Tax Samaritan is a boutique U.S. expat tax preparation, compliance, and advisory firm serving Americans living abroad since 1997. If you have questions about who we are, how we work, what our services include, or how to get started, you’ll find honest answers here.
Looking for answers to common expat tax law questions? Visit our Expat Tax FAQ page.
About Tax Samaritan
Tax Samaritan is a boutique U.S. expat tax preparation, compliance, and advisory firm dedicated to helping Americans living abroad navigate the complex world of U.S. tax law. Tax Samaritan goes beyond compliance by offering proactive planning, IRS representation, foreign business reporting, and coordinated advisory services through a network of over 75 top-tier specialists.
Tax Samaritan serves U.S. citizens, green card holders, and taxpayers worldwide with a focus on delivering white-glove, personalized service to affluent individuals and successful business owners with meaningful international financial footprints.
Tax Samaritan was founded by Randall Brody, an Enrolled Agent (EA) licensed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. As an Enrolled Agent, Randall holds the highest credential awarded by the IRS and is fully authorized to represent clients before the IRS for audits, collections, and appeals.
Randall holds a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance and an M.B.A. from Cal State East Bay. He has been helping clients navigate complex U.S. tax matters since 1997 with nearly three decades of hands-on experience in expat tax preparation, international reporting, and tax resolution. He has been published in the Enrolled Agents Journal and Tax Pro Magazine, appeared as a featured guest on The Frankie Boyer Radio Show, and has been quoted as an expert in the Christian Science Monitor and multiple regional publications.
Randall Brody has been professionally serving clients in U.S. tax preparation and compliance since 1997, giving Tax Samaritan’s work nearly three decades of real-world depth. Tax Samaritan was formally established as a branded firm in 2013. That full timeline of experience is what clients get when they work with us.
Tax Samaritan is a team of eight professionals, including Enrolled Agents (EAs) and CPAs. Every team member specializes in U.S. expat and international tax matters including complex areas like FBAR, Form 5471, PFIC reporting, foreign trusts and estates, and cross-border planning.
Tax Samaritan does not have tax attorneys on staff, but maintains established relationships with excellent tax attorneys and other specialists through the Tax Samaritan Virtual Family Office (VFO) network. Legal expertise is available for advanced structuring, tax opinions, or litigation support whenever a client needs it without the client having to manage multiple disconnected professionals.
You can meet the full team on the Tax Samaritan Team page.
Tax Samaritan is not a high-volume tax mill. While large expat tax services process thousands of returns through more standardized, assembly-line approaches, Tax Samaritan deliberately limits its client load to deliver truly personalized, white-glove service.
The most important difference: every Tax Samaritan client works with the same experienced tax professional year after year. Your advisor knows your situation, your international financial footprint, and your long-term goals deeply. That continuity produces better outcomes, fewer errors, and genuinely proactive advice.
Tax Samaritan also offers proactive, outcome-focused tax planning through the MAP Process. We can access a coordinated network of over 75 specialists through the Virtual Family Office with capabilities that go well beyond what a data-entry-focused tax preparer provides. Tax Samaritan trades volume for depth, consistency, and exceptional care.
Yes. Tax Samaritan holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and has earned consistent five-star feedback from clients across the globe. Founder Randall Brody has been published in Tax Pro Magazine (National Association of Tax Professionals) and the Enrolled Agents Journal, has appeared on The Frankie Boyer Radio Show, and has been quoted as a tax expert in the Christian Science Monitor and regional publications. These recognitions reflect the firm’s long-standing reputation for expertise, integrity, and exceptional client service.
Who Tax Samaritan Serves
Tax Samaritan primarily serves U.S. citizens, green card holders, and U.S. taxpayers living abroad who need expert help with expat tax preparation, international compliance, IRS representation, and proactive planning.
Tax Samaritan’s ideal clients are affluent and high-net-worth individuals and successful business owners with meaningful international financial footprints for people who want a trusted advisor, not just a tax preparer.
Common client situations include:
- Business owners with foreign entities (UK companies, NZ limited companies, foreign-owned U.S. LLCs, etc.)
- High-net-worth individuals with complex international assets, foreign estates, trusts, FBAR/FATCA compliance needs, or foreign pensions
- Self-employed professionals and retirees with significant international financial activity
- Expats with cross-border investment portfolios including PFIC holdings
- Clients needing multi-year catch-up filings or IRS resolution
Yes. Tax Samaritan is selective about the clients it takes on, and that selectivity is intentional.
Tax Samaritan generally does not serve straightforward W-2 employees living abroad with no foreign assets, entities, or complex compliance needs. Those situations are better handled by lower-cost generalist providers. Tax Samaritan also does not typically take on lifestyle or hobby businesses without a clear growth orientation.
This focus exists so that Tax Samaritan can deliver the highest value to the clients whose situations genuinely benefit from the firm’s depth of expertise and proactive planning approach. When a prospective client is not the right fit, Tax Samaritan is happy to refer them to trusted colleagues who can serve them well.
Yes. Tax Samaritan serves U.S. expats and international clients worldwide with no geographic restrictions. The firm has particularly deep experience in the most common expat destinations including Mexico, Portugal, the UK, Germany, Spain, Thailand, the UAE, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and many others across Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East.
For less common jurisdictions or highly specialized situations, Tax Samaritan will communicate any unique considerations up front and bring in additional specialists from the Virtual Family Office network as needed.
Services
Tax Samaritan offers a full suite of U.S. expat tax and international advisory services:
- Expat Tax Preparation and Compliance (federal and all 50 states)
- Streamlined Catch-Up Filing (IRS Streamlined Offshore and Domestic Procedures)
- FBAR and FATCA Compliance (FinCEN Form 114 and Form 8938)
- Foreign Business and Entity Reporting (Forms 5471, 8865, 8858, 8621 / PFIC)
- IRS Audit Representation and Tax Resolution
- Proactive Tax Planning and Strategy (the MAP Process)
- Virtual Family Office (VFO) with coordinated access to 75+ specialists
Yes. Tax Samaritan prepares U.S. state tax returns for all 50 states and the District of Columbia when required. Many U.S. citizens and green card holders living abroad still have state filing obligations depending on their state of domicile, last U.S. residence, U.S.-source income, or real estate and business interests in the United States.
Tax Samaritan coordinates federal and state returns together, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. This is especially important given the interactions between foreign income, foreign tax credits, and multi-state complications. State returns are included in Tax Samaritan’s standard expat tax preparation and compliance service.
Tax Samaritan’s Streamlined Catch-Up Filing service assists clients who are behind on their U.S. tax obligations through the IRS Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures, both the Offshore and Domestic versions.
The most common clients who need this are U.S. citizens and green card holders who have lived abroad for years, sometimes decades, without realizing they still had U.S. filing obligations. They may have unreported foreign bank accounts, pensions, rental income, or other international financial activity.
Tax Samaritan guides clients through the entire process: preparing the required back returns, FBARs, explanatory statements, and any foreign entity reporting. The Streamlined program is often the cleanest, most efficient path to compliance with reduced or zero penalties for qualifying clients. The goal is to resolve the past clearly so clients can move forward with confidence.
Yes. Tax Samaritan fully handles both FinCEN Form 114 (FBAR) and Form 8938 (FATCA), and these are always prepared together with the annual U.S. tax return as part of Tax Samaritan’s comprehensive expat compliance service.
FBAR and Form 8938 are not offered as standalone services. Bundling them with the annual return ensures accuracy, consistency across all international reporting, and avoids the risk of missing interactions between forms. This is important for clients with foreign entities, pensions, or investments. This integrated approach delivers far more value and protection than piecemeal filings.
Yes. Tax Samaritan specializes in comprehensive foreign business and entity reporting, including:
- Form 5471: U.S. persons with respect to certain foreign corporations
- Form 8865: U.S. persons with respect to certain foreign partnerships
- Form 8858: U.S. persons with respect to foreign disregarded entities
- Form 8621: PFIC (Passive Foreign Investment Company) reporting, including complex calculations and elections
Typical clients for this service are U.S. citizens or taxpayers abroad who own or control foreign corporations, LLCs, or partnerships including UK limited companies, New Zealand limited companies, and other overseas entities or who hold PFIC shares in foreign mutual funds or investment vehicles.
Tax Samaritan handles these filings as part of an integrated expat tax service, ensuring everything coordinates correctly with the personal return, FBAR, and FATCA reporting.
Yes. As Enrolled Agents and CPAs, Tax Samaritan’s team is fully authorized to represent clients before the IRS. Tax Samaritan handles:
- IRS audits and examinations
- Unfiled or late tax returns (including expat catch-up filings)
- Back taxes and payment plans
- Penalty abatement requests
- Installment agreements
- Offers in Compromise
- Collection issues and IRS notices
Tax Samaritan maintains a minimum threshold of $10,000 owed to the IRS or state tax authorities for resolution cases. This ensures the firm’s high-touch, experienced representation delivers strong value for the client. Smaller balances are often more cost-effectively handled through self-resolution or lower-cost services.
Resolution work at Tax Samaritan is paired with proactive planning to prevent future issues and protect each client’s international financial position.
MAP stands for Maximize, Advise, and Protect. It is Tax Samaritan’s proprietary, structured proactive tax-planning process designed specifically for expats and cross-border taxpayers.
Unlike standard tax return preparation, which is backward-looking and focused on compliance, the MAP Process is forward-looking. It helps clients legally minimize their tax burden, reduce future risks, and align their U.S. and international finances with their long-term goals.
A MAP engagement follows five phases:
- Diagnostic: A comprehensive intake questionnaire to identify opportunities and risks in the client’s current situation.
- Explore: Specialists from the Virtual Family Office network are brought in as needed.
- Deeper Dive: A thorough analysis of the client’s full international tax picture.
- Educate: Clear, customized strategies are presented with pros, cons, and projected outcomes so the client can make informed decisions.
- Implementation: The client stays in full control while Tax Samaritan helps execute the agreed-upon plan efficiently and accurately.
The MAP Process is especially valuable for affluent individuals and successful business owners with complex international financial situations. It is where Tax Samaritan delivers the highest value beyond basic compliance: turning tax from a burden into a strategic advantage.
The Tax Samaritan Virtual Family Office (VFO) provides clients with coordinated access to a network of over 75 top-tier specialists working as an extension of the Tax Samaritan team. Think of it as billionaire-level advisory support without the cost of maintaining a large in-house staff.
The VFO brings together experts in:
- Advanced tax planning
- Wealth management
- Legal services (estate planning, trusts, entity structuring)
- Risk mitigation (insurance, asset protection)
- Business advisory (growth strategies, exit planning, optimization)
The VFO is designed for high-net-worth individuals, successful business owners, and expats with complex international financial situations who want proactive, holistic solutions beyond basic tax compliance. It is a core component of Tax Samaritan’s MAP Proactive Planning engagements by allowing the right specialists to be brought in at the right time, all coordinated through the client’s dedicated Tax Samaritan advisor.
Process & Working with Tax Samaritan
For a complete overview of the Tax Samaritan client intake and service process from start to filed return, visit the Tax Samaritan Expat Tax Process page.
Yes. Tax Samaritan offers a complimentary 30-minute discovery call via Zoom with no obligation.
This relaxed, no-pressure conversation is designed to help both parties determine whether Tax Samaritan is the right fit. During the call, Tax Samaritan will discuss the prospective client’s specific expat or international tax situation, answer questions, explain the service model and what it is like to be a client, and provide clear, honest next steps; whether that is moving forward together or a suitable referral elsewhere.
Tax Samaritan is equally selective about the clients it can best serve. It is a two-way fit assessment.
Tax Samaritan’s fees are value-based and driven by the complexity of each client’s international tax situation including the number of foreign entities, countries involved, FBAR filings, PFIC reporting, and other factors. Every prospective client receives a clear, fixed-fee proposal following the initial discovery call. There are no surprise charges or hourly billing.
Once all documents and information are received, Tax Samaritan’s typical turnaround times are:
- Standard expat tax return (federal return with basic FBAR and Form 8938): approximately 15 business days
- Complex returns (including foreign business/entity reporting such as Form 5471 or PFIC filings, multiple years, foreign trusts or estates, or state coordination): up to 30 business days
Tax Samaritan prioritizes accuracy and thoroughness over speed, particularly with international reporting where errors can be costly. Clients receive regular status updates throughout the process. During peak tax season (March through April), wait times may be slightly longer, but capacity is managed carefully to maintain white-glove service standards.
Yes, and this is a firm guarantee at Tax Samaritan. Every client is assigned a dedicated tax professional and works with that same experienced advisor year after year.
Tax Samaritan structures the firm this way deliberately. Your advisor gets to know your international financial situation, your family circumstances, and your long-term goals in depth. There is no handoff to a different preparer each tax season and no need to re-explain a complex expat situation from scratch every year. This continuity is one of the biggest differences between Tax Samaritan and high-volume expat tax services. One of the primary reasons clients stay with the firm long-term.
Protecting sensitive financial and tax information is one of Tax Samaritan’s highest priorities. All client documents are handled through a professional-grade secure client portal with the following protections:
- 256-bit encryption for all stored data and SSL/TLS encryption on every transmission
- Secure, U.S.-based servers with strict access controls
- Full compliance with Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) requirements for financial institutions and Sarbanes-Oxley standards for data integrity
- Access limited to authorized Tax Samaritan team members only, under rigorous internal privacy policies
Within the client portal, clients can securely upload tax documents (W-2s, foreign financial statements, brokerage reports, and more), communicate with their dedicated tax professional, track return status in real time, review drafts, and approve filings. All in one encrypted environment.
Guarantees
Tax Samaritan stands behind its work with three clear guarantees:
- Satisfaction Guarantee If something is not right, Tax Samaritan will work to make it right. If a client remains unsatisfied after the firm has addressed their concerns, a refund of fees paid may be requested. Refunds are limited to fees paid for services rendered. If significant work has already been completed, the refund may be prorated based on value delivered. Requests must be made within the stated timeframe (typically within 15 days of payment or before receiving the completed tax plan or return for review, whichever comes first).
- Accuracy Guarantee Tax Samaritan stands behind the accuracy of every return and document it prepares. If an error on Tax Samaritan’s part results in IRS or state penalties, Tax Samaritan will pay those penalties.
- Audit Peace of Mind Guarantee With Tax Samaritan’s Audit Protection Plan, clients never have to face an IRS notice or audit alone. If a client receives any IRS or state correspondence (a notice, audit, or inquiry), they simply forward it to Tax Samaritan. Tax Samaritan will immediately file a Power of Attorney (Form 2848), take over all communication with the IRS, and handle the matter professionally from start to finish.
Note: While Tax Samaritan provides full representation, specific outcomes with the IRS or state agencies cannot be guaranteed, as those decisions are outside the firm’s control. Full details of all guarantees are provided in the client engagement letter.
Getting Started
The best first step is scheduling a complimentary 30-minute discovery call via Zoom. The call is free, no-obligation, and designed to help you understand whether Tax Samaritan is the right fit for your situation.
If Tax Samaritan determines it is not the right fit, or if your situation falls outside the firm’s ideal client profile, Tax Samaritan will tell you honestly and, where possible, refer you to a trusted colleague who can serve you well. The goal is always to make sure you get the right help, even if that means an introduction to someone else.
DISCLAIMER
The information on this page is for general educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute tax, legal, or financial advice for any specific situation. Tax laws are complex and subject to change. We recommend consulting with a qualified tax professional regarding your individual circumstances.