Expat tax services in Miami — Form 2555, FBAR, FATCA.
Miami's international population faces U.S. tax complexity that a standard 1040 preparer is not equipped to handle. Foreign earned income exclusions, FBAR obligations, FATCA reporting, and Streamlined Procedure filings are handled by a Florida-licensed CPA who works with LATAM, European, and global Miami clients year-round.
What's included
International filings handled in one engagement.
Foreign earned income exclusion — Form 2555
Form 2555 allows qualifying U.S. citizens and resident aliens to exclude foreign earned income up to $126,500 (2024) from U.S. tax. We determine eligibility under the bona fide residence or physical presence test, calculate the housing exclusion or deduction, and coordinate the foreign tax credit for any remaining liability.
FBAR — FinCEN 114 and Form 8938 (FATCA)
U.S. persons with foreign financial accounts exceeding $10,000 at any point during the year must file FinCEN 114 (FBAR) electronically. Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets) is required for higher thresholds under FATCA. We screen every international client at intake and prepare both forms as part of the engagement.
Form 5471 and foreign corporation reporting
Miami residents who own 10% or more of a foreign corporation must file Form 5471. Penalties for failure to file start at $10,000 per year per form. We prepare Form 5471, identify the appropriate Category (1 through 5), and coordinate with any existing foreign audit or statutory accounting to produce the required financial statements in U.S. GAAP or translated format.
Streamlined Domestic Offshore Procedure
U.S. residents who were not willfully non-compliant with FBAR and foreign income reporting may qualify for the Streamlined Domestic Offshore Procedure — a reduced-penalty path to compliance. We assess eligibility, prepare the amended returns (3 years back), and file the required FBARs (6 years back) with a 5% miscellaneous offshore penalty rather than the standard civil penalties.
Why a Miami-based CPA matters for expat tax
Miami's international population has obligations that don't fit a standard 1040.
Miami is one of the most internationally connected cities in the U.S. Brickell and Key Biscayne have concentrations of foreign-born residents and dual citizens. Doral's LATAM business community includes many individuals with foreign corporations (Form 5471), foreign passive investments (PFIC, Form 8621), and foreign bank accounts (FBAR, Form 8938). These obligations exist regardless of whether the underlying accounts or entities generate U.S. taxable income — the reporting requirements are independent of the tax result.
The penalties for non-compliance are severe. FBAR non-willful failure-to-file is up to $10,000 per violation per year. Willful FBAR failure reaches the greater of $100,000 or 50% of the account balance. Form 5471 failure-to-file is $10,000 per year per form, and the IRS will not start the statute of limitations clock on your entire return until the form is filed. PFIC excess-distribution tax plus interest charges under IRC §1291 can turn a modest foreign investment gain into a larger-than-expected U.S. tax event.
Miami clients who discover unfiled FBARs or undisclosed foreign income should address compliance through the Streamlined Domestic Offshore Procedure before the IRS identifies the gap. The Streamlined path carries a 5% miscellaneous offshore penalty on the highest aggregate foreign account balance — substantially lower than the standard civil-penalty regime. Eligibility requires that the failure was non-willful; we assess that at intake before recommending a path to compliance.
How we work
International intake, analysis, filings, monitoring.
01
International intake
We start with a structured international-client intake covering foreign accounts, foreign corporations, foreign trusts, foreign income sources, and prior FBAR filing history. Gaps identified at intake determine the scope of the engagement before we open any return.
02
Foreign income analysis
We analyze each foreign income stream — employment, self-employment, dividends, interest, rental income — to determine the correct U.S. tax treatment, applicable treaty positions, and foreign tax credit eligibility. Dual-status returns (part-year resident) require careful allocation of income to each period.
03
Compliance filings
FBAR is filed electronically through the BSA E-Filing System. Form 8938, Form 5471, and Form 8621 (PFIC) are attached to the federal return. We prepare each form and coordinate the due dates — noting that FBAR is due April 15 with an automatic extension to October 15.
04
Year-round monitoring
Foreign account balances change throughout the year. Foreign corporations file their own returns on different schedules. We track FBAR thresholds quarterly, flag Form 5471 category changes when ownership percentages shift, and coordinate treaty elections before the annual deadline.
Pricing
International engagements start at Growth.
Expat and international tax engagements typically start at Growth ($449/quarter). Form 5471, Form 8621, and Streamlined Procedure filings are add-ons priced on the /pricing page based on form complexity. FBAR and Form 8938 are included in the base engagement for clients with foreign accounts identified at intake. The full add-on schedule is at /pricing.
Your CPA
Cassandra de la Fe — bilingual Florida CPA for Miami's international clients.
Cassandra de la Fe holds a Florida CPA license and is bilingual in English and Spanish. She works with Miami's LATAM business community, dual-status filers, and international executives across all expat and international tax engagements. Every return — including the international compliance forms — is filed under her own EFIN. Read her full profile →
- Florida-Licensed CPA (DBPR)
- EFIN-Authorized (IRS)
- Bilingual — English & Spanish
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Questions
Expat and international tax Miami — frequently asked
International tax compliance starts with the right intake.
FBAR, Form 8938, Form 5471 — we screen every Miami international client at intake, not at filing. A Florida-licensed CPA on every return.