International Business Tax Consulting | Get Answers

Maybe you have a “go-to” CPA who handles your routine tax matters. But sometimes international tax issues creep up that are beyond the expertise of the average tax preparer. We get it—and that’s why business owners call us to help them navigate their international tax matters.

Unlike most CPA firms in the United States, we are a boutique firm that has been specializing in assisting small and mid-sized businesses with their international tax needs since 1983. We believe in simplifying international tax complexity. That’s what drives us every day.

Our international tax advisory services include:

In our experience, entrepreneurs and emerging multinationals face different challenges than large publicly traded companies. And it’s with these growing privately held companies that we can add the most value. As specialists in international business tax matters for small and mid-sized businesses, we can help you solve your tax problems as your trusted international tax consultant. Check out real client stories below about tax planning, restructuring, and foreign tax credits.

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Client Story of Inbound Tax Planning

The operating directors of an Australian professional services firm, specializing in automating business processes, needed a recommendation for the most optimal tax structure to set up their US business.

How We Helped This Client

As part of our inbound tax planning services, we:

  • Helped them understand the implications of various types of US business structures
  • Prepared projections for them to show how the business owners would be taxed and the type of US tax filings they would need to report
  • Identified the type of business structure that would be most advantageous from a tax perspective
  • Provided introductions to experienced turn-key professionals, including an attorney to get their legal structure established, registered agents to establish their state registrations and compliance, and various partners for establishing a bank account and setting up their initial payroll
  • Educated them on key deadlines and important tax filing due dates.

As a result, the business owners were able to select an appropriate business structure that gave them an overall effective tax rate that was 10% more beneficial than the next best option. In addition, they gained clarity on what to expect and what they needed to do to meet their US tax obligations. Finally, they had a clear path forward to establish their business in the US and the right contacts to help them do so.

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Client Story of Outbound Tax Planning

Two US business owners had established a small French company in the telecom industry. Our clients wanted to understand whether their business was properly structured to minimize their taxes and to make future dividend distributions.

How We Helped This Client

In providing outbound tax planning services, we:

  • Prepared multiple projections to reflect how the income from the business would be taxed if the business were set up under various structures
  • Recommended that they structure the business as a flow-through entity to maximize their foreign tax credits for the French taxes that were already being paid
  • Obtained a US employer identification number for the French business and executed the federal elections with the IRS to ensure that the business was set up correctly

As a result, the company has executed the change in business structure and is projected to save an additional $180,000 in taxes in just the first two years after restructuring.

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Client Story of Entity Re-Structuring and GILTI Tax Planning

We worked with several US and foreign individuals who owned multiple European entities in the hospitality industry. The US owners sought additional capital to expand their businesses but wanted to understand if there would be any tax consequences to selling some of their shares to the foreign owners.

They needed to understand the possible tax on any gain from the sale of the foreign stock shares. They were also concerned about whether the dilution of their own shares and the introduction of new owners could create any new potential challenges from a tax perspective. Furthermore, they wanted to make sure they could avoid triggering negative tax treatments, such as the GILTI tax.

How We Helped This Client

As part of our advisory services, we:

  • Analyzed the entities’ organizational structure and each individual’s ownership shares
  • Made recommendations to minimize the tax impact of the sale of the stock shares
  • Recommended strategies for restructuring that would allow for the needed capital infusions
  • Recommended strategies that would allow profitable entities to offset their income using losses from other entities, thereby reducing the overall effective tax rate across the organization

As a result, we:

  • Helped the owners understand how their current entity structure would be taxed under the new regime if they did not restructure
  • Gave them key ownership percentages to stay within in order to avoid triggering the GILTI tax
  • Identified the current limitations in their structure that prevented them from offsetting profits from some entities with losses from others
  • Proposed an alternative structure and special election to allow them to address the limitations, offset their profits with losses, and optimize their foreign tax credits
  • Recommended a tax filing strategy that would reduce other compliance risks they faced

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Client Story of Foreign Tax Credit Planning

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) created drastic changes for foreign businesses with US owners. Our client was harshly impacted by the new law. She came to us for help with a surprise $2 million tax bill that was a result of her ownership in a chain of Swiss entities.

How We Helped This Client

As part of our foreign tax credit planning services for her, we:

  • Analyzed the client’s overall tax situation and ownership interests
  • Ultimately recommended making a special election that provided preferential tax treatment as a US corporate shareholder of a foreign entity

As a result, the client claimed the election and was able to completely offset her US taxes with foreign tax credits for the Swiss corporate taxes that her businesses had already paid. Thus, we prevented double-taxation and saved our client over $2 million on her tax return.

Why The Wolf Group?

Since 1983, we’ve worked with clients in the United States and abroad on international tax matters. We have a long history of “cleaning up” complex tax returns, reporting foreign assets, and reconstructing financial records.

Check out our extensive team of CPAs, all with vast international tax experience.

Looking for a Nexia International Partner?

We’re an active member of Nexia International, a global network of independent accountancy, tax and business advisors with over 250 firms around the globe.

Meet Our Tax Professionals

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What our clients say

“Extremely friendly and professional staff who respond in a very timely manner to meet our schedule. Thank you!”

“Your team is fast, responsive to questions, and explains issues well. I can’t imagine how I could have ever figured out my tax situation on my own. Your help was invaluable.”

“The tax professionals I have worked with at The Wolf Group have been extraordinary. They have been clear, helpful, endlessly patient, hugely knowledgeable, and just amazing. The advice has been excellent, and the communication has been very clear. Subjects that feel so daunting have been explained with great clarity. I trust TWG completely and would not know how to manage without them.”