What We Do

Our practice concentrates on expatriate and foreign national taxation. We work solely with corporate sponsored programs and do not serve the individual pay market.

The services that we offer are customized to fit each company's needs and culture. These services fall into several broad categories including tax return preparation, tax reimbursement computation, employee consultations, payroll assistance, management of foreign compliance and other HR management. Consulting projects usually encompass several of these categories.

Tax Return Preparation

We prepare the federal, state and city returns for internationally mobile employees. With tax compliance matters outside the US, we have a great deal of flexibility working with other accountants such as your local preferred provider, auditor or one of our affiliates. You are not tied to one correspondent office as with the largest accounting firms.

Tax Reimbursement Computation

As an independent accounting firm, we implement your tax reimbursement policy in a fair and consistent manner through a tax reimbursement computation. We customize the computation for each program to clearly reflect a company's policy whether equalization, protection or net basis - we don't force your policy into a generic format as with the largest firms. This means that your employees have a quicker and better understanding of their tax liability and reimbursement.

Employee Consultation

It is important that an employee understands before going on assignment the special tax rules of working abroad as well as your company's tax reimbursement policy. Not understanding the implications of a company's tax reimbursement policy is often a significant cause of employee dissatisfaction. These consultations take place in either a one-on-one pre-assignment consultation or in a large group mobilizing for a project.

In a pre-assignment consultation we meet with the employee to explain the special tax rules of working abroad as well as the company's tax reimbursement policy. Tax implications, including hypothetical tax, of the assignment offer may be reviewed. The rental or sale of a personal residence is a common topic of interest. Dependent upon the company, we may review pending stock options, stock appreciation rights or special bonus plans. A spouse or other interested family member is welcome to join the employee in this meeting.

Our staff also present to large groups of employees mobilizing for international assignments. Each program is custom designed to meet your company's goals. We currently present to well over a thousand individuals every month.

Our firm does not provide retirement, personal financial planning or other advice on matters not related to an international assignmentOur practice concentrates on expatriate and foreign national taxation. We work solely with corporate sponsored programs and do not serve the individual pay market.

Payroll Assistance

Complying with US and foreign payroll reporting requirements can be a lengthy and often difficult process. We have projects with a number of companies to gather foreign payments reportable in the US and compute tax gross-ups. We can also work with your payroll programmers to implement Form 673 or update withholding calculations for the new rules related to nonresident aliens.

Management of Foreign Compliance and other HR Management

We can work with you to meet payroll and employee tax reporting requirements outside the US as well as fill gaps in our organization due to staffing experience or resource constraints.

Consulting

We provide other services that combine our skills above. This consulting often encompassrs budgeting compensation costs on proposals or projects, or computing tax reimbursement estimates for financial reporting.

Foreign Vessel OCS Visa

If your foreign controlled company is sending a vessel to work in US waters on an OCS visa endorsement, please contact us. Our firm offers a variety of ways to cost effectively and efficiently meet US compliance requirements. Our discussion wouldl entail application of US income tax and possible social (FICA) tax exemption for your crew members as well as various ways to apply for an ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) on Form W-7. We can also discuss how to meet tax return reporting requirements for these personnel.

Our clients include companies in the offshore construction, geophysical and drilling industries. If you charter the vessel, we can also work with the maritime and catering crews. We are accustomed to working with foreign payroll companies, shipping agents, onboard pursers as well as shore based field personnel.