US federal tax return (Form 1040)
Every US citizen and green card holder is required to file a federal tax return once income passes the filing threshold, no matter which country they live in. Bright!Tax prepares the federal return at $800 per tax year, including the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (Form 2555) or the Foreign Tax Credit (Form 1116), whichever produces the better outcome. The fee includes Foreign Bank Account Report filing, which most clients also require.
Foreign Bank Account Report (FinCEN Form 114)
The Foreign Bank Account Report is required from anyone whose foreign financial accounts together exceeded $10,000 at any point during the tax year, counting the highest balance in every account rather than the year-end total. Bright!Tax includes the FBAR when the report is filed alongside a federal return. Joint accounts, pension accounts, and accounts a client only signs on all count toward the threshold, which is why the requirement catches more people than expect it.
FATCA reporting (Form 8938)
Form 8938 is required where foreign financial assets exceed the IRS reporting thresholds, which are considerably higher for those living abroad than for those in the US and vary by filing status. Bright!Tax charges $170 per tax year. Form 8938 does not replace the Foreign Bank Account Report, and most people who need one need both.
State tax returns
Several US states continue to treat Americans abroad as residents long after they have left, depending on the ties they keep behind them. Bright!Tax prepares state returns at $180 per state per tax year. California, New York, Massachusetts, Colorado, New Jersey, and Virginia account for the majority of state returns Bright!Tax files for expats.
City and local tax returns
A small number of US cities levy their own income tax separately from the state, and a continuing connection to one can create a filing requirement of its own. Bright!Tax prepares city and local returns at $180 per city per tax year.
Filing extensions
Americans abroad receive an automatic extension to June 15th, and can request further extensions to October 15th and, in some circumstances, December 15th. Bright!Tax includes the April extension and the June extension in the base fee. An additional $60 fee applies for the December extension which must be filed by mail. An extension postpones the filing deadline, not the payment deadline, so any tax owed is still due in April.
Estimated payment calculation
Anyone who expects to owe US tax needs a payment figure before the April deadline, even where the return itself will be filed later. Bright!Tax prepares an extension payment calculation for $200.
Rental property (Schedule E)
Property rented out anywhere in the world is reportable on a US return, including property that runs at a loss and property in a country that taxes it already. Bright!Tax charges $150 per rental property per tax year. Foreign rental property is depreciated over 30 years rather than the 27.5 used for US property, a difference that is frequently missed on returns prepared outside the US.
Sale of a personal residence or investment property
Selling a home or investment property abroad creates a reportable capital gain calculated in US dollars, which means exchange rate movement between purchase and sale can produce a US gain even where the local currency figures show none. Bright!Tax charges $140 to prepare the calculation and reporting for a property sale.
Sale of a rental or business property
Selling a property that has been rented out or used in a business requires depreciation recapture alongside the capital gain calculation. Bright!Tax charges $220 for the sale of a rental or business property.
Self-employment income (Schedule C)
Freelancers, consultants, and sole traders abroad report business income on Schedule C. Bright!Tax charges $140 per business per tax year. Self-employment tax is a separate charge from income tax and is not removed by the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, though a totalization agreement between the US and the country of residence often can remove it.
Foreign corporation reporting (Form 5471)
Form 5471 is required of US persons who own 10% or more of a corporation outside the US, including a single-shareholder company set up for local convenience. Bright!Tax charges $250 for a dormant company, $680 for a non-controlled foreign corporation, and $1,350 for a controlled foreign corporation filed together with the GILTI calculation on Form 8992. Where ownership changed during the year, the fee is $1,650.
GILTI calculation (Form 8992)
Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income applies to US shareholders of controlled foreign corporations and can create US tax on company profits that have never been distributed. Bright!Tax charges $600 for the Form 8992 calculation where it is not already included in the controlled foreign corporation fee.
Section 962 election
A Section 962 election allows an individual shareholder of a foreign corporation to be taxed at corporate rates on certain inclusions and to claim credit for foreign corporate tax paid, which can substantially reduce a GILTI charge. Bright!Tax charges $1,200 to prepare the election and the supporting calculations.
Transfer of property to a foreign corporation (Form 926)
Form 926 reports transfers of cash or property of $100,000 or more to a foreign corporation during the year, including funding a company a client owns themselves. Bright!Tax charges $240.
Foreign disregarded entity reporting (Form 8858)
Form 8858 applies to foreign entities treated as disregarded for US purposes, most commonly a single-member limited company abroad. Bright!Tax charges $550, or $220 where the entity is dormant. Whether a foreign company is reported on Form 8858 or Form 5471 depends on its classification, and getting that determination right at the outset avoids filing the wrong form for years.
Foreign partnership reporting (Form 8865)
Form 8865 is required of US persons with an interest in a foreign partnership, including many overseas structures that are treated as partnerships for US purposes even where local law calls them something else. Bright!Tax charges $1,600.
Foreign-owned US corporation (Form 5472 and proforma 1120)
A US corporation or single-member LLC that is 25% or more foreign owned must file Form 5472 with a proforma Form 1120, whether or not it had any activity. Bright!Tax charges $850. The penalty for missing this filing is significant, and it applies to dormant entities as much as active ones.
US corporation return (Form 1120)
Bright!Tax prepares US corporate income tax returns on Form 1120 for $1,600 per tax year.
S corporation return (Form 1120-S)
Bright!Tax prepares S corporation returns on Form 1120-S for $1,600 per tax year. Owners of an S corporation who move abroad face a set of issues that do not arise while they are US resident, and the position is worth reviewing before the move rather than after.
US partnership return (Form 1065)
Bright!Tax prepares US partnership returns on Form 1065 for $1,600 per tax year.
Business state returns
Entities with a continuing state connection may need a state filing alongside the federal one. Bright!Tax charges $380 for a corporate state return and $540 for an S corporation or partnership state return.
Passive foreign investment company reporting (Form 8621)
Almost any pooled investment held outside the US, including ordinary foreign mutual funds, exchange traded funds, and many insurance-wrapped savings products, is a passive foreign investment company for US purposes. Bright!Tax charges $170 per fund where there were no distributions and $280 per fund where there were. Each fund is reported separately, so a portfolio of several foreign funds carries a fee for each one, and the default US tax treatment of these holdings is punitive enough that it is usually worth advice before buying more.
Cryptocurrency trading
Cryptocurrency disposals are reportable on a US return, including crypto-to-crypto trades that never touched conventional currency. Bright!Tax charges $130 per tax year for cryptocurrency reporting.
Stock-based compensation
Restricted stock, options, and employee share schemes granted abroad often need income sourced across more than one country and more than one tax year. Bright!Tax charges $220 for the stock-based compensation calculation.
IRS Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedure
The Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedure is the IRS amnesty route for Americans abroad who did not know they were required to file, and it removes penalties entirely for those who qualify. Bright!Tax charges $1,860, covering the three most recent federal returns, six years of Foreign Bank Account Reports, and the Form 14653 non-willful certification at no additional charge. The program is only open to people who were genuinely unaware of the requirement, and it can be withdrawn by the IRS at any time.
IRS Streamlined Domestic Offshore Procedure
The domestic version of the Streamlined Procedure applies to US residents with undisclosed foreign accounts and carries a penalty the foreign program does not. Bright!Tax charges $1,860 for the filings and $330 for the Form 14654 certification.
Amended federal return (Form 1040-X)
A return can be amended to correct an error, claim a credit that was missed, or reflect a change made by a foreign tax authority. Bright!Tax charges $790 to amend a return prepared elsewhere and $360 to amend one Bright!Tax prepared.
Foreign trust reporting (Forms 3520 & 3520-A)
Foreign trust reporting reaches further than most people expect, and can capture foreign pension arrangements, employer savings schemes, and family structures a client did not set up themselves. Bright!Tax charges $1,000 where both Form 3520 and Form 3520-A are required, or $500 for either one on its own.
Large foreign gifts and inheritances (Form 3520)
A gift or inheritance from a foreign person above the reporting threshold has to be disclosed on Form 3520, even though it is not taxable. Bright!Tax charges $500. The filing is informational, but the penalty for missing it is a percentage of the amount received.
Gift tax return (Form 709)
Gifts above the annual exclusion require a gift tax return, which in most cases records use of the lifetime exemption rather than creating tax to pay. Bright!Tax charges $800. Gifts to a non-US citizen spouse are subject to a much lower annual limit than gifts between US citizen spouses.
Nonresident alien return (Form 1040-NR)
Non-US persons with US source income, including rent from a US property or income from a US business, file Form 1040-NR. Bright!Tax charges $690 per tax year.
Dual-status return
The year someone becomes or stops being a US tax resident is usually a dual-status year, requiring both a resident and a nonresident return for different parts of it. Bright!Tax charges $750 to prepare and coordinate both.
Treaty position disclosure (Form 8833)
Form 8833 discloses a position taken under a tax treaty, most often to protect a foreign pension or to resolve dual residence. Bright!Tax charges $70 where the position is already established and $330 where the treaty analysis has to be researched and applied first.
Expatriation statement (Form 8854)
Anyone who renounces US citizenship or gives up long-term green card status files Form 8854 for their final year. Bright!Tax charges $500. The form determines whether someone is a covered expatriate and therefore whether the exit tax applies, so the position is worth understanding well before the renunciation appointment, not after it.
Relief Procedures for Certain Former Citizens
This IRS program allows eligible accidental Americans to renounce US citizenship without back taxes or penalties. Bright!Tax charges $4,360, covering five years of returns, the Foreign Bank Account Reports, a final dual-status return, and the Form 8854 expatriation statement. Eligibility is narrow, and the program has no announced end date but is not guaranteed to remain open.
ITIN application (Form W-7)
A non-US spouse or dependent being included on a US return needs an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. Bright!Tax charges $330 to prepare the Form W-7 application and supporting documentation.
Power of attorney (Form 2848)
Form 2848 authorises Bright!Tax to speak to the IRS on a client's behalf, which is usually the fastest route to resolving a notice or tracing a payment. Bright!Tax charges $180.
Consultation with a CPA
A paid consultation suits tax planning, a move being considered, or a single question that needs a definitive answer before a decision is made. Bright!Tax charges $280 for 30 minutes with a US CPA, by video call or in writing.
*All fees are in USD. Current as of August 2026. Complete Terms of Service are available here.