Comparison · updated monthly
Expatfile is solid for the simple expat. If you hold PFICs, you'll pay for their top tier — or for us.
Expatfile is a self-serve US expat tax tool with strong UX for the FEIE / FTC baseline. It works well if your only complication is the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion. Form 8621 (PFIC) coverage requires their Unlimited tier.
Who Expatfile is for
Expatfile fits W-2 employees abroad with no foreign brokerage, who need Form 2555 + Form 1116 and not much else. The simple flow is genuinely simple.
Side-by-side
Federal return entry price
- Atamatax
- $299 flat (no PFICs)
- Expatfile Winner
- ~$149 (paywalled, varies)
Form 8621 (PFIC) included
- Atamatax Winner
- Every tier. Built-in classification + QEF/MtM/§1291.
- Expatfile
- Unlimited tier only.
§1291 interest-charge rates
- Atamatax Winner
- Real IRS quarterly underpayment rates 2009 — current year.
- Expatfile
- Not surfaced publicly.
Foreign brokerage CSV import
- Atamatax Winner
- Schwab/Fidelity/Vanguard/IBKR/Robinhood + generic CSV.
- Expatfile
- Manual entry; Plaid not advertised.
Treaty desks (FR/UK/DE/CH/CA/AU)
- Atamatax Winner
- Five dedicated desks with article citations + Form 8833.
- Expatfile
- General treaty handling, no per-country desk.
FBAR + Form 8938 in same flow
- Atamatax
- Yes — generated alongside the 1040 package.
- Expatfile
- Yes.
Streamlined Foreign Offshore (3 yrs + 6 yrs FBAR)
- Atamatax Winner
- Single workflow at $799.
- Expatfile
- Add-on pricing varies.
Integrated e-file
- Atamatax
- PDF package today; e-file Q3 2026 (EFIN pending).
- Expatfile Winner
- E-file available.
Refund policy
- Atamatax
- Full refund if we can't generate the required draft package.
- Expatfile
- Per their stated policy.
The marked column indicates which product handles the feature more completely as of July 2026. We update this page when their offering changes — tell us if it's out of date.
Bottom line
If you have zero foreign brokerage exposure, Expatfile is cheaper and lets you e-file today. If you hold any foreign mutual fund or ETF, the cost difference disappears at their Unlimited tier — and Atamatax includes PFIC handling at every tier with a more transparent §1291 calculation.
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.