Hiring a tax preparer

I know UK Yankee can't make recommendations but I'd like to hear if any one had a good experience or an awful experience with tax preparer for US and UK taxes.

Names of companies please?

Kathleenb

My wife use a company called Greenback Taxes. They do all our US returns now that we live in the UK. They can also do you UK returns if you need that also. I can't recommend them highly enough.

My wife use a company called Greenback Taxes. They do all our US returns now that we live in the UK. They can also do you UK returns if you need that also. I can't recommend them highly enough.

Good to hear.  I understand that they have a portal so you can upload documents and track the progress of your return.

Greenback are headquartered in Hong Kong. The owner is resident in Bali.  Both of these are quite far away.  Their costs are kept low by having no physical office but outsourcing the work to home-based workers located globally.   This inevitably means that the preparers will be in many different time zones and will not be regulated here in the UK.

Golden Rules for choosing a tax preparer :
1. QUALIFICATIONS
Do not be shy! Ask if they are members of professional bodies in both the US and UK and if so, which ones and for how long.
2. COST
Ask what they charge!
3. COMFORT
Pick one who is dually US/UK qualified (so you know that the tax preparer is regulated in both the US and the UK) and who you feel you can get on with. This is a personal choice so call a few firms before deciding...