US and UK tax returns, prepared by one team.

Yes. US citizens and green card holders must file a US federal tax return every year regardless of where they live, reporting worldwide income. Living in the UK does not remove this obligation — but reliefs like the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and Foreign Tax Credit usually prevent you from being taxed twice.

Generally no. The US–UK tax treaty, combined with the Foreign Tax Credit and Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, is designed to prevent double taxation. Most clients legally owe tax in only one jurisdiction on a given income source when their filings are structured correctly.

The Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures let US taxpayers living abroad who were unaware of their obligations catch up without the usual late-filing penalties, where they qualify. It typically requires three years of tax returns and six years of FBARs, plus a signed statement that the failure to file was non-wilful.

If you are a US person and the combined balance of your non-US financial accounts exceeds $10,000 at any point in the year, you must file an FBAR (FinCEN Form 114). This includes UK current accounts, ISAs, pensions and joint accounts.

Yes — that is exactly what we specialise in. Rather than coordinating a UK accountant and a US preparer who never speak to each other, our team handles both sides together, so your treaty positions, credits and filings line up across jurisdictions.

Often, yes. They are separate reports with different thresholds. The FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) is required once your non-US accounts exceed $10,000 combined. Form 8938 is filed with your US tax return under FATCA and applies above higher thresholds — for an unmarried person living in the UK, $200,000 at year-end or $300,000 at any time. Filing one does not satisfy the other.

Not always. Most UK employees are taxed through PAYE and need no return. A UK Self Assessment return is required where you are self-employed, a landlord, a higher earner with untaxed income, or need to claim reliefs such as split-year treatment or the Foreign Income and Gains regime. We check which applies and prepare the return alongside your US filing.

Form W-8BEN is the IRS form a non-US individual gives to a US payer — a broker, a client, a publisher — to confirm they are not a US person and to claim the reduced US withholding rate under the US–UK tax treaty. Companies use Form W-8BEN-E. US citizens cannot use it: they give Form W-9 instead. Which form applies depends on who you are and what the income is.

You are not alone, and there is an orderly route back. If the failure was non-wilful and you live abroad, the IRS Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures typically require three years of returns and six years of FBARs. We confirm which years and forms apply before anything is prepared, so you know the full picture and the fixed fee first.