01/21/2023
On December 30th, 2022, the IRS made an announcement concerning a delay in the temporary US Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) requirement associated with the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, commonly referred to as FATCA. This announcement principally concerns a group called “accidental Americans.” Accidental Americans are Americans who have spent little to no time living […]
11/14/2022
At first glance, the term “Accidental Americans” doesn’t make a whole lot of sense — after all, how do you become an American by happenstance? But the truth is, Accidental Americans are surprisingly common. One banking organization put the figure at around 110,000, which is believed to be a very conservative estimate. As American persons, […]
05/25/2022
Every year, people around the world feel shocked to discover that the US considers them to be tax residents. Regardless of how long it’s been since they lived in the US — or sometimes, whether they’ve lived there at all — these “accidental Americans” still have US tax and reporting obligations. And if they’re a […]
09/30/2021
From the world-renowned food and wine to the relaxed pace of life to the more affordable cost of living, there are many reasons that moving to France is appealing to Americans, yet French taxes give many pause. Many Americans choose to move to France to study, work, join a loved one, retire, or for some […]
10/31/2019
While Americans living abroad have been required to file US taxes reporting their global income, since the Civil War, it is only the last few years that the US government has been able to enforce the requirement. Americans with foreign registered financial (i.e. bank or investment) accounts are also required to report them annually by […]
09/16/2019
Following the recent revelation that hundreds of thousands of Accidental Americans around the world face having their bank accounts closed at the end of 2019, the IRS has announced a penalty- and tax- free path that will allow many of these individuals to renounce their US citizenship without paying any penalties, and so keep their […]
09/02/2019
Following recent revelations that up to 40,000 Americans living in France are at risk of having their bank accounts closed at the end of this year, it transpires that US expats who haven’t provided their foreign bank with their social security number or ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) around the world are faced with the same […]
12/20/2018
President Trump has announced that he is preparing an executive order to end the US policy of birthright citizenship, meaning children born in the US to foreign parents will no longer automatically be granted US citizenship. American citizenship comes with benefits, but also obligations, including having to file US taxes on their worldwide income for […]
02/15/2018
The American tax system is unusual compared to almost every other country in that the US taxes based on citizenship rather than on residence. So while most countries only those people who live in that country, and/or those who have income arising in the country, the US taxes all US citizens (and green card holders) […]
12/12/2016
An Accidental American is typically either someone who was born in the US to foreign parents who were there there just temporarily, or someone who is the child of an American living abroad. The first scenario is straightforward. If you are born in America, you are a US citizen. No ifs, no buts. The second […]