A simple question—can a UK pension be rolled into a US IRA or 401(k)?—opens a door to some of the most punishing rules in cross‑border retirement planning. We walk through the hard stop that HMRC’s QROPS regime creates, why no US plans qualify, and how an “unauthorized payment” can unleash a 55% UK charge that vaporizes decades of savings. Then we pressure-test the popular third‑country workaround, showing how the 25% overseas transfer charge, US income tax, and foreign trust reporting can tu...
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A simple question—can a UK pension be rolled into a US IRA or 401(k)?—opens a door to some of the most punishing rules in cross‑border retirement planning. We walk through the hard stop that HMRC’s QROPS regime creates, why no US plans qualify, and how an “unauthorized payment” can unleash a 55% UK charge that vaporizes decades of savings. Then we pressure-test the popular third‑country workaround, showing how the 25% overseas transfer charge, US income tax, and foreign trust reporting can tu...
Navigating the US Expatriate Tax Labyrinth: Estate Planning Across Borders
The Expat Sage Podcast
6 minutes
1 month ago
Navigating the US Expatriate Tax Labyrinth: Estate Planning Across Borders
Have you ever wondered what happens to everything you've built abroad when you're no longer around? For American expatriates, this question unlocks a labyrinth of complex tax implications that could dramatically affect your legacy. The United States stands almost alone in how it taxes citizens worldwide, regardless of where they live. This creates what estate planning experts call an "exemption cliff" – while US residents enjoy a generous $14 million estate tax exemption, this can plummet to...
The Expat Sage Podcast
A simple question—can a UK pension be rolled into a US IRA or 401(k)?—opens a door to some of the most punishing rules in cross‑border retirement planning. We walk through the hard stop that HMRC’s QROPS regime creates, why no US plans qualify, and how an “unauthorized payment” can unleash a 55% UK charge that vaporizes decades of savings. Then we pressure-test the popular third‑country workaround, showing how the 25% overseas transfer charge, US income tax, and foreign trust reporting can tu...