Online course in September for advisers seeking to know more about advising U.S. expats

DJH International Tax is headed up by Deborah Hicks, pictured left, and is known to many in the UK and European expat wealth management and tax advice community for sponsoring an annual tax conference every year for the past nine years in London. 

Next month's “U.S. Tax Compliance For Your Expatriate Clients" course, which Hicks and Richardson say will consist of six “mostly live” and "manageable" modules held across a three week period in September, is set to begin on Friday, Sept. 4, with a brief introductory session beginning at 4pm British Summer Time (BST), when all of the subsequent sessions are also scheduled to kick off. 

Each of the six subsequent modules will address a "key area of practice and understanding" for those with American expat clients, such as an overview of "the most common information returns American expats are obliged to fill out every year, "and the attendant penalty regimes"; "Who is – and is not – subject to the U.S. regulatory regime"; and the business of "expatriation", as formally giving up one's American citizenship is known. 

Hicks stresses that although the course will discuss "some of the forms that need to be completed" by expats, and/or their tax advisers, every year, it will not be "a series of lectures in how to complete those forms".

She adds: "No particular level of U.S. tax experience is expected [of the course's participants] or taken for granted, as everyone will be looking to fill the gaps in their knowledge.

"Because tax should never been seen in isolation, we [will]  also feature content such as investment and retirement planning, two of the key areas where mistakes can be costly."

Details on these six modules, as well as further details on the course and how to register to participate, may be found on the DHJ website  by clicking here.

The "special introductory price" for the course will be £950 plus VAT per participant, Hicks said.

The dates and times of the six sessions will be as follows: Tuesday, Sept. 8, from 4pm to 6pm; Thurday, Sept. 10, from 4pm to 6pm; Tuesday, Sept. 15, from 4pm to 6pm; Thursday, Sept.17, from 4pm to 6pm; Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 4pm to 6pm; and finally, Thursday, Sept. 24, from 4pm to 6pm. 

'New and unique perspective
on U.S. expat tax issues' 

In a statement on her website, Hicks explains the reasons that American expats require highly-specialized tax advice, compared with other foreign nationals who are living outside their countries' borders.

"Unlike almost every other country in the world, the U.S. obliges its citizens to make a return of their income and assets, regardless of their place of residence," she begins.

"The introduction of FATCA, and the more stringent bank account reporting, has meant that even more U.S. expats are conscious of ensuring that their tax affairs are in good order."

As reported, the annual DJH International Tax Conference took place over two days in March, at London's Smithfield market. Speakers at that event, in addition to Hicks and Richardson, included representatives of EY, Coutts, Forsters, Frank Hirth, Blick Rothenberg, Moore Global US Tax Services, Withers, Trowbridge Professional Corporation and Citizenship Solutions.