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FEE SCHEDULE
| Service | Fees
(USD)
| General consulting- financial or business
| 225/hr
| | Highly specific consulting and services (eg: Investment advisory services, Strategic repositioning of assets, IRS tax dispute issues, advice concerning specific insurance/annuity/retirement plans): | 375/hr | | Preparation of documents (Quit Claim Deeds, Life Insurance loans/ assignments/ changes, Promissory Notes, Legal letters, etc (unless specifically covered elsewhere): | 225/hr
| Tax Assistance- (Expat tax returns are complex, and many different things must be considered. For the self-employed or personal services expat, it's even more complex, as special rules apply for profit and loss and self-employment taxes. Although there has recently been a proliferation of "Do it yourself tax programs," we do not recommend that expats and self-employed individuals use these to prepare their own tax returns. They're great for insuring mathematical accuracy, but not for telling you what deductions you may or may not take, or for searching out sometimes "hidden" deductions. What you miss (or misreport) can easily cost you hundreds, or even thousands of dollars on one hand, or perhaps trigger an IRS audit on the other. (Note: In unique situations where we need to devise and employ a specific tax strategy in order to minimize taxes or maximize returns, our fees will be based on the tax savings realized, at a rate of 15-40% of total savings. Alternatively, a client may elect, in advance, to opt for our services based on our hourly rate for specific consulting situations.)
We offer a no-obligation review- if we can't help you, we don't want your money. )
| | Ultra Basic (Form 1040A or 1040EZ)
| 89
| Basic Expat Return (Forms 1040, 2555 (1st):
| 225 | Additional Forms/Schedules, as required- as these can vary widely in scope and complexity, charges for all but the very simplest forms will be based on our standard hourly rates)
| 125/hr
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| | State tax returns - (standard forms plus non-resident/part-year resident, if needed)
| 85 | Amended returns (for refunds) (Note: These are "optional" amended returns
filed for the primary purpose of obtaining refunds, rather than correcting one or more serious errors. As this is primarily a "treasure hunting expedition," we can either offer our skills at a special consulting hourly rate, or participate in the "hunt" on a joint venture basis (60-40). We will review past or present year (if already filed) returns both for errors and missed deductions and credits. As before, we will continue to provide free evaluations. Our objective is to take advantage of all legal deductions and
credits, and to get the maximum refunds for our clients. | 375/hr
(N/A if done on Joint Venture basis)
| Amended Returns (to correct serious error(s)): | 225/hr | Electronic Filing - federal (Note: only for returns we have prepared)
| 25 | Electronic Filing - state (where available)
| 25 | | | | FAFSA Assistance - general consulting (including review of completed forms)
| 150/hr | - form preparation (provided all necessary information readily available)
| 150/hr | | | | Consulting and Preparation of Estate Planning Documents (Disclaimer: we provide this as a service only. You should always have your documents reviewed by an estate planning attorney licensed in the jurisdiction for which their use is intended. We do, however, guarantee our work. If it's not right for your jurisdiction, we will make changes recommended by your reviewing attorney at no additional charge.) Note: Fees are listed here as a general guideline as to our estimated amount required for for consulting and document preparation, and may vary widely. Our skills are in analyzing a situation and recommending solutions based on relevant laws. We provide our document drafting service as an adjunct, and not a substitute for such consulting. Every situation is unique; thus, listed fees should be regarded as a starting point, as they may vary in complex situations. In certain situations they also include additional required third party fees.)
| | Basic Will - single person, no minor children, no complex bequests
| 189 | - husband & wife with minor children, testamentary trust (if desired)
| 349 | Power of Attorney (Special, general, or Health care)
| 129 | Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (Note: we usually recommend that husband and wife have separate trusts, but it is possible to have one trust for both, although a 3rd party trustee is then required.)
| 1499 | Charitable Remainder Trust
| 4499 | Dynasty Trust (domestic Asset Protection Trust - great for larger estates):
| 6499 | International Asset Protection Trust (Note: these trusts, while widely marketed to expats, pose a considerable trap to U.S. persons wishing to utilize them, as the U.S. has stringent reporting requirements for "foreign" trusts, whether "grantor" or "non-grantor" trusts. We will not assist a U.S. person in setting up such a trust except under strict guidelines, and in combination with other structures.)
| 4999 | Nevis LLC (if set up properly, this is one of the only "offshore" business structures that
can be established by a U.S. person without onerous tax reporting consequences, and opens the door to many financial opportunities often closed to U.S. persons):
| 3999 | Delaware Series LLC (touted to be one of the most sophisticated planning devices ever conceived, a Series LLC, when structured properly, is like having the protection of multiple LLC's, but with the administrative simplicity of only one (although some advocate for separate tax ID numbers and returns for each series). Ideal for holding more multiple pieces of real estate and/or other business interests.)
| 2999 | Domestic Living Trust and ancillary documents package (we include Pour-over wills, Trust Abstract, Durable General Powers of Attorney, Health Care Powers of Attorney, and an Abstract of your Trust, as recommended by the best estate planning guides and attorneys.) (Note: a "domestic" trust is one which is subject to U.S. jurisdiction, and generally must be also have a jurisdictionally based trustee or co-trustee. "Foreign" trusts have onerous reporting requirements with stiff penalties for U.S. citizens and residents. A "Domestic" trust will still be valid in most worldwide jurisdictions.) (All trust packages include a relevant number of consulting and/or preparation hours. Additional hours, if required, will be invoiced as per our hourly rate.)
| | Single person, no children
| 999 | Single person, children
| 1199 | Husband & wife - "A" Trust (no children)
| 1499 | - "A-B" Trust (best for couples with children)
| 2499 | - "A-B-C" Trust (best where one spouse or both have children from
a prior marriage)
| 2999 | - "A-B" or "A-B-C" Trust with "Special Needs" provision (as above, plus):
| 350 | - QTIP Trust (best where one spouse is not a U.S. citizen; thus unlimited spousal deduction does not apply):
| 2799 | U.S. LLC - (Multiple uses, but in estate/tax planning can serve as a "domestic" co-trustee, along with the possibility of re-categorizing income from higher to lower brackets) (Note: our fees here are PLUS state filing fees, but include Registered Agent fees for the 1st year and obtaining of a federal T.I.N.)
| 750 | Specialty Land Trust (one of the best options for sellers to possibly legally avoid paying title transfer taxes (but not necessarily any ordinary income tax on a gain), as well as the best method (in our opinion) for non-Filipino citizens to enjoy ownership benefits of real property). Also useful for estate planning purposes.
| 2499
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Note:
Through Lovingkindness Ministries and American Expat Services we are set up to take PayPal payments and donations. Please let us know if this is preferable to you. If so, we will send you a PayPal invoice, as we are not able to set up a shopping cart with so many variables. (We also accept cash and/or bank deposits or transfers, but have found that cash or PayPal is more convenient for the majority of our expat clients.)
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