Tax advice

[LuchoLib]

My situation
I’ve got an extension to file in October.
I haven’t filed taxes in years mostly because my us income is under 5 grand x year.
However I had a child a few years ago who is a us citizen. And the child tax credit intrigues me.
Now I have a couple of questions.
Apparently I am eligible, but I don know if I should register in the us with permanent address ( even though I haven’t lived in the us for over 15 years.) or should I admit that I live overseas? Any risks here?
Do they really verify if I’m in the us?
I am a freelancer, and have to buy equipment and apps, can they be reimbursed?
Apparently if I say I make 14k x year as a head of household, I could get an even larger refund. However I heard that’s risky. Anyone try it?
Can I get back pay on previous year refunds? Or ctc?

I would appreciate any advice and opinions. Haven’t been able to find a decently price accountant.

 

[Val555]

"should I admit that I live overseas? Any risks here? Do they really verify if I’m in the us?"


yeah great idea to lie to the IRS buddy. as far as i know, US citizens are required to file taxes every year.
you're stupid if you ever thought blatantly lying to the IRS is a remotely good idea.

That's not even how tax credits WORK. tax credits are taxes you get back from the tax you PAY in the first place, which it seems like you're paying absolutely 0 to uncle sam

 

[Paige55]

My situation
I’ve got an extension to file in October.
I haven’t filed taxes in years mostly because my us income is under 5 grand x year.
However I had a child a few years ago who is a us citizen. And the child tax credit intrigues me.
Now I have a couple of questions.
Apparently I am eligible, but I don know if I should register in the us with permanent address ( even though I haven’t lived in the us for over 15 years.) or should I admit that I live overseas? Any risks here?
Do they really verify if I’m in the us?
I am a freelancer, and have to buy equipment and apps, can they be reimbursed?
Apparently if I say I make 14k x year as a head of household, I could get an even larger refund. However I heard that’s risky. Anyone try it?
Can I get back pay on previous year refunds? Or ctc?

I would appreciate any advice and opinions. Haven’t been able to find a decently price accountant.

I'm a freelance writer and I've had to pay the U.S. taxes on my income that exceeds $400USD (used to be $600). Freelance rules are different, so you might actually owe back taxes to the U.S. at this point. You can write off work expenses but unless they are really high, the likelihood of you getting them reimbursed is low, you'd be probably filing the standard deduction. When you claim laptops, and equipment they also ask how old it all is and their value depreciates over time. So, unless you have a lot of high-end gear you would only get the standard deduction.

You do have to be domiciled in the U.S. for a certain amount of time per year to claim any of those credits. If you don't have a real U.S. address, they'll know it. I wouldn't risk trying to claim it. Also, if you haven't filed and you've been making freelance income that whole time you'll be on the hook to pay it back and filing to try to get a credit will put you on their radar and they might inquire on why you haven't filed in so long. I also thought freelancers had to make way above that amount to file, but during the pandemic I found out that any money you make freelancing that is over $400, you owe taxes. This is to cover Social Security/Medicare you're supposed to pay in to, to eventually claim it when you need it later in life.

Basically, lying to the IRS about anything is a real bad idea. It's 2026, they know how to easily track that stuff, and it's best to stay off their radar if you've not filed and perhaps owe THEM money. They're not really interested in giving money back to people and it's not as simple as lying about income and faking an address.

From the IRS website:

Who must pay self-employment tax?​

You must pay self-employment tax and file Schedule SE (Form 1040) if either of the following applies.

• Your net earnings from self-employment (excluding church employee income) were $400 or more.
• You had church employee income of $108.28 or more.

Generally, your net earnings from self-employment are subject to self-employment tax. If you are self-employed as a sole proprietor or independent contractor, you generally use Schedule C to figure net earnings from self-employment.

If you have earnings subject to self-employment tax, use Schedule SE to figure your net earnings from self-employment. Before you figure your net earnings, you generally need to figure your total earnings subject to self-employment tax.

Note: The self-employment tax rules apply no matter how old you are and even if you are already receiving Social Security or Medicare.

 

[LuckyLuke]

There's some conflicting statements in your comments:

"I’ve got an extension to file in October."

Why? If you are not filing tax returns? What's the taxable event?

"I haven’t filed taxes in years mostly because my us income is under 5 grand x year."

As Paige55 astutely mentioned, if your income is from Self Employment, this is likely wrong. Only under very specific circumstances would your self employment taxes be zero.

"However I had a child a few years ago who is a us citizen. And the child tax credit intrigues me."

And you've never filing previous year child tax credits? Is the mother a US tax filer? Is she claiming the child on her return?

"Apparently I am eligible, but I don know if I should register in the us with permanent address ( even though I haven’t lived in the us for over 15 years.) or should I admit that I live overseas? Any risks here?"

You can file a return with a foreign residence address with a US mailing address. I'm not aware that you would need to report how long you've lived at that address. It's simply a return for 2025 showing you live overseas. As for risks that question is far beyond what we can answer without understanding your full legal/financial situation.

"Do they really verify if I’m in the us?"

What does it matter? Are you saying you would like put a false US address?

"I am a freelancer, and have to buy equipment and apps, can they be reimbursed?"

Reimbursed by who? You can write off business expenses only to the degree that you claim business income to reduce your taxable profit. A business loss can be carried into future years, it's not that you get a refund for a loss.

"Apparently if I say I make 14k x year as a head of household, I could get an even larger refund. However I heard that’s risky. Anyone try it?
Can I get back pay on previous year refunds? Or ctc??

As above, you get a refund for an overpayment of taxes. If you are not paying taxes, then where is the refund coming from?

"Haven’t been able to find a decently price accountant."

Much of your questions are pretty basic in nature, such that most tax preparers would be able to help you. I don't think you need a licensed accountant unless you are talking multiple companies, investments, navigating various jurisdictions or complicated taxable events.

 

[LuchoLib]

"should I admit that I live overseas? Any risks here? Do they really verify if I’m in the us?"


yeah great idea to lie to the IRS buddy. as far as i know, US citizens are required to file taxes every year.
you're stupid if you ever thought blatantly lying to the IRS is a remotely good idea.

That's not even how tax credits WORK. tax credits are taxes you get back from the tax you PAY in the first place, which it seems like you're paying absolutely 0 to uncle sam

Not sure the need to mention stupid. But nevertheless. I make under $5000 per year in the US so there is no need to file. I’m not lying, I am not filing. I never had to for around 15 years.

 

[LuchoLib]

I'm a freelance writer and I've had to pay the U.S. taxes on my income that exceeds $400USD (used to be $600). Freelance rules are different, so you might actually owe back taxes to the U.S. at this point. You can write off work expenses but unless they are really high, the likelihood of you getting them reimbursed is low, you'd be probably filing the standard deduction. When you claim laptops, and equipment they also ask how old it all is and their value depreciates over time. So, unless you have a lot of high-end gear you would only get the standard deduction.

You do have to be domiciled in the U.S. for a certain amount of time per year to claim any of those credits. If you don't have a real U.S. address, they'll know it. I wouldn't risk trying to claim it. Also, if you haven't filed and you've been making freelance income that whole time you'll be on the hook to pay it back and filing to try to get a credit will put you on their radar and they might inquire on why you haven't filed in so long. I also thought freelancers had to make way above that amount to file, but during the pandemic I found out that any money you make freelancing that is over $400, you owe taxes. This is to cover Social Security/Medicare you're supposed to pay in to, to eventually claim it when you need it later in life.

Basically, lying to the IRS about anything is a real bad idea. It's 2026, they know how to easily track that stuff, and it's best to stay off their radar if you've not filed and perhaps owe THEM money. They're not really interested in giving money back to people and it's not as simple as lying about income and faking an address.

From the IRS website:

Who must pay self-employment tax?​

You must pay self-employment tax and file Schedule SE (Form 1040) if either of the following applies.

• Your net earnings from self-employment (excluding church employee income) were $400 or more.
• You had church employee income of $108.28 or more.

Generally, your net earnings from self-employment are subject to self-employment tax. If you are self-employed as a sole proprietor or independent contractor, you generally use Schedule C to figure net earnings from self-employment.

If you have earnings subject to self-employment tax, use Schedule SE to figure your net earnings from self-employment. Before you figure your net earnings, you generally need to figure your total earnings subject to self-employment tax.

Note: The self-employment tax rules apply no matter how old you are and even if you are already receiving Social Security or Medicare.

Thank you for this! I was completely unaware. Even for certain years I didn’t make money at all, I would still have. I would still become liable? Do you know how much per year in back federal taxes you had to pay?

 

[Paige55]

Thank you for this! I was completely unaware. Even for certain years I didn’t make money at all, I would still have. I would still become liable? Do you know how much per year in back federal taxes you had to pay?

I only had one unfiled tax/freelance year before filing again and figuring out I needed to pay taxes on anything earned over $600 (now they've changed it to $400). During the pandemic, I found out because I wanted to receive the check that the government was sending out and you had to have filed taxes the year before. I had very little work, so I only owed about $50 on my prior tax return and a small fee for late filing of it. After that I set up estimated payments every two months, to send money to the IRS and actually got a refund the last year I was freelancing. A lot of freelancers do it that way but I believe it's ok just to file once a year. If you're not making too much money, just save a couple hundred dollar a year to go to the IRS.

I was making anywhere from $5000-$12000 USD a year and owed anywhere from $95-$350 (depending on the amount) for those years, I think. I know there are penalties for paying taxes late, but I'm not sure how much they are now. Also, if you are a U.S. citizen, you're supposed to pay taxes on your worldwide income, even if you're not living in the country anymore. It's a drag. So, living here if you get a normal job and you make enough, you'll owe taxes in both places. It's always good to try and catch up with those things, because in the future any kind of help or assistance you might need or any other rebate checks they may offer to citizens...you'd have to be caught up or you wouldn't be able to receive them. It's a pain and so silly to pay into Social Security and Medicare as it likely won't even be around by the time many of us would want to collect it, but it helps those in need of it now and also helps in case you're able to apply for aid they might offer in the future.

I'm sorry I can't help more. Those things kind of confuse me also. But, you can call the IRS and they can actually help. I don't know if it's only during tax season, but they were very helpful for me and it was free to ask them questions by phone. Good luck.

 

[LuchoLib]

There's some conflicting statements in your comments:

"I’ve got an extension to file in October."

Why? If you are not filing tax returns? What's the taxable event?

"I haven’t filed taxes in years mostly because my us income is under 5 grand x year."

As Paige55 astutely mentioned, if your income is from Self Employment, this is likely wrong. Only under very specific circumstances would your self employment taxes be zero.

"However I had a child a few years ago who is a us citizen. And the child tax credit intrigues me."

And you've never filing previous year child tax credits? Is the mother a US tax filer? Is she claiming the child on her return?

"Apparently I am eligible, but I don know if I should register in the us with permanent address ( even though I haven’t lived in the us for over 15 years.) or should I admit that I live overseas? Any risks here?"

You can file a return with a foreign residence address with a US mailing address. I'm not aware that you would need to report how long you've lived at that address. It's simply a return for 2025 showing you live overseas. As for risks that question is far beyond what we can answer without understanding your full legal/financial situation.

"Do they really verify if I’m in the us?"

What does it matter? Are you saying you would like put a false US address?

"I am a freelancer, and have to buy equipment and apps, can they be reimbursed?"

Reimbursed by who? You can write off business expenses only to the degree that you claim business income to reduce your taxable profit. A business loss can be carried into future years, it's not that you get a refund for a loss.

"Apparently if I say I make 14k x year as a head of household, I could get an even larger refund. However I heard that’s risky. Anyone try it?
Can I get back pay on previous year refunds? Or ctc??

As above, you get a refund for an overpayment of taxes. If you are not paying taxes, then where is the refund coming from?

"Haven’t been able to find a decently price accountant."

Much of your questions are pretty basic in nature, such that most tax preparers would be able to help you. I don't think you need a licensed accountant unless you are talking multiple companies, investments, navigating various jurisdictions or complicated taxable events.

Thank you for all the detail.
Mostly all the answers come from my initial thought I did have to pay taxes because of my low income.
Then I admit I was trying to see if there is a way to get an extra economical help because I had a child on the last couple of years. After some research I thought I was eligible.

Why? If you are not filing tax returns? What's the taxable event?
Simply the fact I made about $3500 last year and I thought I could. I first thought I was eligible for assistance through Washington state(my permanent address) then realized that was not an option because I wasn’t living there for 186 days. However the CTC I am eligible even if I live abroad. At least that’s what my understanding was.

And you've never filing previous year child tax credits? Is the mother a US tax filer? Is she claiming the child on her return?
my son was born here in Argentina, mother isn’t a us citizen. So no return for her. This is the first time I’m trying to file. And am having a hell of a time getting his ssn. Because although I applied when nationalizing him at the us embassy. The ss card never arrived. So apparently I have to go to the US in person to do so.

What does it matter? Are you saying you would like put a false US address?
A few points. I was always under the understanding that I should avoid mixing my finances in the US and here. I do still claim for jobs on Upwork, bank statements and drivers license that my address is the Washington. My brothers house. I never had to lie to the federal government of my address.

Thank you so much for the detail. And if you any suggestions of a tax consultant that help guide me in my particular situation I would highly appreciate.

 

[LuckyLuke]

"However the CTC I am eligible even if I live abroad. At least that’s what my understanding was."

Per: https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R41873

"The child tax credit allows eligible taxpayers to reduce their federal income tax liability by up to $2,200 per qualifying child (indexed to inflation). If their tax liability is less than the value of their child tax credit, they may be eligible for a refundable credit calculated using the earned income formula. Under this formula, a family is eligible for a refund equal to 15% of their earnings in excess of $2,500, up to $1,700 per child, the maximum amount of the refundable portion of the credit."

I'm not a tax preparer but below is some math that might help you:

$1,700 (credit) / 15% (refund percentage of earnings) = $11,333
+ $2,500 (discounted) = $13,833 (reported income to qualify for the full refund)

$13,833 taxable income, meaning NET self employment income. This is key, it is after operational costs.

Multiplier for self employment taxable portion: $13,833 x 92.35% = $12,774.77 taxable income.

$12,774.77 x 15.3% (Self employment taxes) = $1,954.54 taxes owed

$1,954.54 owed - $1,700 child credit refund = $254.54 owed.

 

[LuchoLib]

Update. Good news. I completely forgot that I had filed in 2020 and 2021. And prior to that I don’t believe I had filed for several years. But I don’t recall having to pay back taxes. I never received anything and believe my tax credit canceled out.
So therefore I just have to go back to 2022!! Yay