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Client Profile: South African Expatriate Family in Australia
Issue: Missed Relocation Tax Benefit
The Challenge
A South African couple and their young family relocated to Australia for work—an exciting move, but also a financially significant one. With international relocation comes a long list of hidden costs, and their employer, a large multinational company, had engaged a Big 4 accounting firm to provide tax advice.
Despite that, no one had flagged a specific opportunity to structure their relocation expenses in a more tax-effective way. When they came to us for a second opinion, we took a closer look at their situation—and discovered something the previous advisors had missed.
How We Helped
At Trident Financial, we don’t just tick boxes—we dig deeper to find every advantage available for our clients.
In this case, we:
o Costs associated with selling their former home in South Africa
o Purchase and relocation expenses involved in settling into their new home in Australia
The client was understandably sceptical—“It sounded too good to be true”—so they went back to their original Big 4 advisor for a second opinion. That firm had to concede that the exemption was valid, and that they had missed it.
The Outcome
The Bigger Picture
This case is a great example of the value of proactive, independent thinking. While big firms can provide broad advice, it’s the detail that counts—especially for expats with complex tax needs.
At Trident Financial, we bring global tax knowledge and local expertise together to help clients achieve real, measurable savings.
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