Tax residence
Which country may tax you as a resident?
May depend on
- Days
- Home
- Family
- Work
- Local tests
- Treaties
Tax & Structuring
Tax & Structuring
International tax, residence, treaties and structures — explained clearly, without pretending to be advice.
Understand how residence, income, companies, trusts, property and succession can interact when your financial life crosses borders.
Cross-border tax is rarely one rule. It is the interaction between where you live, where income arises, what you own, and which legal structures sit in between.
The difficult part is often sequencing and classification. Salary, investment income, property, pensions, companies and trusts may all follow different rules — and a treaty may change which country has priority without making the issue disappear.
The purpose of this section is to help users identify the right questions before speaking to a qualified adviser.
Start here
What are you trying to understand?
Where am I tax resident?
Understand the distinction between immigration status, day counts and tax residence.
Tax residencyWhich country can tax the income?
Understand source, residence and how the same income can touch more than one system.
International taxationWhere might VAT, GST or sales tax arise?
Understand indirect tax as a question about supplies, separate from where the company is resident.
VAT, GST and sales taxCan a treaty help?
Understand how treaties allocate taxing rights and relieve double taxation.
Double-tax treatiesHow should ownership be structured?
Understand company residence, ownership, control and reporting before using structures.
Company structuringHow does estate planning change across borders?
Understand wills, ownership, inheritance and succession when assets span countries.
Estate planningHow do trusts fit in?
Understand the legal, tax and reporting questions that can arise with trusts.
TrustsWho takes over?
Understand how ownership, control and inheritance can be separate questions.
Succession
Understand the landscape
Residence, source, ownership and treaties are different questions
Source
Where is the income or gain connected?
May depend on
- Employer
- Property location
- Company
- Investment
- Activity
Domicile / long-term connection
Does a jurisdiction use a broader personal connecting factor?
May affect
- Estate
- Inheritance
- Long-term tax exposure
Legal ownership / structure
Who owns the asset or business?
May involve
- Individual
- Company
- Trust
- Partnership
Do not assume one concept answers another.
The big picture
A useful way to think about cross-border tax
01
Person
02
Residence
03
Income / gain
04
Source country
05
Ownership / structure
06
Local tax rules
07
Treaty
08
Reporting / payment
Most cross-border tax problems are easier to understand once the person, asset, income source and legal owner are separated.
- Timing matters. A bonus, a sale or a dividend can fall in a different year from the move.
- Classification matters. Employment, investment, property and pensions are not one category.
- Documentation matters. A position is easier to explain when the timeline and the ownership are on paper.
Each step has its own page. Start with the question in front of you, then come back to the sequence.
Compare international tax providers
Different tax providers solve very different cross-border problems
International tax becomes a coordination problem when residence, income, assets, employers, companies or family interests cross borders.
Compare international tax advisers, global mobility tax specialists and expat-tax providers by client type, geographic reach, tax-residency capability, treaty expertise, compliance support and service model.
A firm that is ideal for a complex multi-jurisdiction private-client case may be unnecessary for a straightforward expat tax return — and a digital filing platform may not be appropriate for a complex treaty or residency issue.
Start with the tax problem
What kind of tax help are you looking for?
What to compare
The right tax provider depends on the complexity of the problem
01
Client type
Individual, family, business, or a US citizen abroad?
02
Geographic scope
Can the adviser coordinate the countries relevant to the case?
03
Tax residency
Can they analyse residence under domestic rules and treaties?
04
Treaties
Do they handle double-tax relief and treaty interpretation?
05
Compliance
Can they prepare and coordinate tax returns?
06
Planning
Can they advise before a move or a restructure?
07
Business tax
Do they support corporate or owner-managed business issues?
08
Service model
Professional adviser, specialist firm, or digital platform?
Filter tax providers
3 providers listed for comparison.
Greenback Expat Tax Services
US expat tax specialist
US expat tax preparation, consultations, FBAR/FATCA and streamlined filings. It is a US-tax specialist, not a general adviser for every country.
- Global reach
- High
- Best aligned with
- US citizens and green-card holders living abroad
- Personal tax
- Core
- Business tax
- Limited
- Tax residency
- US expat context
- Treaty capability
- US treaty context
- Cross-border planning
- US expat-focused
- Tax compliance
- Core
- Service model
- Secure portal and remote filing
- Pricing model
- Published service pricing
US-tax specialist rather than a global multi-jurisdiction tax adviser. Users may need separate local-country advice.
MyExpatTaxes
Digital US expat tax platform
An online platform for US expat filing, FBAR/FATCA, the foreign tax credit and streamlined compliance. It is not a global advisory firm.
- Global reach
- High
- Best aligned with
- US citizens abroad seeking digital tax compliance
- Personal tax
- Core
- Business tax
- Selected reporting
- Tax residency
- US filing context
- Treaty capability
- US-focused
- Cross-border planning
- US expat context
- Tax compliance
- Core
- Service model
- Online tax platform
- Pricing model
- Published tiered pricing
Primarily US-tax compliance. Local-country tax advice may require another adviser.
Sable International
Cross-border tax and accounting
UK personal tax, South African tax, cross-border tax, accounting and emigration-related services. Regional depth is not all-country coverage.
- Global reach
- Medium-High
- Best aligned with
- Individuals and businesses with UK or South Africa links
- Personal tax
- Strong
- Business tax
- Strong
- Tax residency
- Strong, UK and South Africa
- Treaty capability
- Strong
- Cross-border planning
- Strong
- Tax compliance
- Supported jurisdictions
- Service model
- Advisory-led
- Pricing model
- Quote in advance
Strong regional expertise, particularly where UK or South African links are relevant. Not a universal all-country tax service.
Compare international tax providers
Short published facts only. Reach is not a country list, and these labels are not ratings.
A digital filing platform is not a substitute for coordinated advice in each country involved.
| Provider | Provider type | Best aligned with | Tax residency | Treaty capability | Cross-border planning | Compliance / returns | View |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US expat tax specialist | US citizens and green-card holders living abroad | US expat context | US treaty context | US expat-focused | Core | View |
| Digital US expat tax platform | US citizens abroad seeking digital tax compliance | US filing context | US-focused | US expat context | Core | View |
| Cross-border tax and accounting | Individuals and businesses with UK or South Africa links | Strong, UK and South Africa | Strong | Strong | Supported jurisdictions | View |
| Provider | Provider type | Tax residency | Compliance / returns | View |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US expat tax specialist | US expat context | Core | View |
| Digital US expat tax platform | US filing context | Core | View |
| Cross-border tax and accounting | Strong, UK and South Africa | Supported jurisdictions | View |
Greenback Expat Tax Services
US expat tax specialist
- Provider type
- US expat tax specialist
- Best aligned with
- US citizens and green-card holders living abroad
- Tax residency
- US expat context
- Treaty capability
- US treaty context
- Cross-border planning
- US expat-focused
- Tax compliance
- Core
MyExpatTaxes
Digital US expat tax platform
- Provider type
- Digital US expat tax platform
- Best aligned with
- US citizens abroad seeking digital tax compliance
- Tax residency
- US filing context
- Treaty capability
- US-focused
- Cross-border planning
- US expat context
- Tax compliance
- Core
Sable International
Cross-border tax and accounting
- Provider type
- Cross-border tax and accounting
- Best aligned with
- Individuals and businesses with UK or South Africa links
- Tax residency
- Strong, UK and South Africa
- Treaty capability
- Strong
- Cross-border planning
- Strong
- Tax compliance
- Supported jurisdictions
Different tax providers solve different problems
International tax advisory
Complex personal and business planning across jurisdictions. No provider of this model is listed in this comparison.
Global mobility tax advisory
Tax connected to internationally mobile employees and relocation. No provider of this model is listed in this comparison.
Expat tax specialist
Focused on a particular nationality or expatriate-tax regime. Greenback publishes a US expat tax practice.
Digital tax platform
Technology-led return preparation for a defined tax profile. MyExpatTaxes publishes a US filing platform.
Global tax network
A large professional network coordinating many jurisdictions. No provider of this model is listed in this comparison.
Cross-border tax and accounting
Advisory for stated country links, not universal coverage. Sable publishes UK, South Africa and cross-border work.
Choose the provider model based on the tax problem, not simply the size of the firm.
Common scenarios
Which situation is closest to yours?
Guides
Featured guides
Tax
What happens to your ISA when you move abroad?
6 min read
Mobility
Moving from the UK to the UAE
8 min read
Property
Buying property in Spain as a UK resident
7 min read
Managing wealth internationally sets the wider sequence around a move, including tax questions that sit alongside banking and investments.
Tools
Tools that support the questions
These tools record days, compare costs or organise a move. They do not calculate a tax liability.
- Residency day trackerEnter date ranges and see a count of days inside and outside one country. The total is your record. It does not apply a statutory day-count test.
- International move checklistA checklist for visas, banking, tax questions, housing, insurance, admin and investments. It is a prompt list, not a set of deadlines.
- FX cost comparisonType a send amount, a reference rate, a transfer fee and a markup. The result uses only those figures. It is not a live rate and it is not a quote.
- Banking eligibility checkerAnswer a few questions about where you live, how you use your money and the kind of account you need. We’ll show account categories and providers worth researching — not an application decision.
Related
Related services
Managing tax and structures across borders?
Start with residence, ownership and source of income — then identify where specialist advice is actually needed.
WiT Access provides general information and comparison resources. Tax treatment depends on jurisdiction, residence, source of income, individual circumstances and current law. Nothing on this page constitutes tax, legal, financial, investment or estate-planning advice. Tax residence, treaty treatment, reporting obligations and the treatment of companies, trusts and estates vary by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.
WiT Access does not determine tax residence, treaty entitlement or tax liability.
Where more than one jurisdiction is involved, users may need coordinated advice from qualified professionals in each relevant country.