Why You Need a Tax Consultant in France Who Understands US Rules

The US is one of the only countries in the world that taxes its citizens on worldwide income, no matter where they live. That means a US citizen running a business in Lyon, holding French investments, or buying property in Paris still has annual US filing obligations — often alongside French ones.

A local French accountant rarely covers the American side, and a US-only preparer rarely understands the French side. That gap is exactly where problems start: double taxation, missed foreign tax credits, penalties for unfiled FBARs, and surprises from the PFIC rules on French assurance-vie and investment funds.

We work in that gap every day. Our role as your tax consultant in France is to look at the whole picture — French and American — and make the two systems work together rather than against you.

What We Help With

US tax compliance for Americans in France. Annual US returns, foreign bank account reporting (FBAR), and catching up through the IRS Streamlined procedure if you’ve fallen behind. Many of our clients arrive with several years of unfiled returns; most are up to date within weeks, without penalties.

The US–France tax treaty. The treaty is one of the more generous ones available to Americans abroad, but only if it’s applied correctly. We advise on foreign tax credits, treaty positions, and how French social charges interact with your US return.

Business and investment structuring. Whether you’re a US entrepreneur setting up in France or a French resident with US business interests, entity choice matters enormously. We advise on corporations, partnerships, and trusts, and on avoiding the controlled foreign corporation and PFIC traps that catch so many expats.

Property and wealth planning. Buying or selling French or US real estate, planning an inheritance across two systems, or reorganising family holdings — we make sure the US tax angle is handled before decisions are made, not after.

A US-Qualified Specialist, Based in Europe

US Tax Consulting Europe is led by Ed Rieu, a US-qualified lawyer and tax specialist who spent the bulk of his career on the US tax desks of large global accounting firms before advising clients directly across France, the UK, and Europe.

That background matters. The issues American expats face in France — treaty claims, entity elections, cross-border restructuring — are not routine preparation work. They call for someone who has handled them at a professional level for decades, across industries ranging from real estate and private equity to technology, entertainment, and family businesses.

You deal directly with the specialist doing the work. No call centres, no hand-offs.