1. Who we are

ClearedExpat is an independent educational website created and maintained by a U.S. citizen with direct personal experience filing taxes while living and working abroad. The site is not affiliated with the IRS, FinCEN, any U.S. government agency, or any tax preparation firm.

The author is not a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Enrolled Agent (EA), attorney, or licensed financial adviser. Content reflects research, practical experience, and synthesis of publicly available official sources — it is not professional tax advice. See our Disclaimer for a full statement of content limitations.

2. Our mission

The U.S. expat tax system is genuinely complex, and reliable plain-English explanations are hard to find without paying for a consultation. ClearedExpat exists to fill that gap: to give U.S. citizens abroad a clear, accurate, free starting point for understanding their filing obligations — so they can have better conversations with qualified professionals and avoid costly surprises.

We do not offer filing services, sell software, or provide individual advice. Our only goal is to produce accurate, honest educational content.

3. Primary sources — what we rely on

Every substantive claim on ClearedExpat is traced to an authoritative primary source. We consult and link to the following whenever possible:

  • IRS.gov — Forms, instructions, publications (especially Pub. 54, 514, 519), and official guidance on FEIE, FTC, FBAR, and treaty positions
  • FinCEN — FBAR rules, thresholds, and filing procedures at bsaefiling.fincen.treas.gov
  • U.S. Tax Court opinions — Case law cited where relevant to interpret contested rules
  • Treasury regulations (26 CFR) — Regulatory text underlying specific tax code provisions
  • Official bilateral tax treaty texts — Treaty PDFs from IRS.gov, Treasury.gov, or the relevant foreign ministry
  • Foreign tax authority publications — Country-specific content is checked against official foreign government sources (HMRC, Agence des impôts, etc.)

We do not rely on anonymous forums, community posts, or secondary summaries as primary evidence for tax rules. When secondary sources are mentioned, they are attributed and linked.

4. Tax year and date framing

U.S. tax rules change year to year — thresholds, exclusion amounts, and deadlines are indexed for inflation and subject to legislative revision. We take the following approach:

  • Pages display a "Last reviewed" date in the page header so readers can see when content was last verified.
  • Dollar thresholds and limits shown on guides and tools include the applicable tax year (e.g., "2024 FEIE exclusion: $126,500"). We update these when IRS announces changes.
  • Deadline pages and calendar tools are labeled with the specific tax year they apply to and updated at the start of each filing season.
  • When rules are in transition or recently changed, we note the effective date and prior rule where relevant.

If you are reading content dated more than 12 months ago, verify current figures at IRS.gov before relying on specific dollar amounts.

5. How we write

Our writing standards:

  • Plain English first. Tax jargon is explained, not assumed. We define terms like "bona fide residence," "physical presence test," and "totalization agreement" on first use.
  • Conservative framing on gray areas. When the rules are ambiguous or heavily fact-specific, we say so explicitly rather than oversimplify.
  • No definitive advice. We describe what the rules generally say — we do not tell individual readers what they should do. Every article recommends consulting a qualified EA, CPA, or attorney for personal situations.
  • Transparent limitations. We disclose when a topic is outside our expertise, when rules vary significantly by treaty, or when professional guidance is especially important.
  • No scare tactics. We aim to inform, not alarm. Where penalties exist, we explain them accurately — not as clickbait.

6. Affiliate relationships and commercial transparency

ClearedExpat contains affiliate links on some pages, including the expat tax software guide. When you click those links and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no cost to you.

Our standards for affiliate content:

  • Affiliate relationships are disclosed prominently at the top of any page that contains them.
  • We only link to products we have genuinely researched and believe may be useful to U.S. expats.
  • Affiliate status does not influence rankings, ratings, or editorial descriptions. Positives and negatives are noted honestly for each product.
  • We do not accept payment for editorial coverage, sponsored articles, or "pay-to-rank" placements.
  • The existence of an affiliate relationship is disclosed in our Terms of Use and on any page containing affiliate links.

7. How we update content

Tax rules change. Our update process:

  • Annual review. All guides, country pages, and tool thresholds are reviewed at the start of each U.S. tax filing season (typically January–February) and updated to reflect current-year rules.
  • Event-driven updates. When the IRS issues significant guidance, announces threshold changes, or legislation passes that affects expat taxpayers, we update relevant pages as quickly as possible.
  • Date stamping. Each page that contains time-sensitive information carries a visible "Last reviewed" or "Last updated" date.
  • Tools and calculators. Numeric inputs (FEIE exclusion limits, FBAR thresholds, SE tax rates) are updated when official figures change.

8. Corrections policy

We take accuracy seriously. If you believe content on ClearedExpat contains a factual error:

  • Email us at tax@clearedexpat.com with the specific page URL, the claim you believe is incorrect, and the source you think is more accurate.
  • We will review the issue promptly, typically within 5 business days.
  • If we confirm an error, we will correct it and update the page's "Last updated" date. Significant corrections may include a brief note at the top of the article describing what changed.
  • We do not delete or silently alter content that was correct at the time of writing but has since become outdated — we update and re-date it instead.

9. Country pages — scope and limitations

Country-specific tax pages on ClearedExpat cover the U.S. side of the tax equation: how FEIE, FTC, FBAR, and bilateral tax treaties interact with life in each country. They are not comprehensive guides to the foreign tax system itself.

Tax laws in foreign countries change independently of U.S. rules. We make reasonable efforts to keep country content accurate, but we cannot guarantee real-time accuracy for every jurisdiction. Readers planning a move to a new country should consult a tax professional familiar with both U.S. and local tax law before making decisions.

10. Tools and calculators — limitations

Interactive tools on this site (FEIE eligibility checker, FEIE vs. FTC calculator, FBAR threshold checker, deadline calendar) are designed as educational illustrations. They:

  • Use simplified logic that cannot account for every fact-specific exception or treaty override
  • Do not constitute a tax return, filing position, or professional determination
  • May not reflect the most recent threshold updates if we have not yet published an update
  • Should be treated as a starting-point estimate, not a definitive answer

Always verify tool outputs against current IRS guidance and confirm your specific situation with a qualified professional.

11. Links to external sites

ClearedExpat links to external sources — IRS.gov, FinCEN, government tax authorities, and partner products — for reference and convenience. We do not control external sites and cannot guarantee their accuracy or availability. Linking to an external site is not an endorsement of all content on that site.

12. Financial services affiliate partnerships — additional standards

ClearedExpat may publish content about financial services relevant to U.S. expats, including international money transfer services, multi-currency accounts, and related products. These areas carry stricter editorial standards than general content because the products are directly regulated, fees and rates change frequently, and misleading comparisons can cause real financial harm to readers.

Additional standards that apply to any financial services affiliate content on this site:

  • Partner pre-approval required. Before publishing any page that promotes or includes affiliate links to a specific financial services partner, we obtain that partner's opportunity to review the content and any partner-specific disclosure language. We do not publish partner-specific affiliate content — including any use of a partner's campaign elements, branding, or comparison placement — until this process is completed.
  • No pricing guarantees. Exchange rates, transfer fees, and other pricing figures for financial services products change constantly. Any figures cited on this site are presented as approximate and sourced from publicly available partner documentation at a stated date. We do not represent them as current at the time you read the page, and we direct readers to verify current pricing directly with the provider.
  • No promises or warranties about outcomes. We do not promise specific savings, transfer speeds, approval outcomes, or other results for any financial services product. Our descriptions are factual and caveated — not promotional.
  • No coupon or voucher-code framing. We do not use promotional "deal," "promo," "voucher," or "coupon" language for financial services products. All content is educational and comparative.
  • No paid-search conflicts. We do not use paid search, Google Ads, paid native ads, or paid social media to drive traffic directly to any financial services partner. We do not bid on any financial services partner's brand terms, trademarks, or common misspellings thereof.
  • Affiliate links on approved platforms only. Partner affiliate links are published only on platforms that have been approved for that affiliate relationship. We do not publish affiliate links on platforms outside this agreement.
  • Disclosure is prominent and pre-agreed. All financial services affiliate pages carry a clear, prominent disclosure of the affiliate relationship. Wording for partner-specific disclosures is agreed with the relevant partner before publication.
  • Content is reviewed before going live. Any financial services affiliate page is reviewed against a compliance checklist before publication and is scheduled for re-review at least every six months.
  • Affiliate links use rel="sponsored noopener". All affiliate links — including links to financial services products — carry the rel="sponsored" attribute as required by FTC guidelines and Google's link-quality standards. This attribute signals to search engines and browsers that the link is part of an affiliate relationship. We do not use redirect-based cloaking or any mechanism that obscures the affiliate nature of a link.
  • No brand asset use without approval. We do not use a financial services partner's logo, trademark, screenshot, campaign creative, or any other brand asset on this site without prior written approval from that partner. Approved assets are used unmodified.

These standards are designed to protect readers, protect the integrity of our editorial content, and ensure that affiliate partnerships comply with program terms. If a partner's terms conflict with our editorial standards, our editorial standards take precedence.

13. Contact us

Questions about our editorial standards, corrections, or sourcing decisions can be directed to: tax@clearedexpat.com

We welcome substantive feedback from tax professionals, expats, and anyone who spots something that could be improved.