US Expat Tax Accountant: The Pros & Cons
November 15, 2023 | Paying Taxes | 3 minute read
Expat Tax Blog. Tax Tips for US Americans abroad.
Updated December 17, 2024
All blogs are verified by Enrolled Agents and CPAs
Updated December 17, 2024
Filing taxes from abroad has its frustrations. It’s no surprise that many expats start looking for a US Expat Tax Accountant who understands expat taxation. Once the search begins; however, the questions start.
How much should I pay? Where do I find someone? How do I know they will do it correctly?
Here at MyExpatTaxes, I believe you should have all of the information before deciding who to trust with your taxes abroad. Therefore, we’re discussing the pros and cons of using a US Expat Tax Accountant.
Pro: A US Expat Tax Account is Personal
There is nothing like one-on-one personal attention. When hiring an accountant to file your US expat taxes, you’ll get that. Depending on whom you hire, you may even be able to have a video session with your accountant to answer your most nagging expat tax questions!
Con: Personal Attention means a Higher Price tag
All that personal attention will come with a higher price tag, especially if you want to discuss your taxes with your accountant. We can promise that our services are worth the extra expense!
The Good News
You can get personal attention AND pay a fair price. The Premium Plan from MyExpatTaxes let’s you choose get all your tax questions answered from a Tax Professional. It also includes forms such as FATCA and FBAR, state filing, and a personal video conference with your tax consultant! When comparing our offers to other competitors, such as Greenback Expat Taxes or a private accountant, you’ll quickly pay over $1k or more, a few hundred dollars more than MyExpatTaxes can offer you today!
Pro: It’s Easier to File From Abroad than Hiring an Accountant
The first pro is the obvious one. Hiring a Tax Professional will make your life easy. Just supply all the necessary documents and answer a few questions. We will do the rest for you. In the end, all you need to do is approve and sign off. Next thing you know, your tax return is on its way to the IRS.
Con: Easy Isn’t Always Better
Yup. At first glance, using a personal accountant may seem like a guarantee of success. But how can you be sure your tax return will be filed to your liking? Unless you’re well versed in US tax law, you’ll need to put your trust (and finances!) in this person’s experience.
The Good News
At MyExpatTaxes, our Tax Professionals work strictly with expat taxes. This focus gives them a one-up on accountants who may do expat taxes occasionally.
Pro: E-Filing From Abroad
Depending on whom you go with, you may be able to e-file your tax return with your US expat tax accountant. Whether or not they can depends on whether the IRS has approved them to e-file and the complexity of your return.
Con: E-Filing From Abroad
Yeah, we know. It’s both a pro and a con. Not every US Expat Tax Professional can e-file your return. Make sure you check on this with them BEFORE you start working with them.
The Good News
You guessed it! At MyExpatTaxes, we can file up to 99% of our client’s tax returns abroad. Not too shabby. Even our Base plan clients are equally eligible for e-filing.
Pro: Expert Support
Not much that can compare to the confidence you feel when finishing your taxes with assurance in the quality and timeliness. By hiring an expert, you count on quick processing of your filing. Additionally, you should be able to ask questions to prepare better when making future financial decisions that could impact your US taxes.
Con: False Sense of Security
Just because someone may call themselves an expat tax specialist doesn’t mean they understand the unique ins and outs of expat taxes.
The Good News
MyExpatTaxes is by expats for expats! Led by our CEO Nathalie Goldstein, who is not only an expat herself, she’s also an IRS Enrolled Agent. It’s the highest level of recognition given out by the Internal Revenue Service. Moreover, she is a Forbes Financial Council member and regular contributor to expat tax publications and was recognized as Forbes 30 under 30.
Pro: Customer Reviews to Utilize
One way to establish if the US Expat Tax Professional you’re considering hiring could be a good fit is by checking out their online reviews. Larger companies should have several reviews from a variety of satisfied clients.
Con: Lack of Reviews
Smaller organizations or newer accountants may have few online reviews from clients. Be careful, especially if they only have a handful, as those could be easy to fake.
The Good News
MyExpatTaxes has over 1,000 4 & 5-star reviews across trustworthy platforms, including TrustPilot, Google, and Facebook. After reading this article, suppose you’re still not 100% convinced that MyExpatTaxes is the best choice for your US expat tax accountants. In that case, I highly recommend browsing our reviews and hearing from our customers directly.
The Tax Pros at MyExpatTaxes are here to help!
Whether you are looking for a personal expat tax accountant, you want to file yourself with our software, or you’re still considering other services like Greenback, TFX, or a private accountant, we are always happy to help answer your questions and put your mind at ease.
Should you need more to convince you, we’ve put together a side-by-side comparison of our competitors to prove once and for all that MyExpatTaxes is all the US Expat Tax Accountant you’ll need!
Written by Nathalie Goldstein, EA
Nathalie Goldstein, EA is a leading expert on US taxes for Americans living abroad and CEO and Co-Founder of MyExpatTaxes. She contributes to Forbes and has been featured in Forbes, CNBC and Yahoo Finance discussing US expat tax.
November 15, 2023 | Paying Taxes | 3 minute read
