IRS Information

Please read this page carefully because it explains how US data privacy rules impact how we provide tax services to you. The IRS adopted these rules and they govern how we handle your private information.

Introduction
Internal Revenue Code section 7216 was expanded by the IRS with the objective of giving taxpayers greater control over their private data. This was primarily for two reasons.

Firstly, to stop abusive practices in the use of private taxpayer data to promote and market financial products, such as Refund Anticipation Loans, life insurance, and other investment products. As you know, Expat US Tax never promotes or markets financial products to you as part of our services to you.

Secondly, the IRS needed to bring the rules up-to-date with the significant increase in electronic handling of tax data, including tax data gathering via the internet, electronic tax return preparation, and e-filing of tax returns with the IRS.

What is "disclosure" and what is “use”?

• A “disclosure” occurs whenever we provide your tax return information to a third party. For this purpose, a third party could include professionals employed by a member company of the Expat US Tax network (there are independent legal entities in several countries), certain other accountants/ temporary staff engaged to assist us with administrative activities, or other firms providing your foreign (i.e. non-US) tax services.
• “Use” is defined as any work other than the preparation of your tax return, for example tax consulting services.
  
  
  

What Am I Being Asked to Do?
Due to the very nature of our business, our clients live and work outside of the US. Because your tax information will therefore be used outside of the US, we are required to obtain your consent to transfer this information across international borders. You are being asked to review and sign two separate consents. Summary information on these consents is shown below.

• Consent 1 – Disclosure of your tax return information for the purpose of preparing                      your tax return

In providing our services to you we may need to share your tax return information within our network. We must obtain your consent to share this information in the course of our work as we are based outside of the US.

• Consent 2 – Use of your tax return information for other purposes

You may request that we provide advice on other US tax issues, over and above the tax return you have engaged us to prepare. We must obtain your consent to use your tax data for any purpose that is not directly related to the preparation of the aforementioned tax return.

Consent 1 – Disclosure of your tax return information for the purpose of preparing your tax return

In order to prepare your US tax returns, your tax return information (including the same information of your spouse, if applicable, and those dependent on you) may be transferred within and across international borders to either a member of Expat US Tax's international network of firms or to certain other accountants and administrative staff working under the direction of Expat US Tax.

Federal law requires this consent form be provided to you. Unless authorized by law, we cannot disclose, without your consent, your tax return information to third parties for purposes other than the preparation and filing of your tax return and, in certain limited circumstances, for purposes involving tax return preparation. If you consent to the disclosure of your tax return information, Federal law may not protect your tax return information from further use or distribution.

You are not required to complete this form with positive consent. However, because our ability to disclose your tax return information to another tax return preparer affects the service that we provide to you and its cost, we may decline to provide you with service or change the terms of service that we provide to you if you do not sign this form. If you agree to the disclosure of your tax return information, your consent is valid for the amount of time that you specify. If you do not specify the duration of your consent, your consent is valid for one year.

This consent to disclose may result in your tax return information being disclosed to a tax return preparer located outside the United States (i.e. Expat US Tax member firms), including your personally identifiable information such as your Social Security Number (“SSN”). Both the tax return preparer in the United States that will disclose your SSN and the tax return preparer located outside the United States which will receive your SSN maintain an adequate data protection safeguard (as required by the regulations under 26 USC section 7216) to protect privacy and prevent unauthorized access of tax return information. If you consent to the disclosure of your tax return information, Federal agencies may not be able to enforce US laws that protect the privacy of your tax return information against a tax return preparer located outside of the US to which the information is disclosed. You have the ability to request a more limited disclosure than that authorized by this consent, as you may direct.

I authorize Expat US Tax to disclose my 2021 and all prior year’s tax return information, including my SSN, to members of Expat US Tax's network of member firms, to allow tax preparers from these organizations to assist in the preparation of or auxiliary services related to the preparation of my 2021 individual income tax return. My consent shall be valid for a period of three years from the date indicated below. I have authority to provide consent for myself, my spouse (if applicable) and those dependent on me for the purpose of preparing tax returns. If I do not consent, I understand that Expat US Tax may decline to provide me with service or change the terms of service that they provide. I have authority to provide consent for myself, my spouse and those dependent on me for the purpose of preparing tax returns.

If you believe your tax return information has been disclosed or used improperly in a manner unauthorized by law or without your permission, you may contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration by telephone at +1 800 366 4484 or by email at complaints@tigta.treas.gov.

Consent 2 – Use of your tax return information for other purposes

This section addresses situations in which your tax return information may be used by Expat US Tax or members of Expat US Tax's international network of firms or to certain other accountants and administrative staff working under the direction of Expat US Tax.

It includes the use of such information for the purposes of performing certain income tax planning. Without your consent, we are not able to advise you on any tax issues which fall outside of the tax return we are preparing.

Finally, certain information may be used to allow Expat US Tax to provide you with information relevant to your overseas employment and/or tax situation (e.g. alerts on legislative developments or tax planning strategies and notices of upcoming events).

Federal law requires this consent form to be provided to you. Unless authorized by law, we cannot use, without your consent, your tax return information for purposes other than the preparation and filing of your tax return.

You are not required to complete this form. If we obtain your signature on this form by conditioning our services on your consent, your consent will not be valid. Your consent is valid for the amount of time that you specify. If you do not specify the duration of your consent, your consent is valid for one year.

1.) Save your progress without creating an account.

Click the Floppy Disk icon on the bottom
Click "Skip Create an Account"

Note:
We also advise that you click "Get shareable link" and paste that link on a notepad for safekeeping.

2.) Save your progress by creating an account.

NOTE: JotForm account creation is not mandatory. You can save and continue your form by just having the shareable link as discussed in the previous slide.

You will be prompted to create an account. Kindly follow the GIF above to learn how.
To continue filling the form at a later date, check your inbox and find an email from Expat Tax Forms or JotForm that says:
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Notes:
ShareFile login credentials are different from JotForm login credentials.
Please remember to SAVE the given link or URL
as it is the only access to your form.

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ETF: An investment fund traded on stock exchanges. An ETF holds assets such as stocks, commodities, or bonds.

Unit Trust: A trust formed to manage a portfolio of stock exchange securities, in which small investors can buy units.