Ah, see, I'm not an ex-pat cos I was never a pat *g* but I'm an ex-non-resident alien because I did my MA there and then went back to do a PhD (not finished yet!) But apparently if you touch foot in the US for more than 5 years, you become a NRA - not eligible for any of the good stuff, but more than eligible to pay taxes, thank you very much... *headdesk* I guess they just didn't notice that I wasn't still there?! But weirdly enough I can earn money from an American company if I'm living in the UK and not be taxed in the US on it! I dunno...