Why sign in to the Community?

  • Submit a question
  • Check your notifications
Sign in to the Community or Sign in to TurboTax and start working on your taxes
Level 3
posted Jan 19, 2021 12:46:50 PM

I entered Foreign Earned Income and Exclusion on my return by mistake - how do I remove it? By going in again and answering to 'NO' to if I earned abroad does not work

0 7 5800
2 Best answers
Expert Alumni
Jan 19, 2021 3:03:00 PM

Please follow the steps below to delete Foreign Earned Income and Exclusion on your return:

  1. Login to your TurboTax Account 
  2. Click "Federal" from the left side of your screen
  3. Scroll down to “Foreign Earned Income and Exclusion” and click “Edit
  4. Continue through the foreign income section, answering questions as you go, until you reach the screen "Do you want to try and exclude your foreign earned income?"
  5. Answer "No" then click "Continue" and follow any on-screen instructions.

Please see How do I view and delete forms in TurboTax Online? to delete the Form 2555 Foreign Earned Income Exclusion from your return.

Expert Alumni
Jan 20, 2021 9:45:46 AM

@KHM2 Did you have foreign income? You asked the remove the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion but not foreign income.

 

The foreign earned income exclusion is a tax break that allows certain U.S. taxpayers to exclude foreign income from their tax returns. If you say do not exclude foreign income, the exclusion will go away but the foreign income will stay on your tax return.

 

If you want to remove foreign income:

  • Go to Your Income and Expenses,
  • Edit Foreign Earned Income and Exclusion,
  • Say Yes to Did you make any money outside the U.S.? (even if you didn’t),
  • Continue on What Form(s) Was Foreign Income Reported On? (One box should be checked),
  • Clear out any numbers. Continue. This will remove foreign income.

​​​​​​​

7 Replies
Expert Alumni
Jan 19, 2021 3:03:00 PM

Please follow the steps below to delete Foreign Earned Income and Exclusion on your return:

  1. Login to your TurboTax Account 
  2. Click "Federal" from the left side of your screen
  3. Scroll down to “Foreign Earned Income and Exclusion” and click “Edit
  4. Continue through the foreign income section, answering questions as you go, until you reach the screen "Do you want to try and exclude your foreign earned income?"
  5. Answer "No" then click "Continue" and follow any on-screen instructions.

Please see How do I view and delete forms in TurboTax Online? to delete the Form 2555 Foreign Earned Income Exclusion from your return.

Level 3
Jan 19, 2021 7:24:30 PM

Thanks I tried that, it said at the end it was deleting a couple of 2055 forms but the income still remains under your income and affect my end figures.

Expert Alumni
Jan 20, 2021 9:45:46 AM

@KHM2 Did you have foreign income? You asked the remove the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion but not foreign income.

 

The foreign earned income exclusion is a tax break that allows certain U.S. taxpayers to exclude foreign income from their tax returns. If you say do not exclude foreign income, the exclusion will go away but the foreign income will stay on your tax return.

 

If you want to remove foreign income:

  • Go to Your Income and Expenses,
  • Edit Foreign Earned Income and Exclusion,
  • Say Yes to Did you make any money outside the U.S.? (even if you didn’t),
  • Continue on What Form(s) Was Foreign Income Reported On? (One box should be checked),
  • Clear out any numbers. Continue. This will remove foreign income.

​​​​​​​

Level 3
Jan 20, 2021 1:06:31 PM

Thanks that worked,  I set the number to 0.  Then went in to edit again and this time said no to the question if I earned foreign income which removed it completely.

 

cheers!

Level 2
Mar 5, 2022 12:10:52 PM

I am using Home and Business and cannot find where to fix this entry. Please advise.

Expert Alumni
Mar 5, 2022 12:40:46 PM

Please follow these steps:

 

  1. Click "Personal" on the top and select "Personal Income"
  2. Click "I'll choose what to work on"
  3. Scroll down and click "Start" next to "Foreign Income and Exclusion"
  4. Continue through the questions until you get the screen to edit your foreign income

 

@bellis777

Level 2
Mar 5, 2022 1:29:12 PM

Thanks for your help. Thing is, I said "no" to whether we made money outside the U.S., but we're still getting the $5 tax credit, which also shows up as an error (requiring No Entry, Paid, or Accrued) during Smart Check. I also tried to follow the instructions that someone else wrote about selecting "yes" and zeroing out anything that was listed, but I had nothing listed to zero-out. Any thoughts? 

 

UPDATE: I went back and tried to zero everything out again and it worked. Thanks again.