The looming arrival of US tax compliance rules on expats is pushing up the number of Americans seeking professional financial advice, with global advisory firm the deVere Group claiming a 65 per cent surge in enquiries over the past three months alone.

Expats are trying to organise their financial affairs ahead of the 2013 start of the FATCA Act (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act). The act will require Foreign Financial Institutions – a term covering banks to hedge funds - to report to the US government and withhold 30 per cent tax on US sourced income and gross proceeds of sale in cases of non-compliance. This rule is expected to be finalised by the end of summer 2012 and fully implemented by the end of 2017.

Already, wealth managers and lawyers have told this publication that the act is changing how some firms deal with US expats, in some cases, refusing to take on US clients because they are seen as too expensive for compliance reasons. It has been reported that HSBC, Singapore-headquartered DBS and Deutsche Bank, for example, have turned away US clients. On the other hand, some firms, such as Switzerland’s Reyl & Cie, are embracing US customers where appropriate.

“FATCA, a notoriously complex piece of legislation, is prompting an increasing number of US citizens, especially those who live overseas, to seek expert financial advice because failure to report foreign accounts, at thresholds starting at $50,000, or filing incorrectly, will result in heavy fines,” Nigel Green, chief executive of the deVere Group, said.

“Over the last three months, our advisors have reported a 65 per cent increase in inquiries from US citizens globally,” Green said.

“Indeed, it is entirely possible, under this legislation, for an American to rack up tens of thousands of dollars in fines even if they don’t owe a cent to the IRS (Internal Revenue Service),” Green said.

“The deVere Group remains 100 per cent committed to US expatriates – in fact we’re increasing focus on this area of our business,” Green added.