Did you have any issues with trips back to the US during that time? I'm working in France but typically go back to the US for about 3 weeks each year for holidays with family. Worried this might disqualify me.

Short trips back to the US won't disqualify you from bona fide resident status. That's actually one of the main advantages of using the bona fide resident test instead of the physical presence test. I typically spent 3-4 weeks in the US every year visiting family, and it never affected my foreign earned income exclusion eligibility. What matters is that your "tax home" remains in France and that these visits are genuinely temporary. Document that your life is centered in France - your housing, banking, social connections, etc. The IRS understands that foreign residents still visit their home country. Just be careful not to make statements to US officials suggesting you're just "temporarily" overseas, which could contradict your bona fide resident claim.

Yes, I used the streamlined foreign offshore procedures after living in Germany for 3 years without filing. It was fairly straightforward - filed last 3 years of returns claiming FEIE, included a statement explaining my non-willful conduct, and submitted form 14653. No penalties and got everything resolved cleanly.

Thanks for the insight! I just checked and my Robinhood account does have about 3 crypto trades (just some dabbling in Bitcoin and Ethereum) along with the 5 regular stock trades. Would that really justify doubling my tax prep fee though? Did your firm have a set price for crypto transactions?

Yes, crypto trades absolutely can justify a significant price increase. Cryptocurrency reporting is complicated because the IRS treats them as property, not currency, which means each transaction requires determining cost basis and holding period, plus special wash sale considerations. We typically charged 50-100% more for returns with crypto because of the extra work and risk involved. Many tax professionals are also wary of crypto because the reporting requirements are still evolving, and they take on additional liability. If you only have 3 basic crypto trades, you might be able to negotiate, but the extra $200 for a combination of stock and crypto transactions isn't outrageous by industry standards.

This is good advice. My tax guy breaks down all his fees upfront - basic return is X amount, Schedule C adds Y, investment forms add Z, etc. Makes it easy to know what you're paying for.

Did they at least help with setting up your books initially? That's what I'm most worried about - getting started with the right systems.

They did provide initial setup help with QuickBooks, which was somewhat useful. They created a chart of accounts specific to my industry and showed me how to categorize expenses properly for a SMLLC. They also helped set up integration with my business bank account. The issue I ran into was more with ongoing support and inconsistent advice after the initial setup. For just getting your books set up correctly from the start, they might be okay, but you could probably find a local bookkeeper to do that initial setup for much less than their full package price.

I used TurboTax Self-Employed for my single-member LLC last year. It worked fine for me, but my business is pretty simple - just consulting services with minimal expenses. The software walked me through Schedule C and self-employment tax calculations. If your business has inventory, employees, or more complex deductions, you might want more help than just tax software. Also, TurboTax doesn't help with quarterly estimated payments during the year - you'll need to figure those out yourself.

Would this work even if I've already paid the penalty? I just went ahead and paid the $220 penalty because I didn't want it to accrue more interest, but now I'm thinking I actually qualified for safe harbor.

Yes, it absolutely works even if you've already paid. The Form 843 can be used to request a refund of penalties you've already paid, not just an abatement of unpaid penalties. Just make sure to check the "Interest" box in Item 5a and explain in detail that you're requesting a refund of underpayment interest because you qualified for the safe harbor provision. Include copies of both tax years' returns to prove you met the requirements. Also enter the date you paid the penalty in section 2, and they'll refund it if your request is approved.

Yes, the IRS does have a "reasonable cause" provision where they can waive penalties for hardship situations. Medical emergencies can absolutely qualify. You'll need to submit a letter explaining the situation with documentation of your medical issues and how they impacted your ability to pay.

Was there a deadline to file the 8915-E form? My brother took money from his 401k during COVID but I don't think he ever filed that form. Is he in trouble with the IRS now?

Yes, there was a deadline for taking the qualified distributions - December 30, 2020. The distributions had to be reported on Form 8915-E which would have been filed with the 2020 tax return (or potentially spread over returns for 2020, 2021, and 2022 if he chose to spread the income). If he took a distribution but didn't file Form 8915-E, he may have paid the 10% early withdrawal penalty unnecessarily. He could potentially file an amended return for 2020 to claim the special treatment if he qualified. The IRS generally allows amendments within 3 years of the original filing date, so he might still have time depending on when he filed his 2020 return.

Yes, TurboTax would have created and filed the appropriate Form 8915 if you indicated you took a qualified disaster distribution from a retirement account. You can check your actual filed return - there should be a PDF copy in TurboTax that shows all forms that were submitted.