# US/UK Taxes



## cersei (May 26, 2015)

Hi all! Can anyone point me in the right direction for how to tackle getting my taxes in order for a small business? As a US Citizen I'm on the hook for taxes in both countries but...I think I need a reputable accountant that deals with expats to help me navigate. Unlike the visa issue, I have no desire to try to handle this all myself! Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

(Moderators - sorry if this is the wrong spot for this! Please feel free to move if it is!)


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

I've moved this the the Tax Forum where they should be able to help you.


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## cersei (May 26, 2015)

Oh thank you!


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

As a US citizen, you're on the hook for US personal income taxes no matter where you live. That probably comes as no surprise. Your roadmap for that part of things should be IRS Publication 54, which explains the overview and some of the most common/popular options available.

As far as the business is concerned, it kind of depends just exactly how that business is set up. If it's a "sole proprietorship" you can probably cover your bases simply by filing your personal returns (i.e. with a Schedule C to report the business side of things). 

As for "reputable accountants" with experience with expats, you'll have to ask around for recommendations. I recently saw a pretty frightening article moaning about how the US makes no attempt to regulate or legislate "tax advisors" and "tax preparers" - and finding someone from overseas usually means finding someone online, where all the usual caveats apply. You could try finding yourself an "Enrolled Agent" - which is someone certified by the IRS based on testing. There are a few in the UK (or at least their used to be). Google the term "Enrolled Agent" and see what you can find - however I notice that the NAEA (National Association of Enrolled Agents) no longer has a way for you to search for EAs located outside the US. When you use the "advanced search" feature on the site, they do list "expatriates" as a specialty so maybe you could work online with someone for the tax side of things.

There are a number of forum members (flagged as "Premium members") who do tax preparation work for expats - however they cannot flog their services on the message boards, other than in the Classified Ads sections. And, as some magazines advise, you should take proper measures to check the qualifications of advertisers before you make any sort of commitment.

If you belong to any local expat groups, you could ask around to see if there are local tax preparers, accountants or other professionals they can recommend.
Cheers,
Bev


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