Britsimon

OK - been living here since February on an H1 visa. I am about to convert to LPR by early September.

I have reasonably complex financial matters between UK/EU/USA property holdings, some US and UK investments and a fairly large capital gain (shares) that I need to access this year to close a property transaction.

So - I need an accountant, preferably someone who understands US tax reporting with foreign tax implications and first year decisions.

Any recommendations - SF Bay area or TriValley would be ideal.

penguinbar

Pete Newton. He's in NY . I've been using him for several years now as well as others on here. You don't have to use someone in your area. I would contact him.
US - UK Tax Preparation and Advice | BritishExpatsTax.Com

Britsimon

Great - thanks. I would prefer someone I can deal with face to face - BUT ultimately I suppose any location would work - so I'll try Pete Newton.

Hotscot

I've been thinking of finding a local CPA for my business.
I wonder if he would fit the bill instead...

penguinbar

I've been extremely happy with Pete.This will be the sixth year that I'll be using him for my taxes. He's very professional yet friendly. He goes through everything and has always responded to me in a timely manner.If I have questions throughout the year he always answers them. I have recommended him to several people and they've all been very happy. He might possibly be on holiday at the moment as I think he had told me he was going away in August but he now has a great assistant Kate who is a big help.

Britsimon

Thanks Penginbar. I think you might be correct about him being away. That's a pity because I expect to get my Green Card in early September and need to make some decisions about when to sell some stock which will cause some CGT liability and might be able to do things prior to becoming an LPR.

Anyway I will hope to hear back from him soon.

kevntrace

I used Michael Gray for my taxes last year. He specializes in shares and stock options. Check out Michael Gray, CPA: Tax Advice from San Jose Advisors He is based in the south bay.

He may not be so hot on the UK stuff, but he might know enough. I still have one of the old endowment policies (thanks Maggie T) that will mature in 4 years time. It only reports finances once per year (August), which flummoxes those in the US tax system as there is not a convenient equivalent.

My aim is to report the final surrender value, minus the monthly cost (consider you should allow for currency conversion on each payment over the 20 odd years) and report the difference as taxable income to the US (although not taxable in the UK). Seems like a reasonable approach, and the US tax system gets their pound of flesh.

IlAlfie

We used San Francisco, CA Accounting Firm | Home Page | Murray, Stok & Co. - ask for Joel. He has been very knowledgeable about US/UK, shares, property sales etc. San Francisco based.