Who we help
Planning a move
Almost everything that saves tax on a transatlantic move has to be done before you land.
The planning window closes on the day you arrive.
Timing a departure, realising gains, restructuring investments and dealing with a home are all easier and cheaper before residence changes.
Afterwards the same steps are still available, usually at a worse price and occasionally not at all.
What we handle
01
Timing the move
Split-year treatment in the UK and residency start dates in the US rarely align neatly. The gap can be planned.
02
Assets held before arrival
Gains, funds and pensions are often better dealt with before the new system starts counting them.
03
The property you leave
Selling, letting or keeping a main residence has different answers depending on which direction you are moving.
04
The first two returns
Arrival and departure years are the most complicated ones you will file. We prepare them together.
Why us
Cheap in advance, expensive in retrospect
The most valuable conversation on a relocation happens months before the flight, and takes an hour.
We would rather have it early and tell you nothing needs doing than reconstruct the year afterwards.
Frequently asked
How early should we talk?
Once the move is likely, ideally in the tax year before it happens. Even a few weeks of notice can change which year a gain falls into.
Does it matter which direction I am moving?
Considerably. Arriving in the US brings worldwide taxation and state tax into play; arriving in the UK raises residence and, for some, remittance questions instead.
What is split-year treatment?
A UK rule that can divide your tax year into resident and non-resident parts when you arrive or leave. It has specific cases with conditions, and it is not automatic.
Should I sell investments before I move?
Frequently yes, particularly non-US funds if you are becoming a US taxpayer. Realising a gain under the old regime is often cheaper than carrying the asset into the new one.
What about my house?
The reliefs differ. UK private residence relief and the US Section 121 exclusion cover different periods and amounts, so the same sale can be exempt in one country and taxable in the other.
Can I be resident in both countries at once?
Under domestic rules, yes. The treaty's tie-breaker then allocates residence to one of them for treaty purposes, using a sequence of tests starting with permanent home.
How much does planning cost?
A pre-move review is a fixed fee agreed in advance. It is usually a small fraction of what it saves, and occasionally it confirms there is nothing to do.
Almost everything that saves tax on a transatlantic move has to be done before you land.
Talk it through
Tell us what you are trying to solve and we will put the right specialist on the call.
Client enquiries
US–UK tax team
Others we work with
Everyone we help
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