Can I file if I was working outside of the country for the year? I was an ALT in Japan.

[dbrown3479]

I was contracted by a US based company to work in Japan as an assistant language teacher. I lived in Japan for the entirety of the year and paid taxes in Japan. I was given my payment in the form of Japanese yen to a Japanese bank account. I'm back in America now and I'm wondering if I need to/am able to put my earned income and wages while working in Japan on my tax return.

[ToddL99]

Yes, you are able to report your foreign earnings on your U.S. tax return and you are also required to report them.

If you're a U.S. citizen or resident, you'll need to report all of your income, whether it was earned in the U.S. or abroad.

Here's how to enter your foreign income:

1. Sign in to TurboTax and open or continue your return. 
2. Search for foreign income.
3. Select the Jump to link in the search results.
4. Answer Yes to Did You Make Any Money Outside the United States? and follow the on-screen instructions.

If you lived and worked in a foreign country, you might qualify for the foreign income exclusion. We'll ask questions to see if you qualify after you've entered your foreign income.

Since you paid foreign taxes on those earnings, you will also need to know Where do I enter the foreign tax credit (Form 1116) or deduction for 2020?

Finally, you will need to convert your foreign income and tax payments into U.S. currency for your U.S. tax return. This post provides guidance on how to do that, as well as links to sites that have historic exchange rates. Exchange rates for currency conversion for foreign income reporting?