You’ve moved abroad, be it for a job or for your spouse who resides in a different country. Maybe it was to travel the world, and you later decided not to return. But suddenly, tax season rolls around. What do you do? Do you need to file with the IRS? Or do you have to file where you currently reside? What happens now?
Suddenly, you’re googling in the middle of the night, still none the wiser, just more confused with random form names, numbers, and acronyms spinning around in your head. It’s not helpful in the slightest. So you think you’ll speak to a local accountant or the one your family uses back home.
The thing is, when you find yourself in this situation, you need experts who are proficient in dealing with expat taxes and know exactly what you need to do to file your return correctly and avoid any mistakes or penalties that come from not understanding your obligations regarding taxes, regardless of where you are in the world.
This is where Universal Tax Professionals come into the picture. This is exactly what they were built for.
Who are Universal Tax Professionals?
Universal Tax Professionals is a US expat tax firm based in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. They’ve been doing one thing and one thing alone: helping expats file their taxes correctly on time. There’s no street, no jargon, no guesswork, just professionals who know exactly what needs to be done and can help you make sure you do too.
The firm is staffed with experienced American accountants, CPAs, and Enrolled agents. They are all special in the specific idling requirements that come with living aboard.
This firm operates in more than 100 countries, and they handle everything from straightforward annual returns to complex situations involving foreign corporations, overseas investments, and years of missed filings.
Such is the scope of their expertise that they’ve been featured in publications such as Yahoo Finance, MSN Money, Go BankingRates, Expert Expat, and Newsbreak. They are also authorized by the IRS for e-filing.
But what makes them different from other expat tax firms?
Everything here is done in-house. Nothing is outsourced. They won’t hand your paperwork or other details to any other parties or automated software. Every signal return is prepared by a real licensed member of their own team. And you know exactly who that person is as the firm matches each client with a dedicated accountant based on their specific situation.
A Service Model Built for Real People
The process is straightforward by design; you make the contact first. The Universal Tax Professionals send their price list and a client questionnaire upfront. This removes any shock bills or fees you aren’t expecting. Then you upload your documents to a secure file-sharing portal.
From here, your matched accountant takes over, preparing your return over a two to three week window. Crucially, you review a full draft to receive before you pay anything. This is paramount as it means you know exactly what is going to be filed on your behalf, so you can make any changes if there’s been a mistake made by either party. Once you’re happy with everything, you make the payment, and the return is e-filed or sent for mailing.
Sounds too simple? That’s because it is. You’re paying for a service to make life easier, and that’s exactly what happens here. Flat rate pricing, a transparent price list, a real accountant who knows your name and situation, and a pay after review model that puts the burden of quality firmly on the firm, not you as the client.
The Full Picture
Beyond the standard annual return, Universal Tax Professionals covers the full range of situations that come with an international life: FBAR filing for foreign bank accounts, FATCA reporting, corporate taxes for Americans with overseas business interests, non-resident tax reporting, self-employed returns, state tax returns, amended returns, and tax resolution. For those who haven’t filed in years, the firm handles IRS Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures. This is the amnesty program that allows expats to get back on track without the standard penalty exposure. They also offer a Global Mobility Tax service and maintain partnerships with foreign tax firms and legal advisors for situations that cross into other jurisdictions.
Why Customers Love Universal Tax Professionals
It’s simple, really. They love consistency. They know what they’re getting. Reviews mention this time and time again. They name team members directly, and reviews point to details that prove their cases were handled properly. — stimulus payments they didn’t know they could claim, or errors on previous returns being caught and corrected.
It’s the attention to detail that sets them apart and brings customers back time and again. In fact, around 30% of their clients were referred by existing clients who had a good experience. And this matters so much more than anything else in relation to customer satisfaction.
What Else Do You Need to Know?
To be fair, nothing is perfect. Not all of the time, and there are some caveats to this type of service that might mean it’s not quite right for you.
The service is entirely virtual, meaning there’s no physical office for you to frequent. This can be a deal breaker for some, but as most clients are expats, it’s not usually an issue.
The 2-3 week preparation window might be too long for late filers, resulting in it being submitted too late. And the firm exclusively advises Americans living abroad, so if your situation involves non-US citizens with US obligations in a more complex structure, then it’s worth confirming the scope before you commit to this service.
There’s no real deal breakers here, sure, there are some limitations to the services, this is the case with everything, and it’s not a one-size-fits-all operation.
But Universal Tax Professionals operate in a very niche space. If you find yourself circling this exact situation, then they could be the resolution you need to make your life much easier come tax time.
