I would consult the US Embassy after arriving there. They have tax specialist there who will assist you in completing your US tax forms and/or answer your tax questions.

I am assuming you are moving from US to Swiss. Also, I am assuming you are staying more than two years in Swiss on this assignment.

You would need to get an extension for your taxes from the IRS to extend the time beyond Dec. 31, 2013.

You have to file your Swiss return and when times come in to prepare your 2012 US tax return in early 2013 you will be able to exclude the two month from your income and possible get some foreign tax credit.

Bottom line what you need to is to extend your US tax filing date beyond Dec. 31, 2013. You have to make sure that your US tax liabilities are meet, extensions are only for time and not for payment.
For the state, you need to tell me which state you were resident off, before moving overseas.

I hope this helped, if you have any question or concern, please let me know.

Regards,
Abraham Itani, CPA
www.itanitax.com

You have a lot to look at - we provide a FREE service we call "Pre-Assignment Consultation." In which we will talk to you over the phone for 30 minutes to explain the taxes and rules you are about to encounter. If interested send me an e-mail - Chuck.Heyde@GEMMS.us

If you want to go it alone, I recommend the following readings:

www.form-2555.com
www.bona-fide-residence.com
www.physical-presence-test.com
www.fbar-advice.com

Finally, your new "google" words are "expatriate" and "expatriate tax." There you will find all you wanted to know but didn't know to ask.

Good luck and enjoy your journey.