PFIC · Form 8621 · for US persons abroad
The PFIC & Form 8621specialist — a flat $499.
Atamatax is software built around the one form consumer apps skip: Form 8621. It reads your foreign-domiciled funds, runs the QEF / mark-to-market / §1291 math, and maps every figure to the IRS forms — 8621, 1116, 8938, FBAR, 8833 — that a CPA charges $2,000–$3,200 to touch. One predictable price.
Atamatax is tax-prep software, not a CPA firm. Today you receive a pre-filled, IRS-ready package (1040, 8621, 1116, 8938, 8833) to e-file via IRS Free Fillable Forms or mail. Integrated e-file via a partner ERO is in progress, target Q3 2026.
AES-256 encrypted · read-only access · SOC 2 in progress
The whole return,
in your pocket.
Scan a brokerage, read the §1291 math, watch every Form 8621 draft itself — on the train, in a queue, wherever. The same engine that runs on the web, now in your hand. Ask it anything; it answers in plain language, not bank-speak.
One scan.
Four steps to file-ready.
- 01Connect your brokerageRead-only through Plaid — Schwab, Fidelity, Vanguard, IBKR, Robinhood — or drop a positions CSV. Nothing is moved, nothing is touched.
- 02Detect every PFICFund domicile and ticker heuristics flag each foreign-domiciled UCITS and map it to its own Form 8621 — the line consumer apps skip entirely.
- 03Run the §1291 mathQEF, mark-to-market, and §1291 throwback computed per holding — the election surfaced for your confirmation, never auto-decided, never black-boxed.
- 04Walk out file-readyA draft package with every figure mapped to its IRS form and line — 1040, 8621, 8938, FBAR, 1116, 8833 — free before you ever pay.
Clarity and control for every
part of your return
A clear, structured view of your cross-border position — from every holding to every form the IRS expects, and the penalties you avoid.
Total holding visibility
Every position, every account — read directly from your brokerage and structured into one system. US stocks and foreign UCITS alike, nothing slips through.
Precise PFIC detection
Fund domicile and ticker heuristics flag every passive foreign investment company and map it to Form 8621 under §1291, §1296, or QEF — surfaced per holding for your confirmation.
Treaty-aware filing
FBAR, FATCA (8938), the foreign tax credit (1116) and article-level treaty disclosure (8833) reconciled into one defensible package — never auto-decided, never black-boxed.
Every year you don't file,
the meter runs.
US tax law is asymmetric for citizens abroad. Penalties for paperwork failures are denominated in the tens of thousands — the tax owed is often zero. Read each line; the numbers are statutory, not estimated.
The IRS has six years to assess. Three accounts × six years = a $180,000 stack on a paperwork failure.
Reckless disregard is wilful. Cabin in Aspen + Schwab account in your name + you never filed = the upper bracket.
PFIC gain spread over the holding period, taxed at top ordinary rates, plus IRS underpayment interest compounded quarterly. The longer you held, the worse the math.
FATCA threshold for US persons abroad: $200k / $300k single, $400k / $600k MFJ. Miss it once — $10k. Continue past 90 days — +$10k every 30 days, capped $50k.
The Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedure cures most of the above — if you qualify, and if you act before the IRS opens the conversation. A draft return through Atamatax is free; the same draft from a CPA is $3,200.
One scan.
Every form it touches.
Maps every line
Six chapters. ~12 min.
The forms TurboTax skips.
Each chapter cites the IRC section it implements. The wizard pauses on every election so the math stays yours — never auto-decided, never black-boxed.
Residence country, filing status, NRA-spouse flag. Loads the right bilateral treaty workflow on first input.
Schwab, Fidelity, Vanguard, IBKR, Robinhood through Plaid read-only — or drop a broker positions CSV.
FinCEN 114 thresholds applied to every foreign account; Form 8938 abroad-thresholds auto-computed.
Fund domicile + ticker heuristics flag Irish, Lux, Cayman funds for your confirmation. QEF · MtM · §1291 elections surfaced per holding.
Article-by-article treaty disclosure that flags when Form 8833 is required. Foreign tax credit (Form 1116) input — per-category bucketing and FX conversion in progress.
Draft tax package — every figure mapped to its IRS form and line (1040 + schedules + 8621s + 8938 + 1116 + 8833), with the separate FBAR/FinCEN path called out.
Seamlessly connected to your financial ecosystem
Brokerage positions read securely through Plaid (production review in progress; sandbox demo today), settled with Stripe, stored on Supabase, and filed with the IRS & FinCEN. Integrated e-file via a partner ERO ships Q3 2026.
Why expats stop using
spreadsheets and TurboTax
Form 8621 is the line every consumer product skips. Excel makes you a one-person tax firm; TurboTax doesn't do it at all; MyExpatTaxes charges per form. Prices below are the cheapest realistic public quote for one foreign UCITS in a Schwab account.
Comparison verified 2026-05 against publicly listed tier pages. MyExpatTaxes PFIC quote = Base $175 + Reviewed-PFIC $69 add-on.
Marco. 34. Paris.
14 holdings. 9 PFICs.
$0 owed.
A worked example showing the output end-to-end — from brokerage scan through Form 1116 credit. Marco is not a real customer.
Illustrative only. Your figures will differ. Atamatax computes forms from inputs you provide and confirm.
Surgeons in Singapore.
Engineers in Berlin. Architects in Lisbon.
Composite portraits drawn from beta-tester conversations — names held until each user opts in. The wedge is sophisticated US citizens abroad with foreign brokerage accounts; the relief is real.
TurboTax told me the forms didn’t exist. My CPA quoted €2,400 and three weeks. Atamatax wrote them all in twenty minutes.
I was carrying five years of unfiled FBARs and a panic attack. The scan ran in four seconds. The Streamlined package was thirty-six pages.
I tried to do it in Excel for an entire winter. Atamatax did the §1296 mark-to-market election in a single click and showed the math beside it.
I’ve worked with three CPAs. None could quote me a flat fee. Atamatax gave me a full draft for free, then $499 to finalise. I’ll never go back.
Flat per return.
Free draft first.
The PFIC plan at a flat $499 is what most expats here need — a CPA charges $2,000–$3,200 for the same Form 8621 work. Scan your brokerage, see the forms, review the math — all free. You only pay when you finalise. No subscription, no per-form surcharge.
US expat with a brokerage account · no PFICs detected.
Foreign-domiciled funds detected · the most common expat case.
Treaty positions, multi-year backfile, or Streamlined eligible.
Atamatax is software, not a CPA firm. Free draft first; pay only when finalising. Today you receive a pre-filled, IRS-ready package (1040, 8621, 1116, 8938, 8833) to e-file via IRS Free Fillable Forms or mail — integrated e-file via a partner ERO is in progress, target Q3 2026.
Questions we get
every week.
Still wondering whether Atamatax fits your case? Email hello@atamatax.com — we answer within 24 hours.
Are you a licensed CPA firm?
No. Atamatax is software for tax-return preparation, like TurboTax. Today we generate a draft package mapped to IRS forms and lines; you remain responsible for the figures and the final filing. For situations the software can't handle (entities, trusts, IRS examinations), we list independent expat-tax CPAs in our help center — no referral fees, no kickbacks.
How do you actually transmit returns to the IRS?
Today we deliver a draft tax package: we compute your federal tax and map every figure to the IRS form and line it belongs on, so you (or your preparer) can complete the official forms by mail or IRS Free Fillable Forms. Pre-filled fillable IRS forms and integrated e-file via an authorised Electronic Return Originator (ERO) are in progress and ship as our EFIN application clears (target Q3 2026).
Which brokerages do you support?
Schwab, Fidelity, Vanguard, Interactive Brokers, and Robinhood through Plaid (Plaid production review is in progress — sandbox demo data renders today). Broker positions-CSV upload is live today for any brokerage; 1099-B PDF parsing is on the immediate roadmap.
What if I haven't filed for a few years?
If you're eligible for the IRS Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedure, we walk you through three years of back-filings + six years of FBAR in a single workflow.
What if I have more than 25 PFICs?
We support up to 25 individual Form 8621 filings per return — beyond that we either aggregate where the law allows or refer to an independent expat-tax CPA. Most expat brokerages have 5–15.
How does pricing work?
Flat per return: $299 (no PFICs), $499 (PFICs), $799 (PFICs + treaty positions + multi-year backfile). You only pay when you finalise the return — the draft is always free. Until integrated e-file ships you receive a draft tax package mapped to each IRS form and line.
Do you handle the state return too?
Federal-only in v1. Most US expats have no state-tax exposure once domiciled abroad. If you do (CA, NM, SC, VA-style residency rules), we'll flag it before you file.
Run the free scan.
See your return before you pay.
No credit card. No subscription. Scan your brokerage, see your PFIC count, review the forms we'd file. Pay only when you finalise.