All U.S. citizens and residents living or traveling outside the United Sates are generally required to file income tax returns in the same way as those residing in the United States.  The deadline to file taxes is April 15th.

All IRS tax forms can be printed from the IRS website.  There is no U.S. Internal Revenue Service Office in Suriname.  The Consular Section is not authorized to accept any forms or filings for U.S. income taxes and will not forward completed returns to the IRS.  Should you have taxpayer questions you may contact the Internal Revenue Service Office.

The IRS has a comprehensive tax page, U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad, which is directed to U.S. citizens who reside abroad.  This page contains basic tax information that Americans overseas need to know and also includes links to more detailed topics such as the foreign earned income exclusion, foreign tax credit, reporting foreign bank accounts, Fulbright grants, state taxes, and a myriad of others.

In addition, the IRS brochure, Federal Tax Information for U.S. Taxpayers Living Abroad, provides information to assist taxpayers in the preparation of their tax returns and /or resolving tax account problems.

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA)

The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), enacted in 2010, is an important development in U.S. efforts to improve tax compliance by U.S. taxpayers with foreign financial assets and offshore accounts.

Under FATCA, U.S. taxpayers with financial assets outside the United States that exceed a certain amount must report those assets to the IRS. This reporting needs to be made on Form 8938, (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets) which taxpayers attach to their federal income tax return, starting this tax filing season. It is important for taxpayers to determine whether they are subject to this new requirement because the law imposes significant penalties for failing to comply.

In addition, FATCA will require foreign financial institutions to report directly to the IRS information about financial accounts held by U.S. taxpayers, or held by foreign entities in which U.S. taxpayers hold a substantial ownership interest.

For further information visit the IRS webpage at Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA)