Foreign Tax Credit vs FEIE US Expats UK Guide |

Introduction

For a US citizen earning £85,000 in London, picking Form 2555 over Form 1116 can cost more than £15,000 of unused tax credits over five years. The headline appeal of the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion is the $130,000 of UK earnings it shelters, but the headline rarely tells the full story. The smarter long-term answer for most UK earners is Foreign Tax Credit on Form 1116, which uses UK higher-rate and additional-rate tax already paid to wipe out US tax entirely and produce ten-year carryforwards on top. This is the heart of the foreign tax credit vs FEIE US expats UK decision.

This guide is written for US citizens and Green Card holders working in the United Kingdom — UK PAYE employees, contractors, founders of UK Limited companies, and dual US-UK citizens. By the end, you will know the rules of both elections, the situations in which each one wins, and the long-term cost of choosing the wrong one. For broader context, see our service page at https://www.us-uktax.com/services/.

How Does the Foreign Tax Credit Compare to FEIE for US Expats in the UK? 

The foreign tax credit vs FEIE US expats UK decision is a choice between two mutually exclusive US tax elections that address foreign-earned income for Americans living abroad. The Foreign Tax Credit (FTC) on Form 1116 credits UK income tax paid against US federal tax on the same income under Internal Revenue Code Section 901. The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE) on Form 2555 excludes a capped amount of foreign-earned income from US taxable income under Internal Revenue Code Section 911. The IRS guidance on the FTC is at https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/foreign-tax-credit, and the FEIE guidance is at https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/foreign-earned-income-exclusion.

For the 2025 tax year, FEIE excludes up to $130,000 per qualifying individual, and the 2026 figure is expected to be approximately $132,900 once the IRS publishes the inflation adjustment. The FTC has no dollar cap and no qualifying-day test — it simply credits foreign tax paid against US tax on the same category of income.

The two elections cannot apply to the same dollar of foreign earned income under IRC Section 911(d)(6). A UK earner above the FEIE cap can use FEIE on the excluded portion and FTC on the rest, but the underlying choice for the bulk of UK PAYE income is one or the other.

Why Foreign Tax Credit vs FEIE US Expats UK Planning Matters in 2026

Three factors make this an urgent compliance and planning question in 2026.

First, UK tax rates exceed US rates at most income levels. The UK higher rate of forty percent applies from £50,270, and the additional rate of forty-five percent from £125,140, compared with US federal brackets topping out at thirty-seven percent. UK National Insurance adds further employee contributions of 8% percent and 2% within the relevant bands, per HMRC's current rates at https://www.gov.uk/national-insurance-rates-letters. This produces excess foreign tax that FTC captures and carries forward for up to 10 years under IRC Section 904(c), while FEIE simply excludes the income with no carryforward.

Second, FEIE has knock-on effects on retirement planning. Income excluded under Form 2555 does not count as "compensation" for Roth IRA contribution purposes under the IRS rules published at https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/roth-iras, locking high-earning UK expats out of US retirement vehicles for the years in which FEIE applies.

Third, the new UK Foreign Income and Gains regime, which replaced the non-dom remittance basis from 6 April 2025, affects how new UK residents interact with foreign income during their first four years in the UK. The HMRC FIG guidance sits at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-taxation-of-non-uk-domiciled-individuals. The FTC versus FEIE decision in year one of UK residence has consequences that compound over many subsequent years. For wider analysis, see our news page at https://www.us-uktax.com/blog/.

How Each Election Actually Works for a UK Earner

Foreign Tax Credit on Form 1116

FTC credits UK income tax paid against US federal tax on the same income. The credit is calculated by income category (general, passive, foreign branch, GILTI, and treaty sourced), and unused credit in each category can carry forward up to 10 years under IRC Section 904(c) or carry back 1 year. UK earners on higher-rate or additional-rate salaries routinely generate surplus FTC because UK tax paid exceeds US tax on the same income.

For a UK salary of £100,000, UK income tax and Class 1 National Insurance combined exceed £ 37,000. The equivalent US tax on the same dollar income for a single filer is approximately seventeen to eighteen thousand pounds-equivalent. FTC credits the full UK tax against US tax, eliminating US liability on the salary and producing excess credits of roughly twenty thousand pounds-equivalent each year — credits that can offset US tax on US-source investment income, capital gains, and rental income for up to ten years.

Foreign Earned Income Exclusion on Form 2555

FEIE excludes up to $130,000 (2025) of foreign earned income from US taxable income, plus a separate Foreign Housing Exclusion for qualifying housing costs above a base amount. To qualify, the taxpayer must meet either the Physical Presence Test (330 full days outside the US in 12 months) or the Bona Fide Residence Test (uninterrupted bona fide residence covering a full US tax year).

The Foreign Housing Exclusion for designated UK high-cost localities, including London, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen, is roughly $73,000 annually under IRS Notice 2024-44, covering rent, utilities (excluding telephone), and certain other qualifying costs. London-based UK expats with high housing costs can therefore stack the housing exclusion on top of the base FEIE amount.

The mutual exclusion rule and partial use

IRC Section 911(d)(6) prevents the same dollar of foreign earned income from being used for both FEIE and FTC. A UK earner on a salary above the FEIE cap (currently $130,000) can elect FEIE on the first $130,000 and FTC on the residual UK salary plus UK rental and pension income. For most UK earners with total UK earnings under £ 150,000, this stacked approach still produces a worse five-year outcome than pure FTC.

Step-by-Step: How to Make the Right FTC vs FEIE Choice

The first step is to confirm FEIE qualification under the Physical Presence Test or Bona Fide Residence Test in IRC Section 911. UK residents who are committed to the UK as their long-term home typically meet the bona fide residence requirement in their second full UK tax year.

In the second year, both elections for the current year have the same income. Pure FEIE excludes up to the cap; pure FTC includes the income and credits UK tax paid; mixed approach uses FEIE up to the cap and FTC on the residual.

The third step is to extend the model across a five-year planning horizon, factoring in projected salary growth, US-source investment income, planned property sales, US retirement contributions, and pension growth. The longer the planning window, the more often FTC wins because carryforwards accumulate.

The fourth step is to test the impact on Roth IRA eligibility. FEIE-excluded income does not count as compensation; pure FTC preserves the qualifying earnings for Roth purposes, subject to the standard income limits.

The fifth step is to assess the risk of irrevocability. An FEIE revoked election cannot be re-elected for five tax years without specific IRS consent under IRC Section 911(e), so the switch between the two elections is not reversible on a casual basis. The IRS guidance on Form 1116 sits at https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1116.

The sixth step is to file the chosen election with the Form 1040 return — Form 2555 for FEIE or Form 1116 for FTC — supported by Form 8833, if any treaty position is also being claimed, and FBAR via FinCEN Form 114 by the 15 October automatic deadline for US persons abroad.

Real-World Example: A US Marketing Director in Manchester Comparing the Two

Rebecca is a US citizen working as a marketing director for a UK retailer in Manchester on a salary of £95,000. She has been a UK tax resident since mid-2022, files Form 1040 every year, contributes to her employer's workplace pension at Aviva, and holds a US-based Vanguard brokerage account of around $90,000, generating roughly $2,800 of annual US-source dividends. Her previous US accountant elected FEIE on Form 2555 every year by default.

Under FEIE, the picture looked clean. Form 2555 excluded the full £95,000 salary from US tax. The Foreign Housing Exclusion for Manchester (a designated UK high-cost locality) added roughly $9,000 $9,000 in housing exclusion on top. UK PAYE of approximately £29,000 produced no usable US benefit because the income it offset was already excluded. Her US dividends remained fully taxable in the US, and she could not contribute to a Roth IRA because FEIE-excluded income does not qualify as compensation.

Under the FTC, the picture looked different. Form 1116 included the £95,000 salary in US taxable income but applied the £29,000 of UK tax as a Foreign Tax Credit, fully eliminating US tax on the salary and generating excess FTC of approximately twelve thousand pounds-equivalent each year—the excess credits carried forward under IRC Section 904(c). After two years, she had a usable FTC carry-forward pool that wiped out US tax on her Vanguard dividends, and she regained Roth IRA contribution eligibility (subject to income limits) because her UK salary now counted as compensation.

The decision required revoking FEIE on the next return and accepting the five-year re-election lock-out under IRC Section 911(e), which Rebecca was comfortable with, given her long-term UK plans. Projected five-year cash tax savings versus the FEIE path were approximately fourteen thousand five hundred pounds, plus restored Roth IRA capacity worth a further multi-year compounding benefit.

Common Mistakes With the FTC vs FEIE Decision

The first mistake is electing FEIE by default because a previous US accountant did so. For most UK earners above £40,000 with UK higher-rate exposure, FTC produces a materially better long-term result.

The second mistake is failing to account for the FTC carry-forward value. Unused Foreign Tax Credit carries forward up to ten years under IRC Section 904(c) and forward of a US-source income event (a property sale, a vesting RSU pool, a year-end bonus). FEIE produces no equivalent reserve.

The third mistake is ignoring the implications of a Roth IRA. Income excluded under FEIE does not qualify as compensation, locking out clients who would otherwise qualify for years of Roth IRA contribution capacity.

The fourth mistake is electing FEIE and Form 1116 on the same income, which IRC Section 911(d)(6) explicitly disallows. The two are mutually exclusive on the same dollar.

The fifth mistake is failing to coordinate the FTC versus FEIE decision with the new UK FIG regime for new UK arrivals. Year-one positioning under the FIG regime interacts with the US election, and the wrong combination compounds across the four-year FIG window.

The sixth mistake is mishandling the revocation of FEIE. The five-year IRS lock-out under IRC Section 911(e) is real and cannot be casually waived. Switching from FEIE to FTC needs to be the final answer for at least the next five tax years, not a year-by-year toggle. The IRS guidance on revocation sits at https://www.irs.gov/publications/p54.

How US-UK Tax Helps Clients Choose the Right Election

Our team holds combined credentials — UK CTA and ATT qualifications alongside US IRS Enrolled Agent and CPA status — so a single engagement covers Form 1116, Form 2555, Form 8833 treaty disclosures, UK Self Assessment, and HMRC residency planning without routing between firms. We model the FTC versus FEIE decision across a five-year horizon rather than running a single-year calculation that misses carry-forward value.

For US citizens working in the UK, we handle annual Form 1040 with optimized Form 1116 Foreign Tax Credit positioning, Form 2555 elections where FEIE genuinely wins, Foreign Housing Exclusion claims for designated UK high-cost localities, Roth IRA eligibility planning around the election, FIG regime coordination for new UK arrivers, and IRS Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures where past filings have slipped. You can read related guidance on our news page at https://www.us-uktax.com/blog/.

Get in touch with our team today at or visit https://www.us-uktax.com/services/  to discuss your situation.

Conclusion

Three takeaways matter most for any US citizen working in the UK, weighing the foreign tax credit vs. the FEIE in the US expats' UK decision in 2026. First, for most UK earners on UK higher-rate or additional-rate salaries, Form 1116 Foreign Tax Credit produces a materially better long-term outcome than Form 2555 FEIE because UK tax exceeds US tax on the same income, and FTC generates ten-year carryforwards. Second, FEIE has knock-on consequences for Roth IRA eligibility, FTC carryforwards, and FIG regime coordination that often outweigh the headline exclusion. Third, the five-year IRS lockout under IRC Section 911(e) means the choice is not easily reversible, so the first election needs to be modeled over a multi-year horizon. Speak to a US-UK Tax adviser today by emailing or visiting https://www.us-uktax.com/services/.

FAQs

Q: Which is better for a US expat in the UK — Foreign Tax Credit or FEIE?

A: For most UK earners on a salary above roughly £40,000 with UK higher-rate exposure, Form 1116 Foreign Tax Credit produces a better long-term outcome because UK tax exceeds US tax on the same income and FTC generates carryforwards of up to ten years. FEIE typically applies only to lower-income earners or to short-term UK assignments where the carry-forward value of FTC is limited.

Q: Can I claim both Foreign Tax Credit and FEIE on the same income?

A: No. IRC Section 911(d)(6) prohibits claiming Foreign Tax Credit on income already excluded under FEIE. You can, however, elect FEIE up to the cap (currently $130,000 for 2025) and Form 1116 FTC on UK income above the cap or on other UK-source income such as rental or pension distributions.

Q: Does FEIE affect my Roth IRA contributions?

A: Yes. Income excluded under FEIE does not count as "compensation" for Roth IRA contribution purposes, which can lock high-earning UK expats out of US retirement vehicles for every year FEIE is elected. Form 1116 FTC treats UK earnings as qualifying compensation, subject to the standard Roth income limits.

Q: What happens if I revoke FEIE and later want to claim it again?

A: A revocation triggers a five-year lock-out under IRC Section 911(e). You cannot re-elect FEIE for five tax years without specific IRS consent. This is why the FTC versus FEIE decision should be modeled across a multi-year horizon before any election is locked in.

Q: How do UK higher-rate and additional-rate tax bands affect the FTC vs FEIE comparison?

A: They tilt the comparison strongly toward FTC. UK income above £50,270 attracts forty percent tax, and above £125,140 attracts forty-five percent — both materially higher than US federal rates on the same income. Each year of UK higher-rate earnings generates an excess FTC under Form 1116 that carries forward for 10 years, while FEIE produces no equivalent reserve.

Q: Can the US-UK Tax model the FTC vs FEIE decision over multiple years before I commit?

A: Yes. We routinely run five-year multi-scenario models comparing pure FTC, pure FEIE, and the stacked approach for clients with growing salaries, planned US-source income events, future property sales, or pension contributions in play. Contact us at to start a fixed-fee planning engagement.