PRODUCTS/MASTERCLASSES
MASTERCLASS: AMERICAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN PORTUGAL
MASTERCLASS: AMERICAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN PORTUGAL
A 40-minute masterclass on the U.S. tax side of building a business in Portugal
Portugal is a genuinely good place to build a business. The talent is strong, the cost base is lower than most of Western Europe, and the quality of life speaks for itself.
What this masterclass covers is the layer most entrepreneurs miss: when you are a U.S. citizen or green card holder running a business in Portugal, the United States still has a significant claim on your income. The corporate address on your letterhead does not change your personal tax obligations to the IRS. And the structure you choose, before you file your first set of Portuguese articles of incorporation, will shape your compliance picture for as long as you operate.
Most of the costly mistakes we see are not the result of bad intentions. They are the result of getting good Portuguese advice without any U.S. advice at all.
What you'll learn
In 40 minutes, you'll understand:
Why a Portuguese Lda owned by an American is a Controlled Foreign Corporation under U.S. law, and what that means for annual reporting and tax
What Form 5471 actually requires, and why the penalty for not filing it is $10,000 per year regardless of whether you owe any tax
How Subpart F and NCTI (formerly GILTI) work, and why income that stays inside your Portuguese company can still be taxable to you personally in the U.S. in the same year
What permanent establishment means, why operating through a U.S. entity does not make Portugal go away, and what triggers a Portuguese corporate tax obligation for a foreign company
The real administrative burden of running a Portuguese Lda: the mandatory licensed contabilista, monthly VAT and withholding filings, real-time invoice reporting, and Portuguese labor law
How salary, dividends, and distributions are treated differently under both systems, and why how you take money out of the business matters as much as how much you make
The key questions that determine which structure is right for your situation
Who this is for
Americans who are building or planning to build a business in Portugal, operating through either a Portuguese or U.S. entity. Also relevant for Americans who are already operating and are not confident their U.S. compliance is clean.
Also useful for accountants, business advisors, and relocation professionals who work with American founders and want to understand the questions their clients should be asking before they structure anything.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR UPCOMING FULL-DAY PROGRAM FOR EARLY STAGE AMERICAN ENTREPRENEURS IN PORTUGAL.