 full years of Form 1040 federal tax returns incorporating expat-specific credits.
- FBAR Reporting: Up to 6 years of FinCEN Form 114 filings, matching highest balance conversions.
- Form 14653 Narrative: Direct consultation to draft, audit, and finalize your non-willful statement.
- Package Assembly: Compiling, ordering, and bundling the physical filing package to the IRS.
- Submission Oversight: Shipping guidance and confirmation that the package was delivered. The IRS itself does not acknowledge receipt of a streamlined submission.
✕ Outside Standard Scope
- Statutory Tax Owed: Any back taxes owed or accrued statutory IRS late-payment interest fees.
- Future Returns: Annual ongoing expat compliance filing requirements for subsequent tax years.
- Legal Representation: Active tax attorney representation in an audit or examination.
- Corporate Tax Returns: Preparing standalone foreign corporation local tax declarations.
- Prior Year Amendments: Modifying previously submitted, non-delinquent expat returns.
How to get a firm quote
Every expat situation is different. Capital Tax Limited quotes a flat fee for a defined scope upfront rather than a "starting at" figure. Take 2 minutes to complete our secure intake, and receive a written scope within two Asia business days.
Reviewed by Ilya Fayerman, Esq. (NY Bar) on