I completely understand your anxiety - I was in a nearly identical situation about two years ago. US citizen living in Germany for 6 years, hadn't filed a single return or FBAR, and was terrified about flying back for my father's funeral. The reality is exactly what everyone else has said here - there are no IRS agents at airports checking tax compliance. I flew into Miami International and the CBP officer literally spent 30 seconds checking my passport and asking basic questions about my trip purpose. Zero mention of taxes, filing status, or anything related to the IRS. However, I learned something important that might help you: even if you can't get fully compliant before your trip, you can at least start the process. I began gathering my documents and researching the Streamlined procedures before I left, which gave me some peace of mind. It showed me that there was a clear path forward and that my situation wasn't as hopeless as I'd imagined. The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion ended up covering most of my overseas income when I finally filed through the Streamlined program. What felt like an insurmountable tax disaster turned out to be mostly paperwork with minimal actual tax owed. Focus on your family emergency first - that's what matters right now. The tax situation can wait a few more weeks, and honestly, having this conversation here has probably done more to educate you about your options than months of worrying in silence ever could.

I want to share some additional reassurance from a legal perspective. I'm an attorney who handles expatriate tax matters, and I can confirm that what you're experiencing is extremely common anxiety that's largely unfounded. The IRS Criminal Investigation division has very limited resources and focuses on cases involving willful tax evasion, fraud, and significant amounts of money. Simply not filing while living abroad doesn't meet their threshold for criminal investigation. Even civil enforcement typically starts with letters and notices to your last known address, not airport detentions. What's important to understand is that there's a distinction between "failure to file" (which is your situation) and "tax evasion" (which involves willful attempts to hide income). Your case falls into the former category, especially since you've been paying taxes in Japan and weren't trying to hide anything. The Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures were specifically created by the IRS to address the massive population of non-compliant US expats. The program acknowledges that many Americans abroad simply didn't know about their US filing obligations or found the requirements overwhelming. The fact that this formal program exists shows the IRS recognizes this is a widespread issue requiring a practical solution, not criminal enforcement. Fly home for your family emergency with confidence. Handle what's important first, then tackle the tax compliance when you return. The system is actually designed to accommodate people in exactly your situation.

Does anyone remember when you could actually get paper savings bonds with your tax refund? I miss those days. My grandparents gave me paper bonds when I was a kid, and I liked continuing that tradition with my own kids using the tax refund option. Now everything's electronic and it just doesn't feel the same.

I'm really disappointed about this change too. I've been using the savings bond option for about 8 years as part of my financial planning strategy. It was such a simple way to automatically put away part of my refund before I could spend it on something unnecessary. What really bothers me is that they didn't give much advance notice about discontinuing the program. I only found out when I went to file my taxes this year and the option just wasn't there anymore. A heads up would have been nice so people could plan alternative savings strategies. I guess I'll have to look into setting up that TreasuryDirect account, but honestly the convenience factor was a big part of why I used this program in the first place. Now it's just another thing I have to remember to do manually.

Tip from someone who deals with this every year: Take screenshots or save PDFs of the historical stock prices for any noncovered securities you sell, especially if you're using stepped-up basis or had to research the original purchase price. Keep these files with your tax records. The IRS has been paying more attention to capital gains in recent years, and having documentation ready if you get questioned will save you massive headaches. I learned this the hard way after getting a CP2000 notice for some old stocks I sold.

This is exactly the kind of confusion that trips up so many people! I went through the same thing last year with some old mutual fund shares. The key thing to remember is that "noncovered" literally means the IRS isn't getting that basis information from your broker, so it's 100% on you to report it correctly. One thing I'd add to the great advice already given - make sure you're consistent across all your noncovered securities. If you have multiple sales throughout the year, use the same method for calculating basis (FIFO, specific identification, etc.) and document your approach. The IRS wants to see consistency in your reporting methodology. Also, if you're using TurboTax, it should walk you through this step by step. When it asks about the noncovered securities, just make sure you're entering your actual basis, not necessarily what's printed on the 1099-B. The software will handle the rest and make sure it gets reported properly on your Schedule D and Form 8949.

Has anyone tried just using Google Drive or Dropbox instead of specialized tax document software? Seems like paying for fancy features might be overkill for a small practice?

As someone who recently went through this exact transition, I can't stress enough how much the right document management system will transform your practice. I was in your same situation last year - drowning in paper and basic cloud storage that was becoming a nightmare. One thing I wish I had considered earlier is the total cost of ownership beyond just the monthly subscription. Factor in training time, data migration, and potential productivity loss during the transition. I made the mistake of switching systems right before tax season and it was stressful, even though it worked out great in the long run. Also, whatever system you choose, make sure it has robust backup and disaster recovery features. I learned this the hard way when my old system had a sync issue that could have lost weeks of client uploads. Now I always ask about their backup protocols and how quickly they can restore data if something goes wrong. The investment is absolutely worth it though. My stress levels during tax season dropped dramatically once I could instantly find any document I needed instead of digging through folders. Good luck with your decision!

This is such a stressful situation, but you're definitely not alone in dealing with this! I went through something similar a few years ago when my tax preparer accidentally used outdated bank info from my previous return. One thing that really helped me was getting a copy of my tax transcript from the IRS website (irs.gov) - it shows exactly where your refund was sent and the status. You can access it immediately online with your SSN and some basic verification info. This gave me concrete details to reference when I called both the IRS and my tax prep company. Also, while you're waiting for everything to get sorted out, consider asking your tax preparer if they offer any kind of emergency assistance or advance on the refund amount since it was their error. Some of the larger chains have policies for situations like this, especially when it's clearly their mistake. At minimum, they should be covering any fees you incur because of their error. The good news is that your sister and cousin are right - the money will eventually come back to you, it's just a matter of time. Banks are required to reject deposits when the account name doesn't match, so it will bounce back to the IRS who will then issue a paper check. Hang in there!

I'm so sorry you're going through this stress! As someone who works in banking, I can confirm that when a refund is deposited to an account where the name doesn't match, the receiving bank is required to return those funds to the originating source (the IRS) within a specific timeframe - usually 1-3 business days after they catch the mismatch. The key thing is to document everything right now. Get a written statement from your tax preparer acknowledging their error, and file Form 3911 (Taxpayer Statement Regarding Refund) with the IRS to initiate a payment trace. This form officially starts the process of tracking where your refund went and getting it back to you. While waiting, also check if your state has a taxpayer advocate office - they can sometimes help expedite these cases when there's clear preparer error involved. The $3,800 amount definitely qualifies as a significant financial hardship situation that they take seriously. Most importantly, don't panic! I've seen dozens of these cases over the years and the money always gets returned eventually. The banking system has safeguards specifically to prevent people from keeping money that isn't theirs.