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US citizens in the UK · Institutions

Which Willis Owen accounts accept US citizens

Last checked

Willis Owen has been checked for US citizens across 4 account types. All 4 are closed to a US person.

At a glance

Account type Verdict Accounts Updated
Savings accounts Smart Savings from Willis Owen Declines US citizens —
Stocks & shares ISAs Declines US citizens —
Brokerage accounts Declines US citizens —
SIPPs Declines US citizens —

Savings accounts

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Smart Savings from Willis Owen

Declines US citizens
Updated

Smart Savings is Raisin UK under the Willis Owen name, and registration asks you to confirm two things a US citizen cannot: that you are solely tax resident in the UK, and that you are not a US person as the IRS defines one.

Source: Willis Owen Smart Savings registration page, 2026-09-26 Smart Savings from Willis Owen's own page

Stocks & shares ISAs

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Declines US citizens
Updated

The bar sits in the application form itself, which will not proceed until you confirm you are a UK resident and not a US person as the Internal Revenue Service defines one. A shame, because Willis Owen is one of the few here offering individual shares alongside funds, which is the route that would have worked.

FSCS £85,000 · custody by Embark · Moneyfarm group

Source: Willis Owen ISA application eligibility check, 2026-08-17 Willis Owen's own page

Brokerage accounts

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Declines US citizens
Updated

The broadest shelf of this group, taking funds, shares, investment trusts and ETFs, and the application stops a US citizen dead: you must confirm that you are a UK resident and not a US person. So the direct shares that would have solved the PFIC problem stay out of reach. Note it has been part of the Moneyfarm group since December 2024, which also declines US persons.

FSCS £85,000 · web platform · Moneyfarm group since December 2024

Source: Willis Owen general investment account application, 2026-08-17 Willis Owen's own page

SIPPs

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Declines US citizens
Updated

The SIPP application makes you tick that you are a UK resident and not a US person, taken as the Internal Revenue Service defines it. The identical declaration sits on its ISA application, so Willis Owen closes both doors and offers no pension exception.

FSCS £85,000 investment cover · online

Source: Willis Owen SIPP application, 2026-08-17 Willis Owen's own page

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Confirm your own position with a cross-border specialist. Acceptance policies and tax rules change, and your facts may differ from the general case. Rates and terms here are the provider's published figures rather than an offer, and the provider decides each application on its own criteria. Use this as a map, not a ruling. Last checked .
Tax

FATCA

Do UK banks report your account to the IRS? Yes, through HMRC, under FATCA. It is a reporting law, not a tax. Where it bites is access.

 Tax

PFIC

Almost every UK-domiciled fund is a PFIC, taxed by the US at punitive rates with heavy filing. This is why US citizens hold individual shares, not UK funds.

 Tax

FBAR

If your foreign accounts top $10,000 combined at any point in the year, you file an FBAR. What counts, when it is due, and what happens if you miss it.

 Tax

ISA US tax

The IRS does not recognise the ISA wrapper. Cash ISA interest and stocks ISA gains are taxable on your US return, and fund holdings drag in PFIC rules.