How to file if living abroad

[nbarrett18]

I'm a US citizen (legally a resident in MA) but living abroad since October 2015. I don't know which address to put MA or abroad (as my income is from abroad) but I also tend to move within the country every year or so. Previously when I used turbo tax last year in this scenario it gave me errors when it came to address and income.

[MargaretL · Accepted solution]

In terms of your address... you can choose which one... the address is entered for potential correspondence between you and the IRS and is not used to established the residency status or your income exclusion. 

As to the income, you must report your income as foreign income in the foreign income section; this will indicate that you did leave abroad and based on your time spend, income may be excluded from tax.

1. Federal Taxes
2. Select Wages and Income 
3. Scroll down to Less Common Income
4. Select Foreign Income and Exclusion - Answer “Yes” to “Did you make any money outside the United States?” and follow the interview questions. You will be asked to enter income from a U.S company, a foreign company, self-employment income, housing allowance, income from a Form W-2, 1099-MISC, schedule K-1 from a business or simply cash income - check the box A statement from my foreign employer (could be cash).