Bright!Tax

What Bright!Tax does

Bright!Tax is a US expat tax preparation firm founded in 2010 by Gregory Dewald and headquartered in New York. It serves American citizens and green card holders living abroad — a long-tail, globally distributed customer base spanning more than 200 countries — with US federal tax return preparation, FBAR (FinCEN 114) filing, FATCA (Form 8938) reporting, foreign corporation and PFIC disclosures, state tax returns, and the IRS Streamlined Procedure amnesty program for late filers. The company positions itself as a specialist provider, restricting its practice exclusively to US expat taxation rather than competing in the domestic retail tax market.

The firm's core product is the Expat Tax Preparation Service (starting at $800), delivered through a proprietary online client organizer with online-banking-grade document security and IRS e-filing integration. Each client is assigned a dedicated Client Success Manager and a CPA/Enrolled Agent with Big Four–trained expertise (PwC, EY, Deloitte, Vialto Partners). A separate Premium Expert Service tier serves globally mobile professionals and business owners with higher-touch engagement, and ancillary SKUs include IRS Streamlined Procedure (from $1,860), expert CPA consultations ($280 per 30 minutes), state returns ($180), Form 5471 (from $680), PFIC Form 8621 (from $170), FATCA ($170), and Relief Procedures for Former Citizens ($4,360).

Bright!Tax operates a direct-to-consumer go-to-market with no physical retail presence, relying on country-specific SEO pages (200+ countries), an award-winning blog, video tutorials, CEO/CFO-led webinars, the Bright!Insights newsletter, and earned media in Forbes, Bloomberg, CNBC, Yahoo Finance, Reuters, and Fast Company. The company is privately held and bootstrapped, with only one disclosed funding event of $50,000 in August 2013, and has been recognized as Global US Expat Tax Provider of the Year a record five times at the EMMA Awards. Leadership transitioned to CEO Katelynn Minott (ex-PwC) with founder Gregory Dewald remaining involved.

Name

Bright!Tax

Legal name

Bright!Tax

Website

https://brighttax.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Bright!Tax is a US expat tax preparation firm serving American citizens and green card holders living abroad across 200+ countries. It delivers federal tax return preparation, FBAR/FATCA reporting, IRS Streamlined Procedure catch-up filings, and expert CPA consultations through a secure online client portal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Expat Tax Preparation Services

NAICS

Tax Preparation Services (541213), Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211)

akta.pro primary industry

Tax Advisory & Compliance (BPAHABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Tax Return Filing, Processing & Assessment (BPAIADAC)

Keywords

• US expat tax preparation
• Expat tax services
• FBAR filing
• Foreign tax compliance
• Expat tax consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Expat Tax Return Preparation: Premium US expat federal tax return filing service with dedicated Client Success Manager, including all expat credits, exclusions, and FBAR filing. Flat fee upfront pricing.
2. IRS Streamlined Procedure: Penalty-free catch-up service for Americans behind on US tax filings. Includes 3 tax returns and up to 6 FBAR filings.
3. Expert Consultations: 30-minute virtual consultations with world-class expat tax CPAs for advice or tax planning.
4. Additional Form Filing: Add-on services including FATCA reporting ($170), State Tax Returns ($180), Foreign Corporation Form 5471 (from $680), PFIC Form 8621 (from $170), and Relief Procedures for Former Citizens ($4,360).
5. Premium Expert Service: High-touch, high-end service for globally mobile professionals and business owners with direct access to expert tax team including kickoff planning session and post-filing debrief.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bright!Tax is a US expat tax preparation firm that prepares US federal tax returns for American citizens and green card holders living abroad, handling expat-specific credits and exclusions such as the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE), Foreign Tax Credit, FBAR (FinCEN Form 114), and FATCA (Form 8938) reporting. Each client is paired with a dedicated Client Success Manager and a certified expat tax CPA who prepares the return through a secure online client organizer. The firm also offers IRS Streamlined Procedure catch-up filings for non-compliant expats, virtual CPA consultations, and a Premium Expert Service for business owners and globally mobile professionals.

Product overview

Bright!Tax is a US expat tax preparation service offering a suite of interconnected tax filing and compliance services for Americans living abroad. The core offering is the Expat Tax Preparation Service (starting at $800), which handles federal tax returns with all available expat credits and exclusions. This core service integrates with or includes ancillary services such as FBAR Filing and FATCA Reporting. Two major add-on pathways address distinct customer segments: the IRS Streamlined Procedure (starting at $1,860) for expats who are behind on filings, and Expert CPA Consultations ($280/30 minutes) for advisory-only engagements. Additional fee-based add-ons cover State Tax Returns ($180), Foreign Corporation Form 5471 reporting (starting at $680), PFIC Form 8621 reporting (starting at $170), and Relief Procedures for Former Citizens ($4,360). The Premium Expert Service is a higher-tier offering for business owners and globally mobile professionals. All services are delivered through a secure online client portal with dedicated Client Success Managers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bright!Insights: Monthly newsletter providing expat tax insights and articles delivered to subscribers' email inboxes.

Products and services

• Expat Tax Preparation Service

Quantifiable outcome

• 5-time Global EMMA Award winner for Expat Tax Provider of the Year
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Greenback Expat Tax Services: Direct US expat tax preparation competitor serving Americans abroad with comparable federal return, FBAR, and Streamlined Procedure services. Operates a similar direct-to-consumer online model with CPAs specialized in expat issues.
• MyExpatTaxes: Online-first US expat tax software/service that combines DIY tools with expert review for Americans abroad. Targets the same expat persona with a more software-led delivery model, representing both a competitor and a lower-cost alternative.
• Taxes for Expats (TFX): Long-standing US expat tax preparation firm offering federal returns, FBAR, FATCA, and state filings for Americans overseas. Closely comparable product mix, pricing tiers, and target customer base as Bright!Tax.
• 1040 Abroad: US expat tax preparation service focused on Americans living overseas, with comparable core offerings in federal returns, FBAR, and Streamlined Procedures. Directly competes in the same niche and customer segment.
• US Tax Help: Online US expat tax preparation provider serving American citizens abroad with federal, state, FBAR, and FATCA services. Overlaps Bright!Tax's core offering and target persona with a comparable digital delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• TurboTax (Intuit): Mass-market tax preparation software with Live CPA add-on services and limited expat handling. Reaches a much broader audience but offers shallower expat specialization than Bright!Tax's niche offering.
• Vialto Partners: Global mobility tax firm spun out of PwC serving multinational employers and their globally mobile employees. Overlaps with Bright!Tax's expat expertise but serves primarily corporate-sponsored expats rather than direct-to-consumer individuals.
• H&R Block Expat Tax Services: Large diversified US tax preparation firm offering an expat-specific product line. Competes with Bright!Tax on US expat federal and state filings but lacks the pure-play specialization and premium service positioning.

Emerging players

• Hood & Strong LLP: US CPA firm with an expat tax practice serving high-net-worth Americans abroad. Comparable expertise in complex international tax matters but operates as a traditional CPA firm rather than direct-to-consumer online platform.
• TaxAct Expat: Mid-market US tax software provider that has added expat federal return capabilities. Represents the lower-cost DIY end of the spectrum that Bright!Tax competes against for price-sensitive expat customers.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@BrightTax
• Facebookfacebook.com/bright.tax
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brighttax
• Instagraminstagram.com/brighttax
• Xx.com/BrightTax

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bright!Tax