help with 2555 in ATX please!

[joanmcq]

Hi all,

I'm doing a 2555 for a US citizen client with the following fact pattern: Lived in Egypt getting master's degree from 2006-March 15, 2010. Moved to Chad and worked until June 30 (she works with NGO's and refugees), then came home to the US until Nov 24, when she moved to Kenya, where she is still living and working.

She qualifies for the foreign income exclusion under the substantial presence test, but when I enter this on the tab in ATX, it puts 'Egypt' as the place she worked for most of the year, when she did not work in Egypt at all, and uses dates of Aug 2006- July 2007 for the qualifying dates. Without overriding, how do I get this to work? I can choose any 12 month period with the 330 days to qualify her; why is the program entering anything? Also, I'm getting an error message when I enter 'current' as the date leaving for Kenya. She hasn't left, she's still there.

[Pacun]

Hi all,

I'm doing a 2555 for a US citizen client with the following fact pattern: Lived in Egypt getting master's degree from 2006-March 15, 2010. Moved to Chad and worked until June 30 (she works with NGO's and refugees), then came home to the US until Nov 24, when she moved to Kenya, where she is still living and working.

She qualifies for the foreign income exclusion under the substantial presence test, but when I enter this on the tab in ATX, it puts 'Egypt' as the place she worked for most of the year, when she did not work in Egypt at all, and uses dates of Aug 2006- July 2007 for the qualifying dates. Without overriding, how do I get this to work? I can choose any 12 month period with the 330 days to qualify her; why is the program entering anything? Also, I'm getting an error message when I enter 'current' as the date leaving for Kenya. She hasn't left, she's still there.

who cares where she was in 2006? You should start with a date that makes her qualify for the credit so that ATX calculates it correctly.

[joanmcq]

The form asks when she moved to various places; the statement goes with the form when she was in and out of the country. I'm going for accuracy, not what makes ATX calculate it correctly.

If there is a flaw in the program, that is an issue with the program, not with my entries.

[Catherine]

Hi all,

I'm doing a 2555 for a US citizen client with the following fact pattern: Lived in Egypt getting master's degree from 2006-March 15, 2010. Moved to Chad and worked until June 30 (she works with NGO's and refugees), then came home to the US until Nov 24, when she moved to Kenya, where she is still living and working.

She qualifies for the foreign income exclusion under the substantial presence test, but when I enter this on the tab in ATX, it puts 'Egypt' as the place she worked for most of the year, when she did not work in Egypt at all, and uses dates of Aug 2006- July 2007 for the qualifying dates. Without overriding, how do I get this to work? I can choose any 12 month period with the 330 days to qualify her; why is the program entering anything? Also, I'm getting an error message when I enter 'current' as the date leaving for Kenya. She hasn't left, she's still there.

One thing I can tell you is that you need to use "continue" instead of "current" as the date for leaving. Try that for that one error, anyway. I've found lots of weird little bugs and errors in the 2555 but eventually get it beaten into submission (usually about ten seconds before it would have succeeded in beating _me_ into submission). The "other" ATX forum might be useful, as well, as lots of folks here seem to be taking time away from their computers this summer.

[joanmcq]

I'm going to resurrect this. 'Continue' is still giving me an error message. I had to override the dates and country to get the program to work, but the 'Date left is invalid' error message won't let me create an efile. :scratch_head:

[TaxCPANY]

Hi, joanmcq,

Give it up & prepare a hard-copy return (or a PDF for the client to print-out & collate), to be filed with the Austin, TX IRS office.

I have been unable to efile my two, latest "expatriates" -- the Service's promises notwithstanding.

It seems that something's awry with e-filing returns containing Form 2555; so you would allay your client's impatience & get the job done by reverting to 'old school.'

Very truly yours, TaxCPANY

I'm going to resurrect this. 'Continue' is still giving me an error message. I had to override the dates and country to get the program to work, but the 'Date left is invalid' error message won't let me create an efile.