Retirees & Pensioners
Coordinated US and UK tax for cross-border retirement: Social Security, pensions, IRA and SIPP withdrawals, and estate planning handled by one team in both countries.
You retired. Your tax obligations didn't.
A retirement that spans the Atlantic runs on two pension systems, two tax years, and one treaty that decides who taxes what. Social Security, State Pension, SIPPs, IRAs, and Roths each carry their own rules, and the order you draw them in changes the bill. We prepare both returns and plan the drawdown as a single strategy.
Whether you're an American settling into the UK or a Brit heading home after a US career, we handle the annual filings and the decisions that only happen once: lump sums, account consolidation, and what your estate would face on both sides.
How we help cross-border retirees
Complete US and UK retirement tax compliance and planning, coordinated under one roof.
US Social Security in the UK
The treaty assigns US Social Security to the UK once you live there: the UK taxes it and the US does not. We claim this correctly on both returns so the same benefit isn't taxed twice, or reported inconsistently.
UK State Pension for US Residents
The mirror-image problem: a UK State Pension drawn in the US carries its own treaty treatment and reporting. We handle the sourcing, the exchange rates, and the state tax questions that follow.
SIPP & Workplace Pension Drawdown
Drawing a UK pension as a US person raises treaty questions on every payment: periodic withdrawals, lump sums, and the 25% tax-free amount all take different analysis. We document defensible positions before you draw.
IRA & 401(k) Withdrawals in the UK
Periodic US retirement distributions are generally taxable in the UK for UK residents, while lump sums stay taxable in the US. Getting the split right, and the credits that follow, is the core of retiree filing.
Roth Accounts as a UK Resident
The treaty generally preserves Roth tax-free treatment in the UK, but the position depends on how the account and its distributions are handled. We keep the paperwork airtight so the relief holds.
Estate & IHT Planning for Retirees
Retirement is when estate exposure on both sides becomes real. We map US estate tax and UK inheritance tax against your domicile and assets, and plan gifts and structures while options remain open.
Get your retirement income taxed once, in the right place, for a fixed fee.
Get StartedExplore our tax services
Every withdrawal is a treaty decision.
Periodic or lump sum, resident or source country, this tax year or next: retirement income decisions are largely irreversible, so we make them deliberately, with both countries' rules on the table before any money moves.
The drawdown order is worth planning.
Two retirees with identical savings can pay very different total tax, purely on the sequence and shape of their withdrawals. We plan the order, the timing, and the currency, then prepare the filings that match the plan.
Drawdown Modeling
We model which accounts to draw, in what order, across both countries' tax years, so the same retirement income carries less total tax.
Lump Sum Decisions
Lump sums flip the treaty analysis on both sides. We quantify the outcome before you elect, because these choices can't be undone.
Currency Planning for Fixed Incomes
Dollar pensions funding sterling lives, or the reverse, carry FX risk and FX tax consequences. We build the exchange-rate reality into the plan.
Healthcare & Residence Questions
Medicare doesn't travel, HSAs lose their UK shelter, and residence status drives everything. We fold the practical questions into the tax plan.
Why cross-border retirees choose US/UK Cross Border Tax
Pension Treaty Fluency
Article 17 of the US/UK treaty governs most of a cross-border retirement. We apply it payment by payment (periodic versus lump sum, source versus residence) rather than by rule of thumb.
Withdrawal Sequencing
Which account you draw first, and in which country's tax year, changes the total tax on a retirement. We plan the order before the money moves.
Both Filings, One Team
Your US return and Self Assessment prepared together, so every pension payment is reported consistently and credits land in the right country.
Fixed Incomes, Fixed Fees
Retirement budgets need certainty. You get a fixed quote up front covering both jurisdictions, with no open-ended hourly billing.
"We moved to the Cotswolds with a 401(k), two Roths, and no idea how HMRC would see any of it. They planned the withdrawals, sorted the Social Security treaty position, and now both returns are filed together every year without drama."
Cross-Border Retirement Tax Questions
Common questions from retirees drawing pensions and savings across the Atlantic.
Two Tax Systems, One Team
Email Us
hello@usukcrossbordertax.comLondon Headquarters
4 Crown Place
London EC2A 4BT
United Kingdom
Manchester
CORE
Brown St, Manchester M2 1DH
United Kingdom
San Francisco
600 California St
San Francisco, CA 94108
United States
New York
33 Irving Pl
New York, NY 10003
United States