Payment with foreign credit or debit card or US debit card?

[abtb00]

Hello,

As US expats we are required to file taxes even if we live in another country. If we do our tax with you, do you accept a foreign credit or debit card, or a US debit card?

If none of the above is ok, as an alternate can we pay it from our tax refund amount? But how can we know our refund amount before doing taxes?

If none of the above is ok, how are we supposed to efile our taxes as expats?

[xmasbaby0]

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/payments/help/what-forms-of-payment-does-turbotax-online-accept/00...

[abtb00]

What if the debit card is from a US bank but with my foreign billing address? Is it ok?

If not how do we pay by tax refund? I am not clear. How can we pay for it before finalizing our taxes.. And how much is the fee for it...

Just another difficulty for US expats

[xmasbaby0]

The refund processing fee is $40 to pay your TurboTax fees from your federal refund.   Your refund must be enough to cover the TT fees and the extra $40 processing fee.  And, just like anyone in the U.S., you have to enter your information in order to see how much your refund will be

What is Refund Processing Service?

How can I see my TurboTax  fees?   

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2565973-how-do-i-review-my-fees-in-turbotax-online

[rjs]

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@abtb00 wrote:

What if the debit card is from a US bank but with my foreign billing address? Is it ok?

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No. "we can only process cards with a U.S. billing address."

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@abtb00 wrote:

If not how do we pay by tax refund? I am not clear. How can we pay for it before finalizing our taxes.

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When you pay the TurboTax fees with your federal refund, your entire refund gets sent to a temporary account at an intermediary third-party bank. The bank takes out the amount for the fees and sends it to TurboTax. Then the bank sends the remainder of the refund by direct deposit to your own bank.

One of the FAQs that xmasbaby0 referenced lists the requirements for paying with your refund. One requirement that it omits is that you must have a U.S. bank account in order to get the direct deposit.

If your refund is reduced or delayed by the IRS, TurboTax will take the fees out of your bank account by direct debit.

[abtb00]

I am still not clear how do we complete our taxes without paying first. I need to be able to see the final situation of my tax return before e filing. But at that moment you will still not be paid. So how does it work...

[mesquitebean]

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@ abtb00 wrote:

I am still not clear how do we complete our taxes without paying first. I need to be able to see the final situation of my tax return before e filing. But at that moment you will still not be paid. So how does it work...

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Online TurboTax does not require any payment upfront.  You can use it for free to prepare the return until the time you get to the payment section at the end.  So you will be able to know your results before payment, and it will even let you preview your Form 1040 and Schedules 1-3 prior to paying.   TurboTax does not charge you unless/until you decide to either print or efile it.

First of all, let me say that I don't work for TurboTax.  I'm a fellow user that has been helping in the forum for lots of years.  That being said, I do think I have some bad news for you, but I'll also tell you how to communicate with TurboTax Support.     I don't think you will be able to pay the product fees out of the Federal refund if you have a foreign address.   That payment method requires a USA address or a deployed military/diplomatic address.   Review again the first FAQ that @xmasbaby0   provided you above.  You will see that the second bullet point in that FAQ says "You must have a USA address."

Also see this additional FAQ below, which states "If you're deducting fees from your refund with the optional Pay With My Refund service, you'll need a U.S. or APO/FPO/DPO address."

FAQ:  Can I efile with a foreign address?

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/electronic-filing/e-file-foreign-address...

Here's how you can communicate with the folks at TurboTax Customer Support to see what they suggest.   If you can't phone, I'm also leaving an alternative.

Are you able to phone the US from your country; i.e. does your phone plan allow 800 numbers to the US?   If so, you'll likely still have a phone charge, so be mindful if you are "on hold" for a long time. 

In the FAQ below, when you choose "Online TurboTax", don't use the "set up a call" method, since they won't phone you in a foreign country.   Instead, you should also see an 800 number in bold there.

Support hours:  Monday–Friday, from 5 AM to 5 PM Pacific.  

FAQ: What is the TurboTax phone number?
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/using-turbotax/help/what-is-the-turbotax-phone-number/00/25632

If you can't phone from your country, do you have Twitter or Facebook?  If so, you can use private direct messaging at one of those to contact a TurboTax Support representative. 

https://twitter.com/TeamTurboTax
or
https://www.facebook.com/turbotax

[abtb00]

This is ridiculous. They require us to file taxes unlike any other expats in the world, but at the same time they do not make regulations to force banks and tax preparers to accommodate expats. This is not fair. Last year my bank kicked me out because of my foreign address. I have one more left in the US and just praying that they will not do the same. Anyway, thanks for the input. I guess I need to find a bank which would accept my foreign residence address and a US mailing address as billing address for a credit card.