Comparison · updated monthly

Taxes for Expats prepares your return with human experts. It markets itself 'no robots' — Atamatax is the self-serve software they're contrasting with.

Taxes for Expats (TFX) is a human-preparer service that explicitly positions against software — 'no robots'. You work with experienced preparers at flat tiers, which is thorough but typically costlier and slower than doing it yourself. Atamatax is the opposite bet: guided self-serve software specialized in PFIC / Form 8621, with a full free draft before you pay.

Who Taxes for Expats is for

TFX fits expats who want an experienced human in the loop and prefer that to driving software themselves — particularly thorough hand-holding, messy multi-year situations, or filers who simply don't want to touch the forms.

Side-by-side

Feature	Atamatax	Taxes for Expats
Model	Self-serve software you complete yourself.	Human preparers — explicitly 'no robots'.
Pricing	Winner$299 / $499 / $799 flat per return, published.	Flat tiers, typically ~$400+ for a core return.
Free draft before paying	WinnerFull draft free; you only pay to finalise.	No free draft — engagement is paid.
Form 8621 (PFIC)	WinnerCore specialty; built-in, up to 25 per return.	Handled by preparers, priced into the engagement.
FBAR (FinCEN 114) & FATCA (Form 8938)	Generated in the same flow.	Prepared as part of the service.
Treaty positions (Form 8833)	Dedicated FR / UK / DE / CA / AU desks.	Handled by the assigned preparer.
Turnaround	WinnerSelf-paced; draft in minutes, finalise same day.	Slower — depends on preparer review cycles.
Arbitrarily complex / unusual cases	Refers complex cases to independent CPAs.	WinnerHuman experts handle complexity end-to-end.
Integrated e-file & state returns	PDF package today; e-file Q3 2026. Federal-only in v1.	WinnerPreparer files federal and state for you.

Model

Atamatax: Self-serve software you complete yourself.
Taxes for Expats: Human preparers — explicitly 'no robots'.

Pricing

Atamatax Winner: $299 / $499 / $799 flat per return, published.
Taxes for Expats: Flat tiers, typically ~$400+ for a core return.

Free draft before paying

Atamatax Winner: Full draft free; you only pay to finalise.
Taxes for Expats: No free draft — engagement is paid.

Form 8621 (PFIC)

Atamatax Winner: Core specialty; built-in, up to 25 per return.
Taxes for Expats: Handled by preparers, priced into the engagement.

FBAR (FinCEN 114) & FATCA (Form 8938)

Atamatax: Generated in the same flow.
Taxes for Expats: Prepared as part of the service.

Treaty positions (Form 8833)

Atamatax: Dedicated FR / UK / DE / CA / AU desks.
Taxes for Expats: Handled by the assigned preparer.

Turnaround

Atamatax Winner: Self-paced; draft in minutes, finalise same day.
Taxes for Expats: Slower — depends on preparer review cycles.

Arbitrarily complex / unusual cases

Atamatax: Refers complex cases to independent CPAs.
Taxes for Expats Winner: Human experts handle complexity end-to-end.

Integrated e-file & state returns

Atamatax: PDF package today; e-file Q3 2026. Federal-only in v1.
Taxes for Expats Winner: Preparer files federal and state for you.

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 want a human expert to prepare the return and don't mind paying more and waiting longer, TFX delivers exactly that — and their preparers can take on cases software can't. If you'd rather move fast, pay a transparent flat fee, and see a complete PFIC / Form 8621 draft for free first, Atamatax is the self-serve alternative.

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.

Start my return