What does Streamlined filing cost?
There is no fixed price list — every Streamlined case is scoped and quoted individually by Capital Tax Limited on your facts. As a rough orientation, a straightforward case typically runs into the low thousands of US dollars all-in; cases with multiple states, rental properties, self-employment, or foreign-corporation ownership run higher. Here's what drives the number, so the quote you receive makes sense.
Why there's no flat rate
A Streamlined Foreign Offshore package has a fixed shape — three years of federal returns, up to six years of FBARs, and a non-willful certification (Form 14653) — but the work inside it varies a lot from person to person. The fee reflects how complex your specific returns are, which is why Capital Tax Limited quotes each case individually rather than publishing a rate.
What drives the number
The main factors that move a Streamlined fee up or down:
- State returns. If you maintained domicile in a US state (or a state believes you did) during the years filed, each state year adds work.
- Rental property. Schedule E — depreciation, expenses, currency conversion — adds real preparation time per property per year.
- Self-employment. Schedule C or SE, plus the social-security interaction with any Totalization Agreement.
- Foreign corporation ownership (Form 5471). One of the heaviest forms in the code; ownership of a non-US company adds significant work per year per entity.
- PFIC holdings (Form 8621). Foreign mutual funds or ETFs trigger PFIC treatment, and each PFIC requires its own labor-intensive Form 8621.
- Account volume and complexity. A large number of foreign accounts, or significant capital-gains or crypto activity, adds hours.
The biggest fee-reducer is simplicity: one country of residence, one employer, no US state ties, no business interests. That is a smaller share of filers than you'd expect — most people who have been abroad five or ten years have picked up at least one complicating factor.
One thing you can't price-shop: the number of years is fixed by the program (three federal, six FBAR). Any preparer quoting fewer years is not proposing Streamlined.
What the fee does and does not include
Included: preparation of all required returns and FBARs, the Form 14653 certification narrative, filing-package assembly, submission to the correct IRS address, and basic post-submission support if the IRS requests clarification.
Not included: any tax owed and IRS late-payment interest (paid directly to the IRS at submission — never a preparer fee). Representation if a case escalates beyond Streamlined — e.g. audit or a willfulness challenge — is a separate engagement, typically with a tax attorney.
How to get a real number
This page is orientation, not a quote — the only number that matters is the one Capital Tax Limited gives you for your actual filings. The eligibility check takes about two minutes; from there, the firm comes back with an itemized estimate based on your specific situation, not a generic "starting at" number.