# Seeking an international tax advisor / accountant



## expatwannabe2010

Hello all! I'm an American with French residency, and going for citizenship soon (although I'm not even sure if I want to stay in France, I would like to explore Spain and Italy...)... 

My situation is a little complicated, as I work independently, online, but basically I'm trying to find a tax consultant knowledgable of various countries who can help me plan for the future and make sure I don't pay out half my income in taxes. 

As I said, I work online, and will also be starting another online business as well which will probably raise my income significantly, so I'm trying to sort out where to set up the actual business (the Estonian e-residency thing has been suggested to me, but I'm not sure if that really helps with taxes). 

Every year I spend a varying amount of time in France, the US, and other countries, so I don't know officially year-to-year where I'm really considered tax resident... I want to find a way to simplify things. I want to kind of "set it and forget it" - just live wherever I want for as long as I want, and file taxes in one place. 

.. preferably not France of the US, however! France has been very complicated when it comes to businesses or self-employment, and also has a very high tax rate. The US also taxes a lot on self-employed income and the paperwork is always such a misery to get through. 

Since this has just been overwhelming me for way too long, I've been trying to find a good tax consultant to help me sort myself out. I need to figure out where I should open my business (Estonia?), how I should pay myself (salary or dividends?), and where I can consider myself tax resident (and I don't mind getting a residency somewhere else once I get my French citizenship, and maybe renting an apartment there or something) that allows me to spend long amounts of time elsewhere. I need help mapping out a plan so that I can finally stop stressing about this! 

Thank you for any recommendations!


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## Bevdeforges

I'm not sure if a "tax consultant" is what you really need in your situation. Back in business school, one of the mantras of the tax classes was that you should never do something in business solely for "tax reasons." The subject never came up, but "residence" would strike me as one of the top of the list of things you should decide on for reasons other than mere tax consequences.

First of all, it's really difficult to find a "tax expert" for more than one or two countries at a time. The big public accounting firms use staff from all around the world to do the big multi-national type tax returns. (And charge the big bucks for so doing.)

Another problem is that each country has its own take on what constitutes "residence" - tax residence or plain old residence - and if you're not careful, you'll wind up having two or more tax residences, with all the fun and games that involves (for tax and non-tax matters). Despite what some folks will tell you, it's not just a matter of where you spend at least 183 days during the tax year. (And not all countries have a calendar tax year, either.)

Taking French nationality really only helps you when it comes to EU countries, most of which have fairly "restrictive" regulations when it comes to business registration and taxation. And, until and unless you ditch your US citizenship ($2350, please) you'll still have the US tax obligation no matter what.

You may actually need a more general business consultant who can advise you on where it might be most advantageous to set up the type of business you have (or are looking at establishing). 
Cheers,
Bev


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## expatwannabe2010

Thanks! So many different titles for people, I don't know whether I need a tax consultant, a financial advisor, or what you mentioned, a business consultant. 

I've heard of (and have met) enough people who do decide where to live with their tax situation as a major factor, so I don't think it's rare. 

I would love to find someone, or a company, who knows about the different country's laws... it's so confusing. I have an English friend who just read something and is wondering if he is supposed to be paying taxes in France, because he owns a home here, but spends most of his time at his parents' house in the UK. I don't understand why this whole tax issue can't be simple and easy to understand for everyone! lol. Honestly, I'm all for getting rid of income taxes and just raising tax money from sales taxes and luxury taxes, etc... it would make so much more sense, as then you're paying taxes in a country when you're there. Anyway... since that will never happen in most countries... 

I'll look into a business consultant. :-D


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## Sendrigo

expatwannabe2010 said:


> Thanks! So many different titles for people, I don't know whether I need a tax consultant, a financial advisor, or what you mentioned, a business consultant.


Good question. I think what you likely need is a globally-minded tax consultant who has international reach and knowledge, with a good network of people (attorneys, financial advisors, etc.) he/she can turn to with questions.

I just sent you a private message.



expatwannabe2010 said:


> I've heard of (and have met) enough people who do decide where to live with their tax situation as a major factor, so I don't think it's rare.


When you're in business, taxes are extremely important, and it's wise to choose where to set up shop and live, given the enormous implications that taxation may have.



expatwannabe2010 said:


> I would love to find someone, or a company, who knows about the different country's laws... it's so confusing.


You are right that it is very confusing, especially for Americans. As Bev mentioned, it's very difficult to find someone who knows the tax laws of many countries, but it is possible to find people who understand US-global taxation very well. You may be able to take advantage of totalization agreements which allow you to pay tax in only one country.

Feel free to ask any questions, I'll try my best to help out.


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## expatwannabe2010

Thanks! I sent you an email


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## tenant13

Have you sorted out your situation and found someone that helped you?


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## expatwannabe2010

Maybe? I don't know. I seem to just keep screwing things up. Haven't found the light at the end of the tunnel.


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## tenant13

You may want to check Andrew Henderson from the Nomad Capitalist website.


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## expatwannabe2010

I'm familiar with him and his website.... unfortunately apparently I don't earn enough money for it to be worth it to work with him. lol


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## tenant13

I've been digging around the issue for a while and found a few other resources that might be a bit cheaper than nomad capitalist. 

ustax.bz
flagtheory.com


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## tenant13

Flag theory guys are an alternative to nomad capitalist since they offer more comprehensive and business oriented approach to the whole expat situation but the ustax dude might be exactly what you're looking for. Under "courses" he offers 3 different levels of advice and the second one - for freelancers - seems tailored for you.


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## expatwannabe2010

tenant13 said:


> Flag theory guys are an alternative to nomad capitalist since they offer more comprehensive and business oriented approach to the whole expat situation but the ustax dude might be exactly what you're looking for. Under "courses" he offers 3 different levels of advice and the second one - for freelancers - seems tailored for you.



Thank you, I will check him out!


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## tenant13

I can actually post links now and found even more of them so here we go, all in one place, take your pick:

https://www.taxesforexpats.com/index.html
https://ustax.bz/courses/tax-savvy-expat/
https://www.artiopartners.com
https://www.greenbacktaxservices.com
https://1040abroad.com
https://www.usexpattaxhelp.com/index.php
https://flagtheory.com


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## webSNIPER

Thanks for the list. You can add also: CPADdenverco.com


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## tenant13

This reddit thread and links might be helpful as well: https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalnom...ltimate_tax_guide_for_american_nomads_expats/


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