it depends. Are you a US citizen working abroad or a foreign national working in the US with a greencard?
I am a US permanent resident with a greencard but working abroad in Thailand. Please advise.
Yes, you can use TurboTax to file your returns. As a greencard holder you need to file a US 1040 tax return every year declaring your worldwide income.
You can only use the physical presence test to qualify for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion. The maximum exclusion for 2019 is $105,900. Besides the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, you can also claim foreign tax credits on your US tax return to help offset double taxation.
Please see attached a IRS Publication that may be of some assistance. Tax Guide for US Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad
Please also note for fee payment, we can only accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover cards with a U.S. billing address.
Another option is to pay your fees with your federal refund, also known as Pay With My Refund (charges may apply).
Thanks for the great reply! It cleared a lot of my questions. However, what is the next step and where exactly do I file it? (And if turbo tax has this special case to file, how to use it?)
Here are the steps on how to report your foreign worldwide income:
To enter Foreign Earned Income -
1) Select Federal Taxes (Personal using Home and Business)Click on Wages and Income
2) Select I'll choose what I work on (if shown)
3) Scroll down to Less Common Income
4) select Foreign Earned Income and Exclusion, click on the start or update button
After you finish reporting your income, you can file your return electronically using the payment options listed in the previous post. Turbo Tax or IRS does not treat foreign income as a special case and it is filed normally like any other return. The Turbo Tax program will guide you through the filing procedure.
Is there a way to reduce state taxes while working abroad?
Do mortgage interest adjustments and mortgage interest paid for houses in a foreign country apply for california state tax reduction?
You mentioned that "The maximum exclusion for 2019 is $105,900" for working abroad. Does this also apply to California State Tax?
No, this only applies to your Form 1040 federal tax form. It does not apply to California taxes. I am attaching a post from our user GeoffreyG who provides a great answer to the same question. Click here: CA foreign income exclusion