American Consulate General, Edinburgh
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This newsletter is to keep you updated on events that affect Americans across the world and to notify you of events of interest in Scotland. Feel free to forward this e-mail to friends or co-workers.
Upcoming Consulate Holidays: The Consulate will be closed Friday, March 21 and Monday, March. 24
A new service for Americans living in Scotland
We now process passport renewals by mail in Edinburgh. Previously, these applications had to be sent to the Embassy in London and we found many of our citizens preferred to bring their applications to us during our walk-in hours rather than send them south of the border. This change will benefit two groups: adults making a straightforward renewal application; and, those replacing an emergency passport. Full details and application forms can be found on our website, http://london.usembassy.gov/scotland, in the passport renewal pages.
Electronic Filing with the IRS, and Direct Deposits of Refunds
Tax time will soon be upon us and we should now be preparing to submit our returns.
When submitting their tax returns, more and more Americans are choosing electronic filing, or e-file, which lets them electronically file a tax return or get a filing extension without sending any paper to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Since 2001, the number of e-filed returns has almost doubled and over the past decade the number of e-filers has increased four-fold. You may e-file your return using one of the following methods:
- Tax Professional: Consult your tax preparer or find a preparer listed as an Authorized IRS e-file Provider at www.irs.gov.
- Personal Computer: Purchase commercially available software from a retailer, download software from an Internet site and prepare your return offline, or prepare and file your return online.
- Free File: Prepare your taxes online at www.irs.gov without cost beginning in mid-January 2008 if you earned $54,000 or less in 2007.
Also, you have more options and flexibility for receiving your 2007 U.S. income tax refund. Now you can directly deposit your refund into one checking or savings account or split your refund with direct deposits into two or three checking or savings accounts.
Whether you file electronically or on paper, direct deposit gives you faster access to your refund than a paper check. To request direct deposit of your refund into one account, enter your bank or financial institution’s nine-digit routing number and your account number on the direct deposit line of your tax return. If you do not have these numbers or are unsure of them, contact your bank or financial institution. (A word of caution: Some financial institutions do not allow a joint refund to be deposited into an individual account. Check with your bank or financial institution to make sure your direct deposit will be accepted.) With split refunds, you have a convenient option for managing your money, sending some of your refund to an account for immediate use and some for future savings. Use Form 8888, Direct Deposit of Refund to More Than One Account, to divide your refund among two or three different accounts. Note: If you fail to request direct deposit on your return, you will receive your refund as a paper check in the mail.
The IRS office in the American Embassy in London provides the following customer services: receipt of payments and tax returns, help in resolving account and refund problems, certifying documents for IRS use in ITIN applications, and answering technical questions. This office also provides limited assistance in preparing tax returns. Telephone service is available at 020-7894-0477 Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. The email address is irs.london@irs.gov.
Election 2008: Registering to Vote
There is still time to register to vote for some State primaries as well as the Presidential election. Pennsylvania’s primary is scheduled for April, and Indiana, North Carolina, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oregon, and Idaho are holding their primaries in May.
Each State has its own respective deadline for requesting an absentee ballot. Request your ballot today in order to make your vote count. Should your State’s deadline have already passed, you should still submit your ballot request. Your request for an absentee ballot will still allow you to vote in the November 2008 Presidential election.
Please consult your State-specific instructions on the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) website at or more information on how to submit your request for an absentee ballot. Remember that many States, but not all, allow for electronic submission (via either fax or e-mail) of the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) and that this can save valuable time in meeting the State-specific deadlines. Either fax or e-mail (and always subsequently mail) your FPCA to your local State government entity responsible for voter registration according to the instructions for your State.
As always, the Consulate stands ready to help guide you through the absentee voter registration process. You can fill out and mail your FPCA by going to voting website at www.fvap.gov or to our website.
You can also contact our voting unit by sending an e-mail to EdinburghVote@state.gov.
If you do not have access to the Internet, you can send a written request for an FPCA to: American Consulate, Voting Unit, 3 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5B. Please provide your name, full UK mailing address, your current or last State of residence in the United States, and the number of application forms you require.
U.S. citizens may also contact the Federal voting ombudsman for help with absentee voting problems and issues. If dialing from the UK, the toll-free number (yes, toll-free, even from the UK!) is 0800-169-8035. Additional information about toll-free numbers to contact FVAP can be found at www.fvap.gov/services/tollfree.html.
Proposed Changes in UK Taxation of Long-Term Residents
The UK Government is accepting comments on a proposal to tax the overseas-earned income of people who have resided in the UK for more than seven years, but maintain a “domicile” outside the UK. For those Americans who plan to reside in the UK for less than seven years, or whose sole sources of income are within the UK, the proposal may have no impact. But for others the impact could range from additional paperwork to a significantly higher tax obligation.
For more information or to comment on the proposed changes, see the HM Treasury website. HM Treasury is accepting public comment on the proposal until February 28, 2008.
Celebrate your U.S./Scottish Ties on Tartan Day
Tartan Day will be celebrated in the U.S. on April 6. This is a day to recognize the contributions made by Scottish-Americans to the development of the United States. These influential Scottish immigrants included Alexander Graham Bell, Andrew Carnegie, John Muir and Patrick Henry. The date of Tartan Day was selected tom commemorate 6 April, 1320 when the Declaration of Arbroath was presented to the Pope. The Declaration of Arbroath later became the inspiration for our American Declaration of Independence. For more information on Tartan Day in the U.S. visit www.tartanday.org.
Spring Forward, Fall Back!
Daylight Saving Time (DST) in the U.S. begins the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday of November. This year DST begins Sunday, March 9, when clocks are turned ahead one hour; DST ends Sunday, November 2, when clocks are turned back one hour.
In the United Kingdom, DST begins Sunday, March 30, 2008 at 1:00 AM local standard time when clocks are turned forward one hour to 2:00 AM. DST ends Sunday, October 26, 2008 at 2:00 AM.
From March 9 to 30, the time difference between Eastern Standard Time and UK local time will be +4 hours rather than +5 hours, as the UK switches to DST later than the U.S.