Filing Taxes Back Home While Abroad: Your 12-Month Master Calendar

Bureaucracy Without Pain – Global Edition

If you thought boarding passes, time-zone math and micro-SIMs were tricky, try juggling multiple tax deadlines in three currencies while your Wi-Fi blinks.
I’ve spent the last 15 years advising founders, freelancers and retirees who live in one place, earn income in a second, and owe tax in a third. This guide distils that experience into one pragmatic calendar you can actually follow.

Why This Calendar Matters

Most countries tax based on one (or a mix) of the following:

1. Residency
2. Citizenship
3. Source of income

When you relocate, you don’t stop being a taxpayer—you merely upgrade to “international taxpayer”, which sounds glamorous until you miss a form and pay a 25 % penalty. A structured calendar:

• Prevents late-filing fines or interest.
• Keeps your bank from freezing transfers due to missing tax IDs.
• Helps you pick the cheapest remittance route (hello, Wise and Revolut—more on that in our deep-dive: Using Wise vs Revolut — Which Is Best for Expats?).

“Tax deadlines aren’t a suggestion; they’re an invoice from your government with an invisible countdown timer.”
—My mentor at Big-Four Audit, 2010

At a Glance: The Core Deadlines

(We’ll expand on each in the timeline section. Bookmark now, thank me later.)

Step-By-Step Process

1. Confirm Your Filing Obligation

Even seasoned nomads mix up residence with domicile. Run this checklist:

• Did you spend the statutory number of days in your home country last year?
• Do you still own a property or derive rental income there?
• Are you a citizen of a country (e.g., the US, Eritrea) that taxes on citizenship?
• Do you receive dividends, interest or pensions from home?

If yes to any, you almost certainly need to file something—often even if you don’t owe tax.

2. Track Income & Withholding in Real Time

Digital solutions beat crumpled receipts:

• Link foreign bank feeds to bookkeeping software.
  Xero, QuickBooks or a simple Airtable grid—choose one and stick to it.
• Record tax already withheld abroad; it may grant you a foreign tax credit.
• Flag any crypto or stock transactions that might trigger capital gains.

3. Map Deadlines to Your Personal Calendar

Using a shared Google/Outlook calendar:

1. Create a separate colour for “hard” deadlines (statutory) vs. “soft” (recommended).
2. Add reminders two weeks prior with a checklist link.
3. Include timezone in the entry title—filing portals shut at local midnight.

4. Gather Documentation

Core docs most tax agencies ask for:

• Earnings statements (P60, T4, 1099-K, etc.).
• Proof of foreign tax paid (with certified translation if outside EU/EEA).
• Bank and brokerage statements showing year-end balances.
• Residency certificates from your host country (helps avoid double taxation).

5. Prepare Returns (or Hire Pragmatically)

DIY if your situation is simple:

• Salary from one employer
• < £50k/€50k/US$50k investment income
• No corporate holdings

Otherwise, engage a specialist. Average expat tax-prep fees:

• Basic single filer: US$350–600
• Married with rental property: US$900–1,500
• Multi-entity entrepreneur: US$2,000+

I keep a vetted list of firms that bill transparent, flat fees. Reach out if you need an intro.

6. File & Pay

Common payment options:

• Direct debit from foreign bank (watch for hidden FX fees).
• Credit card (often 2 %–3 % convenience charge).
• Low-cost remittance tools. Before wiring, compare mid-market rates—our Wise vs Revolut article shows how a mistimed transfer can cost you €200 on a €10k tax bill.

7. Archive & Back Up

Regulators can audit up to:

• 3 years (standard)
• 6 years (substantial understatement)
• Unlimited (fraud)

Cloud + encrypted external drive is my go-to. Name convention: 2023_US_1040_Final.pdf.

Costs and Timelines in Detail

United States

• Filing day: 15 April (automatic two-month grace until 15 June for expats).
• Extensions: Form 4868 (Oct 15) for return; Form 114 (FBAR) also Oct 15.
• Typical penalties: 5 % per month of unpaid tax, up to 25 %; $10k+ for late FBAR.

United Kingdom

• Paper Self-Assessment: 31 Oct.
• Online: 31 Jan.
• Payment on account: 31 Jan and 31 Jul.
• Penalty: £100 immediately after deadline, then £10/day up to 90 days.

Canada

• T1: 30 Apr (15 June for self-employed).
• Balance due: 30 Apr regardless.
• Late-filing: 5 % plus 1 % per month.
• RRSP deduction window: 60 days after year-end.

Australia

• Personal tax year ends 30 June.
• Lodge by 31 Oct unless under a registered tax agent.
• Foreign resident capital gains—check treaty relief before sale.

Germany

• Deadline: 31 July following year (aka 31 October 2023 for 2022 taxes, due to COVID extensions).
• Use Elster portal; English interface now covers 80 % of forms.
• Late fee: €25/month.

Common Mistakes (And How to Dodge Them)

1. Assuming Double Tax Agreements eliminate filing:
   DTAs avoid double payment, not double paperwork.

2. Ignoring small home-country bank accounts:
   The US FinCEN FBAR kicks in at an aggregate US$10k—even briefly.

3. Overusing “foreign earned income exclusion” (US Form 2555):
   FEIE reduces federal tax but often increases state tax if your last US address was California, New York, etc.

4. Forgetting to report foreign pensions:
   In Germany, SIPP or 401(k) growth can be taxable annually unless you declare it properly.

5. Paying tax with the wrong currency:
   HMRC charges a 3 % uplift if sterling hits your card after its processing window. Lock FX with Wise Borderless instead.

6. Not aligning visa requirements:
   Some visas (e.g., the Philippines SRRV) demand proof of tax compliance back home. Miss that and you risk renewal headaches.

Pro Tips From the Field

Automate Estimated Payments

Set up quarterly auto-transfers via Revolut’s scheduled payments. Use your budgeted FX rate; the app will alert you if the spot rate drifts 2 %.

Use “Tie-Breaker” Tests Pre-Emptively

If two countries both claim you as resident, the OECD Model’s tie-breaker looks at permanent home, center of vital interests, habitual abode, and nationality—in that order. Supply documents (lease, club memberships) with the first return to avoid audits.

Keep an “Exit File”

Whenever you leave a country:

• Final payslips
• Exit/de-registration certificate
• Utility cancellation proof
• Screenshot of flight ticket

These tiny PDFs have saved my clients over €1 m in disputed residency claims.

Your Year in Bureaucracy — The Master Calendar

Below is a narrative walk-through. Print it, screenshot it, or feed it to your task manager.

January

1–7 Jan: Close prior-year books; reconcile bank feeds.
10 Jan: Pay balancing payment to HMRC if UK resident.
15 Jan: US Q4 estimated tax.

February

Organise 1099s, T4s, E-TINs from clients and platforms (Upwork, Amazon KDP, etc.).
Check that your host-country address is up-to-date with all revenue agencies.

March

1 Mar: Canada RRSP contribution deadline.
All month: Prep FBAR data—max account balances, institution addresses.

April

15 Apr: US filing or Form 4868 extension.
30 Apr: Canada T1 and outstanding balance.
If you’re on the road, give your tax preparer power-of-attorney to e-sign.

May

Schedule midyear tax strategy call. Review:

• New treaty updates
• Pending crypto regulations
• Potential change in residency (remote policy, relationship, property sale)

June

15 Jun: US expat automatic extension lapses; pay any outstanding tax.
30 Jun: Australian tax year ends—download payslips before HR resets portals.

July

7 Jul: Australia PAYG statements issued.
31 Jul: HMRC on-account payment; Germany initial deadline.

August

Audit time. If you receive a “review” notice, respond within 30 days even if just to request extra time.

September

15 Sep: US Q3 estimated tax; file tie-breaker documentation if relocating again this calendar year.

October

15 Oct: US extended deadline and FBAR.
31 Oct: UK paper Self-Assessment.

November

Exchange-rate planning month. Pre-fund your tax wallets at target FX levels.

December

15–20 Dec: Run year-end capital gains harvesting if viable.
31 Dec: Snapshot every foreign account balance for next year’s disclosures. Celebrate with champagne; you earned it.

Final Thought

Everybody hates paperwork—until they see how much money well-timed paperwork saves. Follow the calendar, stash your proofs, and international taxes shrink from nightmare to mildly annoying admin.

When you’re ready to align taxes with visas, banking and lifestyle goals in one neat place, create your free relocation plan with BorderPilot. Bureaucracy without pain starts here.