Cross-border tax specialists in San Francisco.
The Bay Area's British tech community lives on equity — options, RSUs and exits that straddle two tax systems. Our San Francisco desk specialises in exactly that intersection.
Equity is the local dialect
EMI options that lost their status on the move, ISOs exercised against UK vesting history, and US share reliefs that British tax does not recognise — we plan around all of it, ideally before the grant, at worst before the sale.
- Option and RSU planning across residence changes
- California state filings alongside federal and UK
- Exit and IPO year planning for UK-connected founders
California keeps a long memory
California treats you as a resident if you are domiciled there and away only for a temporary or transitory purpose. A safe harbor treats someone working abroad under an employment contract for at least 546 consecutive days as a nonresident, with limits on return visits and on intangible income.
For a resident, the state adds back the federal foreign earned income exclusion and gives no credit for tax paid to a foreign country. So a Californian who moves to London without settling residency can owe the state on a British salary the IRS barely touches.
- 546-day safe harbor for employment contracts
- Federal exclusion added back for residents
- No California credit for British tax
Local desk, Atlantic-wide team
Your San Francisco contact sits on the same file system as the rest of the team, so the specialist qualified on the other side of the Atlantic is one message away — not a referral to another firm.
Meetings are available in person in the Bay Area or by video, and every engagement starts with a free scoping call and a fixed fee agreed before any work begins.
Our San Francisco office
600 California StreetSan Francisco CA 94108No direct line at this office yet — reach us on the UK practice line, +44 333 880 9422, or by email.
hello@usuktaxhub.comQuestions we get about this
Only if you remain a California resident or keep California-source income. A domiciliary abroad for a temporary purpose stays resident, and a resident pays state tax on worldwide income with no credit for British tax. A qualifying employment contract can bring you inside the 546-day safe harbor.
No. Most engagements run entirely by video and secure document upload, and plenty of our clients never visit an office at all.
If you would rather meet in person, we can do that in the Bay Area. It changes nothing about the fee or how the work is handled.
Yes. Every office draws on the same team, so a file started in San Francisco is worked by specialists qualified on both sides of the Atlantic.
You are not referred out to a second firm for the other country, which is what usually causes the two returns to disagree with each other.
Related pages
- Pillar guide
Accountants for US and UK
How to choose accountants for US and UK tax: what each credential permits, how to verify it, what drives the fee, and when you do not need a specialist.
- Pillar guide
Tax specialists for US and UK
What US and UK tax specialists handle that a general accountant does not: residence tests, treaty relief, FBAR, PFICs, pensions, property and catch-up filings.
- Who we help
Founders & equity holders
Founders and equity holders across the US and UK: options, QSBS, EIS/SEIS and exits taxed on both sides of the Atlantic.
- Service
US state tax returns
US state tax returns for expats: state residency rules, sticky states like California and New York, part-year and nonresident returns, and breaking domicile.
- Service
US federal returns
Form 1040 preparation for Americans abroad: FEIE, foreign tax credits, treaty positions and every schedule your situation requires.
- Who we help
Americans in the UK
US expat tax in the UK: annual IRS filing, HMRC Self Assessment, FBAR, ISAs and pensions, handled as one position rather than two returns that never meet.
Official sources
- California FTBCalifornia residency status (opens in a new tab)
- California FTBFTB Publication 1031: guidelines for determining resident status (opens in a new tab)
- California FTBInstructions for Schedule CA (540) (opens in a new tab)
- California FTBInstructions for Schedule S, other state tax credit (opens in a new tab)
Last reviewed . Thresholds and rates change annually — check figures against the current tax year before relying on them.
Near San Francisco?
Book a scoping call and we will tell you exactly which filings apply to you, with a fixed fee to handle them. General questions — first call, what to have ready, catching up on missed years, how fees are set — are answered on the main FAQ.