How to Pay US Taxes From Abroad Without a US Bank Account
The IRS payment system assumes a US bank account. The four ways to pay from the UK or UAE, what each costs, why payment …
Form 5471 Late Filing Penalty: The $10,000 Charge and How to Avoid It
A missing Form 5471 costs $10,000 per company per year under section 6038(b), rising to $60,000 after an IRS notice, and…
Streamlined Non-Residency Requirement: The 330-Day Test Explained
One test separates the penalty-free Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures from the 5% domestic version: 330 full days …
Foreign Tax Redetermination: What to Do When HMRC Refunds Tax You Credited
An HMRC repayment for a year you already claimed as a foreign tax credit is a foreign tax redetermination under section …
US-UK Tax Treaty for Teachers: The Two-Year Exemption in Article 20A
Article 20A of the UK-US treaty exempts visiting professors, teachers and researchers from host-country income tax for u…
EIS Tax Relief for US Citizens: Why the IRS Ignores It
EIS and SEIS give generous UK Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax reliefs that the IRS does not recognise. How the exempt g…
How to Amend an FBAR: Correcting Mistakes on FinCEN Form 114
An FBAR filed on time with an error is corrected by filing a complete new FinCEN Form 114 marked Amend. The steps, the B…
UK Pension PFIC Rules: When Form 8621 Is Not Required
UK funds are PFICs, but inside a registered pension the US-UK treaty defers the tax and Treasury Regulations section 1.1…
Treaty Tie-Breaker Rule: Who Wins When the US and UK Both Claim You
When the US and UK both treat you as resident, Article 4 of the treaty picks one. The five tests in order, why US citize…
How to Verify a US Tax Preparer in the UK: 5 Checks
The title tax adviser is not protected in the US or the UK, so checking credentials is the client's job. Five free check…
UK Redundancy Pay and US Tax: The £30,000 Exemption Gap
The UK exempts the first £30,000 of redundancy pay; the IRS taxes all of it as wages. How each part of a termination pac…
Director's Loan Account and US Tax: The Section 956 Trap
Borrowing from your own UK company is routine for British directors and safe if repaid within nine months. For an Americ…
Accidental American Tax: Streamlined Filing or Renounce?
Many people learn they are US citizens only when their bank asks for a US tax number. The two ways out of years of unfil…
Form 6166: US Residency Certificate for UK Treaty Claims
US residents with a UK pension or other UK income need proof of US residence before HMRC stops deducting tax. How to get…
Foreign Tax Credit: Paid or Accrued? The Form 1116 Election
The UK and US tax years do not line up, and the paid-or-accrued election decides which US year a UK tax bill belongs to.…
The 60% Tax Trap for US Citizens in the UK
Between £100,000 and £125,140 the UK takes 60p of Income Tax from each extra pound. How the Personal Allowance taper wor…
FBAR for Minor Children: Junior ISAs and Kids' Accounts
A child who is a US citizen needs their own FBAR once their foreign accounts pass $10,000, whatever their age. Who signs…
UK State Pension and US Tax: Who Taxes It and Where
The UK State Pension is paid gross and taxed differently depending on where you live. How the UK-US treaty assigns the t…
Tax Equalization Explained: Hypothetical Tax for Assignees
Employers use tax equalization so an overseas assignment neither costs nor saves the employee tax. How hypothetical tax …
Switching US-UK Tax Accountant: What to Collect First
Changing adviser is easy; rebuilding lost working papers is not. The carry-forward records to request, how Form 2848 and…
Estimated Tax Payments for US Expats: Who Pays and When
Americans abroad with US tax to pay, such as high earners and the self-employed in Dubai, must pay it in four instalment…
Form 5471 Categories of Filers: Which Applies to Your UK Ltd?
Form 5471 has five filer categories, and the category decides which schedules you must complete. How a US owner or direc…
After Streamlined Filing: What Happens Once You Submit
The IRS does not confirm receipt of a streamlined submission or issue a closing letter. What actually happens after you …
Saving Clause Exceptions: What the US-UK Treaty Still Gives Americans
The saving clause lets the US tax its citizens as if the treaty did not exist, but Article 1(5) carves out a short list …