Emily in Paris Season 5: The Expat Reality Check Nobody Talks About
In Season 5 of Emily in Paris, Emily Cooper trades her Parisian chambre de bonne for la dolce vita, splitting time between Paris and Rome while opening Agence Grateau’s Italian office. She’s mastered the art of looking chic in both cities, navigating romantic drama across borders, and somehow maintaining perfect hair through multiple European train rides.
What she hasn’t mastered? The actual logistics of being an American working across two countries.
Fact: While Emily effortlessly bounces between countries, real Americans working abroad face a unique challenge—the U.S. is one of only three countries worldwide that taxes based on citizenship, not residence. Your passport follows you everywhere, including to the IRS.
But here’s the good news: according to IRS data from 2016-2021, 62% of Americans filing from abroad owe $0 in federal taxes after applying available exclusions and credits.
Emily represents what’s called a corporate expat—someone relocated abroad by their employer. Her company sent her from Chicago to Paris, and now they’re expanding her role to include Rome. It’s the kind of international career that looks amazing on LinkedIn and incredibly complicated come tax season.
What Emily’s Gorgeous Apartments Actually Cost
Let’s talk about Emily’s real estate situation. That charming fifth-floor walk-up in Place de l’Estrapade? In real life, the cost would be around €1,800-2,500/month ($1,950-2,700 USD). Now add a Rome apartment in Monteverde—another €1,500-€2,000 per month minimum.
The show glosses over the fact that Emily’s essentially paying for two lives simultaneously. That’s €3,300-4,500 monthly just in rent, plus double utilities, double renter’s insurance, and constant travel between cities.
Reality check: Most corporate expats negotiate housing allowances as part of their relocation package. Smart companies know you can’t maintain two European apartments on a marketing coordinator’s salary—even with Instagram sponsorships.
The Banking Drama the Show Skips
In Season 5, Emily presumably gets paid by Agence Grateau. The show makes this invisible. The reality? Opening European bank accounts as an American has become an obstacle course.
The catch: Most European banks now require proof of residency (which needs a registered address, which needs a bank account for the deposit—classic Catch-22). And once you finally succeed? You need to report those accounts to the U.S. Treasury if the combined balances exceed $10,000.
Fact: Some European banks are now refusing to accept American clients due to U.S. reporting requirements. It’s not personal; it’s paperwork.
The Corporate Relocation Package Emily Never Mentions
Here’s what makes Emily different from a freelancer or digital nomad: she works for a company. This should mean serious benefits that the show never addresses.
What Agence Grateau should be providing:
- Housing allowance or company apartments (hello, dual rent coverage!)
- Tax equalization (the company covers your additional tax burden)
- Immigration lawyers for visa sponsorship
- Relocation costs and moving assistance
- Home leave flights to the U.S.
- Cost-of-living adjustments for expensive cities
The show acts like: Emily just appears in beautiful apartments and travels effortlessly between cities.
The reality: These benefits are negotiated upfront and make the difference between thriving abroad and drowning in expenses.
Tax benefit Emily’s missing: The Foreign Housing Exclusion lets corporate expats exclude thousands in housing costs beyond the standard $130,000 income exclusion. In Paris and Rome? That’s a significant amount of money left on the table if Emily doesn’t know about it.
Five Seasons In, Emily Still Can’t Speak French
Emily’s French remains charmingly terrible through five seasons—a running gag that’s funny on TV but would be career-limiting in reality. Now she’s adding Italian to her linguistic challenges.
The show plays this for laughs. The reality? If you’re opening an office in Rome, you need more than “Ciao bella!” and pointing at menus. You’re negotiating contracts, resolving conflicts, and building client relationships—all requiring actual language skills.
Fact: Real corporate expats typically invest heavily in language learning. Companies often provide language lessons as part of the relocation package. Emily could have been fluent by Season 3 with proper support.
The Visa Drama No One Mentions
Quick question: What visa is Emily even on? After five seasons, the show has never explained how she legally works in France—or now Italy.
The reality: French work visas require employer sponsorship, proving no European could do the job, and mountains of bureaucracy. Working in Italy on a French visa? That’s potentially illegal without additional permits.
Tourist vs. worker: The Schengen Area lets you travel between countries, but working across borders requires proper documentation. Emily’s seamless Paris-to-Rome transition would involve months of paperwork and lawyer consultations.
The Tax Complexity Emily Never Discusses
Here’s what would make terrible television, but affects every American working abroad: U.S. citizens file U.S. tax returns no matter where they work or who employs them.
Emily’s three-country tax situation:
- U.S. federal taxes on worldwide income (non-negotiable for all Americans)
- French income tax withheld by Agence Grateau
- Italian taxes if she spends 183+ days there (likely, since she’s opening the office)
The silver lining: Most corporate expats in Emily’s situation owe $0 in U.S. federal taxes thanks to two powerful protections:
- Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE): Exclude up to $130,000 of salary from U.S. taxation. If Emily earns less than this and spends 330 days outside the U.S., her federal tax bill could be zero.
- Foreign Tax Credit (FTC): Dollar-for-dollar credits for French and Italian taxes paid. Since both countries tax higher than the U.S., this typically eliminates U.S. tax liability completely.
The catch: You still must file all three systems, track your days meticulously, and coordinate with your employer’s payroll department. It’s complex even when you owe nothing.
Fact: Corporate expats need to track every single day spent in each country. Those romantic weekends Emily takes? They had better be documented for the Physical Presence Test.
What the Show Actually Gets Right
Despite all the glossed-over challenges, Emily in Paris nails a few expat truths:
- Culture shock never ends: Five seasons in, Emily still makes cultural faux pas. Relatable.
- Expat friend groups are essential: Emily’s mix of expat and local friends reflects reality perfectly.
- “Home” gets complicated: After living abroad, your relationship with your home country shifts in ways the show occasionally captures.
- Professional advantages exist: Emily’s cross-cultural perspective sometimes does provide real value in international business.
Should You Accept That International Assignment?
Working abroad for a company can transform your career—you’ll gain global perspective, build international networks, and create experiences that last forever. But go in with realistic expectations:
Before accepting:
- Negotiate a comprehensive relocation package (housing, tax support, visa assistance)
- Understand your employer’s international payroll setup
- Get independent tax advice early
- Talk to others who’ve done international assignments at your company
- Document everything from day one
The reality:
Emily’s seamless international life is fiction. Real corporate expats deal with complex taxes, visa uncertainties, housing challenges, and constant coordination with employer HR teams.
But here’s the truth: thousands of Americans successfully work abroad for companies every year. They just do it with better preparation than Emily, realistic expectations about bureaucracy, and professional tax advisors who specialize in corporate expat situations.
The Bottom Line
Emily in Paris Season 5 makes international work look effortlessly chic. The reality involves more paperwork than rooftop parties, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing.
The corporate expat life is real and can be extraordinary. The seamless ease? That’s purely television magic.
Working abroad for a company like Emily? If you need help navigating the tax complexity of corporate relocation—whether you’re in one country or splitting time across multiple locations—we’re here to help. Get started today to be matched with a Greenback accountant who understands corporate expat situations.
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Photo by Caroline Dubois
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered personalized tax advice. Tax laws are complex and subject to change. Always consult with a qualified tax professional regarding your specific situation.
Emily in Paris is a Netflix original series. Greenback Expat Tax Services is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Netflix or the creators of Emily in Paris. This article uses the show’s storyline for educational commentary purposes only. All references to the show are used for informational and entertainment purposes to illustrate real-world expat tax situations. Emily in Paris and all related characters and elements are trademarks of Netflix, Inc.
