Our fee structure for individuals

Any applicable taxes and nontrivial disbursement costs (such as mailing, courier and software recovery charge) will be added to our invoice when applicable.

Effective January 1, 2020, a surcharge of fifty percent (50%) of the total professional fees will be automatically added when initial information is provided with two (2) weeks of a tax compliance deadline.

Our fees structure is transparent and always takes into account your right to know about how and what we charge you for. We normally provide quotations for U.S. tax compliance services based on a fixed fee basis rather than an hourly rate.

$800CAD for U.S. citizens, U.S. greencard holders including treaty tie-breakers living in Canada and U.S. resident, plus when required to be filed:

No additional charge for married filing jointly status.

$400CAD Canadian residents with U.S. tax filing obligations, plus when required to be filed:

When a U.S. real property is jointly owned, the professional fees for the second Canadian-resident owner is discounted by 50 percent.

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Questions & answers for individuals

The content below is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute tax or other professional advice or an opinion of any kind.

If you have a general knowledge question you would like us to answer for the benefit of other readers, please email us.

Q&As for U.S. citizens, U.S. greencard holders and treaty tie-breakers living in Canada

NEW Q: What is a Treaty Article XXIV(4)&(5) calculation?
A: As described in the Technical Explanation of the Treaty, the calculation "addresses the fact that a U.S. citizen resident in Canada remains subject to U.S. tax on his worldwide income [...] and may, therefore, be subject to U.S. tax at a higher rate than a resident of Canada who is not a U.S. citizen. In essence, these paragraphs limit the foreign tax credit that Canada is obliged to allow such a U.S. citizen to the amount of tax on his U.S. source income that the United States would be allowed to collect from a Canadian resident who is not a U.S. citizen." This awkward computation needs to be made prior to filing your Canadian personal income tax return if you have U.S. source income, such dividend income from a U.S. corporation (even if the stock is held within a Canadian brokerage account) or rental income from a U.S. real property.

NEW Q: As a U.S. citizen living in Canada, am I entitled to the 2020 Economic Impact Payment?
A: Yes, U.S. citizens living outside the United States are eligible for the CARES Act payment as far as they otherwise met the other eligibility criteria. While the payment will not be includible in gross income for U.S. income tax purposes, it will more likely be considered taxable income under Canadian income tax rules.

Q: I left the United States without surrendering my U.S. greencard. Am I still require to file a U.S. tax return while living in Canada?
A: As a U.S. greencard holder, you are considered a U.S. tax resident and as such, while living outside the United States, you are still required to file a U.S. income tax return (including Federal form 1040NR if you are treated as a dual resident under the U.S.-Canada Tax Treaty) and to report non-U.S.bank and financial accounts on Federal form 114.

Q&As for Canadian residents with U.S. tax filing obligations

Q: I did not keep track of my days of presence in the United States. What can I do?
A: As a starting point, check your travel history report on the I-94 website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

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Questions & answers for individuals

The content below is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute tax or other professional advice or an opinion of any kind.

If you have a general knowledge question you would like us to answer for the benefit of other readers, please email us.

Q&As for U.S. citizens, U.S. greencard holders and treaty tie-breakers living in Canada

Q: I have a Registered Retirement Savings Plan or RRSP. Do I need to report it?
A: You will more likely have to report it on Federal form 114 and possibility in part VI of Federal form 8938 but you do not need to separately report the assets held by the plan. Starting with the 2014 calendar year, Federal form 8891 is not required (Revenue Procedure 2014-55) but we recommend you to separately track contributions to determine the taxable component of any future distributions.

Q: I set up a Registered Education Savings Plan or RESP for my children. Do I need to report it?
A: You will more likely have to report it on Federal form 114 and possibility in part VI of Federal form 8938. Starting with the 2019 calendar year, you do not need to file Federal form 3520 for the RESP (Revenue Procedure 2020-17) unless it is a large family RESP. However, you still need to determine and report the taxable income generated by the RESP as well as to comply any PFIC reporting requirement.

Q: I opened a Tax-Free Savings Account or TFSA. Do I need to report it?
A: You will more likely have to report it on Federal form 114 and possibility in part VI of Federal form 8938. However, TFSAs do not qualify under Revenue Procedure 2020-17 because they do not operate exclusively or almost exclusively to provide, or to earn income for the provision of, medical, disability, or educational benefits. Therefore, you will need file Federal form 3520 and a substitute Federal form 3520-A, to determine and report the taxable income generated by the RESP as well as to comply any PFIC reporting requirement.

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Our fee structure for businesses

Any applicable taxes and nontrivial disbursement costs (such as mailing, courier and software recovery charge) will be added to our invoice when applicable.

Effective January 1, 2020, a surcharge of fifty percent (50%) of the total professional fees will be automatically added when initial information is provided with two (2) weeks of a tax compliance deadline.

Our fees structure is transparent and always takes into account your right to know about how and what we charge you for. We normally provide quotations for U.S. tax compliance services based on a fixed fee basis rather than an hourly rate.

$800USD for Federal form 1120, Federal form 1065 and Federal form 1120-F (branch with U.S. source income or state proforma), plus when required to be filed:

Any bookkeeping or notice to reader work will be part of a separate engagement and billed separately.

$400CAD for Federal form 1120-F (treaty-based or Schedule K-1 only), plus when required to be filed:

Any bookkeeping or notice to reader work will be part of a separate engagement and billed separately.

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Questions & answers for businesses

The content below is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute tax or other professional advice or an opinion of any kind.

If you have a general knowledge question you would like us to answer for the benefit of other readers, please email us.

Q&As for U.S. and non-U.S. entities

Q: I do not have a U.S. social security number ("SSN"). Do I need to obtain an individual taxpayer identification number ("ITIN") prior to submitting a Federal form SS-4 application for my business?
A: Unless you are otherwise eligible to obtain an ITIN (e.g. you are earning rental income from a US real property you own personally), the Service will still issue an EIN even if you cannot obtain an ITIN. Just write “NOT ELIGIBLE” on line 7b of Federal form SS-4 and submit the EIN application on its own.

Q: My business does not have any physical nexus/connection with a state. Is my business still required to collect sales tax in that state?
A: Whether your business is organized in the United States or in Canada, it might be required to collect sales tax in a state even if it does not have any physical nexus/connection. As of June 2018, the right of each state to tax remote/online sales is determined under their respective post-Wayfair tax legislations.

Q&As for non-U.S. entities only

NEW Q: My Canadian business files a treaty-based U.S. Federal income tax return. Is my business liable for state income tax?
A: Generally, a business that creates a taxable connection (or nexus) for state income tax purposes is required to file a state income tax return (including a protective PL 86-272 filing). While several states do offer the same treaty-based protection (there would be no income tax liability in these states), many actually do not (such as Arkansas for example). It is therefore possible for a Canadian business not to be liable for U.S. Federal income tax while being subject to state income tax.

Q: My Canadian business starts making sales to U.S. customers. Is my business required to file a U.S. Federal income tax return?
A: Generally, you are engaged in a U.S. trade or business if you perform an activity on a regular, continuous, and substantial basis in the United States. Even if you believe that you are doing business without a permanent establishment in the United States, it is recommended that you timely file a protective treaty-based U.S. income tax return to safeguard the right to receive the benefit of the deductions and credits attributable to any U.S. gross income (Internal Revenue Code section 882(c)(2)) in the event that it is subsequently determined that your original conclusion was incorrect.

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