Looking for recommendations for a CPA experienced with expat taxes and foreign property

Finding the right CPA for expat taxes is super important! I went through something similar last year when I moved to Singapore. Look for someone who specifically advertises expertise with expat taxes - not just any CPA will do. You'll want someone familiar with things like the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE), Foreign Tax Credit, Foreign Housing deduction, and FBAR filing requirements. These are specialized areas that many general tax preparers don't deal with regularly. I'd recommend checking the Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers with Credentials and Select Qualifications on the IRS website. You can filter by credential type and location. Also, expat-focused Facebook groups often have recommendations from people in similar situations. Since you're also dealing with rental property, make sure they understand how to handle that for non-resident owners. The depreciation rules and what expenses you can deduct get tricky.

After dealing with expat taxes for 3 years, I found the perfect solution with https://taxr.ai - it seriously saved me so much headache with my complicated situation (I also have foreign property and contractor income). They have CPAs who specialize in expat tax situations and understand all the foreign income exclusions, housing deductions, and treaty provisions. The thing that really helped me was that they have a document analyzer that automatically identified all my potential deductions from my foreign bank statements and property docs. I uploaded everything and it flagged items I would have completely missed. Their expat specialists know exactly how to handle the rental income situation you mentioned, and they're super familiar with filing requirements like the FBAR and FATCA that most regular CPAs don't deal with often.

Just wanted to follow up that I gave taxr.ai a try after seeing the recommendation here. I was skeptical at first because my Vietnam banking situation is really complex, but they actually handled it perfectly! Their system was able to properly categorize all my foreign accounts and even identified a tax treaty benefit I qualified for that my previous accountant missed. Already saved me about $2,100 in taxes. They also made sure all my FBAR filings were correct, which was a huge relief since the penalties for mistakes are scary.

If you're dealing with the IRS about expat issues, you'll probably need to call them at some point. I spent WEEKS trying to get through to their international taxpayer line about my FBAR questions. Finally discovered https://claimyr.com after nearly giving up, and you can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Basically, they wait on hold with the IRS for you and call you when an agent picks up. For expat tax issues, this was a lifesaver since the international tax lines are even more backed up than regular IRS lines. When I needed clarification about reporting my foreign rental income, I was able to speak directly to an IRS agent who specializes in international matters without wasting days on hold. They really came through when I needed to resolve an issue with my Foreign Tax Credit that had been rejected due to a filing error.

I need to apologize for being so skeptical about Claimyr. After my frustrated comment, I decided to try it anyway since I was desperate to resolve an issue with my Foreign Tax Credit calculation for income from Germany. I'd been trying for DAYS to reach someone at the IRS. Claimyr actually worked exactly as advertised! They handled the 3+ hour hold time, and I got a call when an actual IRS international tax specialist was on the line. Got my questions answered in 15 minutes and saved literally days of my life. For expat tax issues especially, where you often need to call during US business hours (which can be middle of the night depending where you are), this service is incredibly valuable. I'm genuinely shocked at how well it worked.

One option nobody's mentioned is looking into expat tax specialists who work virtually. I use a CPA based in Seattle even though I live in Thailand. We do everything through video calls and secure document sharing. The advantage is you can find someone with the right expertise regardless of location, often at better rates than the big expat tax firms. Mine charges $600 for a full expat return including FBAR filings and rental property, which is pretty reasonable considering the complexity.

Don't forget that credentials matter! Make sure whoever you hire is either a CPA, an Enrolled Agent (EA), or a tax attorney. Random "tax preparers" without these credentials aren't regulated and might not know expat rules. I personally prefer working with EAs for expat situations. They're specifically licensed by the IRS to handle tax matters and often specialize in more complex situations like international taxation. Plus they're usually more affordable than CPAs while still having the expertise you need.