Greenback Expat Tax Services

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Greenback Expat Tax Services

We make US expat taxes simple—no hassle, no surprises. Why Choose Greenback? Expertise. You work one-on-one with an expert CPA or IRS Enrolled Agent. Experience.

Trusted by Americans in 190+ countries.

💻 Expert tax prep for US expats
🌎 Serving the global US community Greenback makes life better for Americans living abroad and aims to take away the anxiety and hassle of helping US expats become and stay compliant with their US taxes while overseas. Greenback understands that filing US taxes while living abroad can be daunting and Greenback was founded on t

he belief that it doesn’t have to be this way. Greenback is proud of helping people navigate a ridiculously complex system in a way that makes sense for their individual situation. While it may sound impossible, Greenback makes the process of filing US expat taxes a hassle-free one — a necessary step as part of an expat’s amazing adventure abroad. Our team works with expats 100% of the time and is highly specialized in expat tax preparation. Flat-fee pricing. With our transparent pricing, you always know what you’ll pay for the services you need—no surprise fees at the end! We have clients in 155+ countries and have prepared thousands of tax returns for US expats. Security. We use 256-bit encryption (the same as most banks use) to ensure your private information stays private! Simplified tax prep. We make it easy to work with us! We share documents online, communicate via email/Skype/phone and never ask you to do any of the financial calculations — that’s our job! Find out why thousands of US expats trust Greenback to prepare their US expat tax return. You won’t be disappointed.

06/01/2026

Is your FYP telling you it’s time to pack your bags? 💻🌍

With over 55 countries now offering remote-work visas, a new wave of college-educated professionals is leaving the U.S. during their peak earning years, mirroring the creative "Lost Generation" of the 1920s.

Earning a U.S. salary while spending in local currency sounds like the ultimate financial hack. But because the U.S. practices citizenship-based taxation, your tax obligations travel with you. Working from a beach in Thailand or a cafe in Portugal means navigating local tax residency, establishing a state tax exit, and reporting foreign bank accounts.

👉 Head to the link in our bio to read our full deep dive into the modern TikTok expat wave and how to plan a smooth financial exit!

Hashtag Stack:

05/29/2026

There is a new proposal in Congress that could change how capital gains are taxed and it would add a layer of math to expat asset sales.

Republican lawmakers are pushing to "index" capital gains to inflation. The idea is to eliminate "phantom gains," AKA profits that look large on paper simply because the value of the dollar changed over time.

By adjusting your original purchase price upward to match cumulative inflation, your taxable profit shrinks, lowering your overall tax bill.

Americans abroad already have a complicated calculation: you have to convert your asset’s purchase price and sale price into USD using the exact foreign exchange rates from those specific dates. If inflation indexing passes, you would face a "double adjustment" model—having to balance fluctuating currency rates and U.S. inflation adjustments on the exact same asset.

Note that nothing has changed yet. Current capital gains rules, the Foreign Tax Credit mechanics, and the $250k/$500k primary residence exclusion remain exactly as they are. If you have a property or asset sale planned for the near future, there is no need to alter your timeline.

👉 Head to the link in our bio for our full breakdown of the proposal and how it intersects with current expat tax strategies.

05/28/2026

Spain built an eight-year, €60M tax case against Shakira. The court threw it out because she wasn't in the country long enough, records showed she was there 163 days in 2011, not 183.
That number matters for anyone living or working abroad. It's the threshold most countries use to claim tax residency.

05/27/2026

The Child Tax Credit debate is moving again with the newly proposed Family First Act. Here is what you actually need to know about the trade-offs and what it means for expats.

The bill aims to bump the credit up to $4,200 for kids under six and $3,000 for older children, making it fully refundable. It also introduces a brand-new $2,800 credit for expectant mothers at 20 weeks.

To cover the costs, the proposal would eliminate the Head of Household filing status, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and the Child & Dependent Care Tax Credit. Depending on your specific income and family dynamic, losing those deductions could completely wipe out the benefit of a higher credit.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The bill is still sitting in committee and hasn't gone to a vote, so current rules remain locked in at $2,200 per child.

Keep in mind that the standard expat rules still apply: if you use the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE), you generally can’t claim the refundable portion of the credit. For most Americans abroad, sticking with the Foreign Tax Credit (FTC) is still the best strategy to keep those child tax credits intact.

👉 Head to the link in our bio for the full breakdown and to see how the math shakes out for your family.

05/26/2026

If you thought budget and staffing cuts at the IRS in 2025 meant a lower chance of getting audited, the latest data shows the exact opposite. By deploying massive machine learning models and tech like Salesforce’s Agentforce, the IRS is doing more with less.

They aren't auditing more people—they are auditing the right people by instantly flagging inconsistencies across W-2s, FBARs, crypto transactions, and foreign assets.

For honest taxpayers (especially Americans abroad), this is nothing to fear, but it does mean absolute accuracy is non-negotiable.

Swipe left to find out how the new AI systems work, who is landing on the high-risk list, and how to bulletproof your next filing.

05/25/2026

If you’re an American or dual citizen in Canada, the CRA just changed the rules of the game. 🇨🇦🇺🇸

Two major administrative shifts are officially underway at the Canada Revenue Agency that change how and when you handle your cross-border taxes:

1️⃣ The May 29th Deadline: All 45 physical CRA drop boxes across the country are closing permanently at the end of the month. If you are someone who still drops off paper T1 returns, T1 adjustments, or manual payments in person, you need to switch to CRA My Account, NETFILE, or budget extra transit time using Canada Post.

2️⃣ Tax Season Never Ends: The CRA has officially shifted to year-round post-assessment reviews. Instead of a concentrated seasonal cycle, the CRA can now flag your return for a targeted review (like verifying medical expenses, child care, or foreign tax credits) at any point during the year—long after your refund has hit your account.

Why this matters for your U.S. taxes:
If the CRA reviews your Canadian return months down the road and disallows a deduction, your Canadian tax liability changes. Because your U.S. return relies heavily on the Foreign Tax Credit (FTC) to prevent double taxation, a Canadian reassessment can trigger a domino effect on your IRS Form 1040.

Keep those digital receipts organized year-round, and don't panic if a review letter arrives—just make sure your cross-border team looks at it before you respond!

👉 Click the link in our bio to read the full breakdown of the closures and how to bulletproof your records for year-round reviews.

05/22/2026

Attention US expats with a UK work history! 🚨

The cost of voluntarily topping up your UK State Pension from abroad just went up by 5x. Cheap Class 2 contributions have officially ended, and Class 3 (£923/year) is now the standard.

If you have a UK National Insurance number, you need to audit your record ASAP. Between the new eligibility rules and the recent repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), the math on your retirement has completely changed.

Swipe through for the breakdown and your exact action steps to lock in transitional rules before April 2027.

05/21/2026

Portugal has officially revised its Nationality Law, increasing the legal residence requirement for naturalization from 5 years to 10 years for most third-country nationals, including Americans.

To complicate things further, the residency clock no longer starts when you apply or arrive, it officially begins on the date your physical residence permit is issued. With immigration backlogs, those "lost months" waiting for your card no longer count toward your timeline.

What does this mean for you?
If you are currently living in Portugal or planning a move on a D7, D8, or Golden Visa, your mid-term milestone needs to shift. Instead of focusing immediately on citizenship, your 5-year goal is now Permanent Residency (PR), which still secures your right to stay indefinitely.

And remember: whether it takes you 5 years or 10 years to get that second passport, Uncle Sam isn’t going anywhere. Citizenship-based taxation means your U.S. tax filing obligations continue every single year you live abroad. 🇺🇸

👉 Head to the link in our bio to read the full breakdown of the new law and what you need to do next to confirm your status!

05/20/2026

The IRS published proposed regulations on April 10, 2026, clarifying which international money transfers trigger the 1% excise tax on remittance transfers. Note that most electronic transfers by Americans abroad are exempt.

The 1% excise tax applies only when the sender funds a transfer using cash, a money order, a cashier's check, or similar physical payment instruments. These are commonly processed at in-person locations like Western Union and MoneyGram.

Transfers funded by withdrawal from a U.S. bank account, U.S.-issued debit card, or U.S.-issued credit card are explicitly exempt. Most wire transfers and electronic bank transfers are not subject to the tax.

What expats should know: Most expats are not affected. If you fund international transfers electronically through your U.S. bank account, debit card, or credit card, the 1% tax does not apply. The tax targets cash-funded transactions, not bank-to-bank transfers. Switching your payment method is the simplest way to avoid the tax.

Timeline: The 1% tax took effect January 1, 2026, under IRC Section 4475 (part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed July 4, 2025). These proposed regulations were published April 13, 2026. Public comments close June 12, 2026.

05/19/2026

An international relocation has a lot of moving parts, and forgetting a single document or timeline window can delay your visa for months.

The secret to a stress-free move is starting 3 to 6 months early and breaking the process down into phases. From securing 12 months of prescriptions to navigating the "culture shock peak" at month three, a structured timeline changes everything.

📌 HIT SAVE on this post so you can refer back to the timeline when you start packing!

SWIPE left for the ultimate breakdown:
➡️ The 6-month countdown timeline
➡️ The exact document checklist you need for legal/financial prep
➡️ How to handle the "Ship, Store, or Sell" decision matrix
➡️ The essential apps to download before you land

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2885 Sanford Avenue SW, #14877
Grandville, MI
49418

Website

http://www.greenbacktaxservices.com/, https://linktr.ee/greenbacktax

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