Form 1040, prepared from outside the United States.
Form 1040 is the annual US individual income tax return, and it follows citizens and Green Card holders wherever they live. Filed from the UK it carries more moving parts than a domestic return — and more opportunities to get relief wrong.
Figures relate to tax year 2025 (US) · 2025-26 (UK)
The same form, a different job abroad
A 1040 filed from London reports worldwide income: UK salary, UK rental profits, UK interest and dividends, all converted to dollars. What changes the outcome is everything attached to it — the exclusion or credits that keep the same income from being taxed twice, and the information returns your UK accounts and funds trigger.
We prepare the return as one coherent position: the 1040 itself, the schedules your income requires, and the disclosure forms that ride along with it.
- Worldwide income reported and converted at proper rates
- Schedules B, D, E and self-employment schedules as needed
- Form 2555 or Form 1116 relief, chosen deliberately
- Form 8938, FBAR coordination and treaty disclosures
Deadlines that move when you do
Tax is still due by the April deadline, but Americans abroad get an automatic two-month extension to file, to mid-June, and can extend to mid-October with Form 4868. Interest runs from April regardless, so the sequencing of payment and filing matters.
We plan the calendar around your UK Self Assessment as well, because the figures on one return feed the credits on the other.
Primary sources
Official guidance from the IRS, FinCEN and GOV.UK. Thresholds and rates on those pages are updated annually — check the current tax year before relying on a figure.
Questions, Answered.
What clients ask about form 1040 tax returns
Do I file a 1040 if I have no US income at all?
Yes. The filing obligation follows citizenship and Green Card status, not where the income arises. Most people abroad owe little or nothing once relief is claimed — but only because they filed and claimed it.
I'm married to a non-American. How do we file?
Usually married filing separately, which keeps your spouse outside the US system. Electing to file jointly can lower the rate but pulls their worldwide income and accounts into US reporting permanently — worth modelling before choosing.
What exchange rate do I use for UK income?
The IRS accepts a consistent yearly average rate for most income, with spot rates for one-off items like a property sale. Consistency and documentation matter more than the source you pick.
When is the 1040 deadline for Americans living in the UK?
Payment is due by April 15, but expats get an automatic filing extension to June 15 and can extend to October 15 with Form 4868. Interest runs from April on any balance, so we usually pay an estimate in spring and file when UK figures are final.
How much does it cost to have a 1040 prepared in the UK?
We quote a fixed fee in writing before any work begins, based on what your return actually contains — employment only sits at one level, adding rentals, investments or a company at others. No hourly billing, no surprises on the invoice.
Next Step.
Tell us what you hold — the scope and a fixed fee follow in writing.