Comparison · updated monthly
Bright!Tax assigns you a CPA. If your situation isn't unusual, you're paying for a CPA you don't need.
Bright!Tax is a done-for-you CPA firm — a human prepares your return after a structured intake. The trade-off is price: $170 per Form 8621 with distributions on top of the base preparation fee. For straightforward expat returns, that's a steep premium over self-serve software.
Who Bright!Tax is for
Bright!Tax is the right call when you genuinely need a CPA — partnerships or trusts, an IRS examination in flight, FATCA disclosure with material gaps, or a structurally complex year where the marginal time saved is worth the bill. If you just hold a few PFICs, the value is harder to justify.
Side-by-side
Pricing model
- Atamatax Winner
- Flat $299 / $499 / $799 per return
- Bright!Tax
- DFY CPA pricing; $170 per Form 8621 with distributions
Form 8621 (PFIC)
- Atamatax Winner
- Unlimited within tier (up to 25), included.
- Bright!Tax
- $170 each (with distributions).
Who prepares the return
- Atamatax
- You, with the engine output and a draft PDF package.
- Bright!Tax Winner
- Assigned CPA prepares and reviews.
Turnaround
- Atamatax Winner
- Same session for the draft; immediate at file step.
- Bright!Tax
- Days to weeks depending on backlog.
Audit support
- Atamatax
- We don't represent you to the IRS.
- Bright!Tax Winner
- CPA representation available.
Foreign brokerage CSV import
- Atamatax Winner
- Generic CSV + Plaid for major US brokers.
- Bright!Tax
- Manual intake by preparer.
Treaty desks
- Atamatax
- FR / UK / DE / CA / AU with article citations.
- Bright!Tax Winner
- CPA-level treaty knowledge across many countries.
Streamlined Foreign Offshore
- Atamatax Winner
- $799 single workflow.
- Bright!Tax
- DFY pricing.
The marked column indicates which product handles the feature more completely as of June 2026. We update this page when their offering changes — tell us if it's out of date.
Bottom line
If you need a CPA — examinations, partnerships, complex disclosures — Bright!Tax is a legitimate choice. For the typical US expat with W-2 income and a few PFICs, you're paying CPA prices for software-grade work.
Sources
Try it free
The draft is always free. You only pay when you finalise.
Start the wizard, see your real numbers, and decide from there.