It is smaller, more specialised, and often less visible than mainstream private client or corporate tax. But that is exactly why experienced US tax professionals remain so valuable.
The demand is not simply coming from traditional accountancy firms. It is also coming from international tax consultancies, challenger firms, private client boutiques and advisory-led practices that are building cross-border capability around internationally mobile individuals, founders, senior executives and family offices.
That matters because the market is becoming less about routine compliance alone and more about joined-up international advice.
Clients are more mobile. Wealth structures are more international. Families are more likely to have assets, reporting obligations and planning issues across multiple jurisdictions. For many of these clients, US tax is not a side issue. It sits at the centre of the advice.
The UK’s changes to the non-dom regime have also increased the need for specialist cross-border thinking. For US-connected individuals, the interaction between UK residence rules, foreign income and gains, trust structures, offshore assets and US reporting obligations can be highly complex. This creates demand for advisers who can do more than prepare returns. Firms need people who can think commercially, explain risk clearly and work alongside UK private client, trust, corporate and international tax specialists.
This is where the opportunity for US tax specialists becomes interesting.
The talent pool in the UK remains small. There are not many experienced US/UK private client professionals in the market, particularly at Manager, Senior Manager and Director level. Those who can combine technical depth with client handling, advisory judgement and commercial awareness are difficult to replace.
At the same time, the range of employers has broadened.
Historically, many US tax careers in London were concentrated around the Big Four, expatriate tax teams and specialist US tax firms. Those routes still matter. But the market is now wider. Growing tax consultancies, independent advisory firms and international private client practices are investing in US/UK capability because it strengthens their wider client offering.
For candidates, this creates more choice.
Some firms offer scale, brand and large global clients. Others offer a more visible team structure, closer access to senior leadership and broader involvement in client strategy. For US tax specialists who feel they have become too boxed into process, compliance cycles or a narrow portfolio, these environments can offer a different type of career move.
The most attractive opportunities are usually not just “US tax roles.” They are roles where US tax sits within a broader international advisory platform.
That can mean advising internationally mobile families, founders moving between jurisdictions, senior finance professionals, entrepreneurs with US exposure, trusts with US beneficiaries, or clients reviewing structures in light of UK tax changes.
For experienced US tax professionals, the key question is no longer simply whether there is demand.
There is.
The better question is what kind of team/business best suits the next stage of your career.
Do you want a larger global firm with scale and structure?
Or do you want a smaller but still sizeable advisory environment where you are closer to clients, closer to decision-making and more involved in shaping the service line?
Both can be good options. But they offer very different career experiences.
The strongest US tax specialists in the UK are likely to remain in demand because they sit at the intersection of several growing themes: international mobility, private wealth, regulatory complexity, cross-border structuring and the continued expansion of advisory-led tax consultancies.
It is a niche market, but not a static one.
For those already working in US tax, this is a good time to think carefully about where your skills are best valued, what type of clients you want to advise, and whether your current environment gives you the visibility, progression and advisory exposure you want long term.
If you are a US tax specialist in the UK and would like a confidential view of the market, we would be happy to speak.
Whether you are actively considering a move or simply want to understand where demand is strongest, what firms are offering, and how your experience is positioned, we can provide a clear and informed perspective.
Please feel free to contact us for a confidential conversation
