About · Team
Our team & credentials.
TaxStone's senior practitioners hold ACCA chartered status and IRS Enrolled Agent licences — the two credentials that actually matter for US-UK cross-border work. Here's what each qualification gives you, and how we run engagements.
Why qualifications matter
Anyone can prepare a US tax return. Not anyone can defend one.
US tax preparation is essentially unregulated — there’s no minimum credential to file someone’s return as a paid preparer. The two credentials that change that picture are ACCA on the UK side and the IRS Enrolled Agent license on the US side. Together they mean we’re fully regulated practitioners on both sides of the Atlantic, with a professional duty of care that continues after the return is filed.
This page is the long-form answer to “what makes you different from a US-only preparer” — and the short version is: scope, regulation, and a duty of care that survives the engagement.
The credentials
Four pieces of regulation behind every return.
We hold the credentials, follow the codes, and carry the insurance — so the work behind your filing is backed by more than a name on a website.
- EA
IRS Enrolled Agent
The highest credential the IRS awards to tax practitioners, earned by examination and maintained with annual continuing education. It means our US-side preparers are federally licensed and regulated by the IRS, not simply self-described specialists.
- ACCA
ACCA chartered
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants — global UK-based body with 240,000+ members. ACCA regulation requires ongoing CPD, ethical conduct, and a complaints framework that backs every UK-side filing we touch.
- PII
Professional indemnity
Active PI insurance on every engagement covering preparation errors and negligence. Cover and limit available on request — most clients never need it; the insurance is what makes 'we got it wrong' a refund issue, not a litigation issue.
- OPR
Circular 230 governance
Our US-side work falls under the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility — the regulatory body that enforces practitioner standards (Circular 230). It sets the rules for what we can sign, how we advise you, and what we have to disclose.
20+ yrs
Cross-border practice
Across the senior team
2
Qualifications
ACCA + IRS Enrolled Agent
100%
Second-reviewed
By an EA before release
2 days
Reply time
Within 2 working days, by email
How we run engagements
The non-negotiables, regardless of complexity.
These are the things that don’t bend per client. Whether you’re filing a single 1040 with FBAR or running a Streamlined catch-up with three PFIC elections and a Form 5471, the same five commitments hold.
- Cross-border filings only — we don't dilute the practice with non-international US returns
- Plain-English commentary on every position taken on every return we file
- Fixed fees agreed before any time hits the clock — no open-ended hourly invoices
- If the IRS raises a query on a return we prepared, we prepare the written response for you to submit — quoted separately, never a surprise invoice
- Carry-forwards and elections tracked year-on-year so they don't get re-discovered each season
“We don’t take on clients we can’t do well by. That’s why we don’t prepare US-domestic returns and don’t take cases outside our scope. The narrower the practice, the better the work.”
Want an Enrolled Agent to look at your situation?
Send us a short summary by email or the enquiry form. Everything is handled in writing so answers are precise and documented — we reply within 2 working days confirming whether your case fits our practice.