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Guides · Cross-Border

Cross-Border guides

581 plain-English guides on cross-border, each one ending in what to do next.

All Cross-BorderUS TaxCanadian TaxSmall Business & BookkeepingCFO & AdvisoryTax Planning

Page 22 of 25, newest first.

Cross-Border

I moved out of California. Can it still tax my 401(k) and IRA withdrawals?

No state may tax the retirement income of someone who is neither its resident nor its domiciliary under 4 U.S.C.

Aug 16, 2026
Cross-Border

I'm moving back to Canada. Does the US still tax my ESPP when I sell?

Yes, the ESPP discount stays US-taxable. IRC 423(c) treats it as compensation sourced to where you worked, not where you live when you sell.

Aug 16, 2026
Cross-Border

Is my FHSA a foreign trust I have to report to the IRS?

Two of the three FHSA types at ITA 146.6(1) aren't trusts at all. Where yours is the trusteed kind, Rev. Proc.

Aug 16, 2026
Cross-Border

I filed the wrong departure year, or never filed one at all. Can I still fix it?

Canada gives an individual 10 calendar years from that year's end under ITA 152(4.2), and the Minister may.

Aug 16, 2026
Cross-Border

I moved from Canada to the US and never reported my Canadian accounts. What is the 5 percent actually 5 percent of?

It's 5% of the highest year-end aggregate of unreported foreign assets across the covered years, charged once.

Aug 15, 2026
Cross-Border

Can I ask the CRA to cancel penalties and interest?

Yes, on Form RC4288. ITA 220(3.1) reaches penalty and interest but not the tax, ten years from year end. The CRA runs interest on a ten-year accrual clock.

Aug 8, 2026
Cross-Border

Can I defer paying Canadian departure tax?

Yes. Form T1244 elects under ITA 220(4.5) to defer the tax on your deemed disposition, and the statute deems security accepted up to a floor amount.

Aug 8, 2026
Cross-Border

Do I still get the principal residence exemption after leaving Canada?

Leaving Canada doesn't cancel the principal residence exemption, and the departure rules don't trigger it either.

Aug 8, 2026
Cross-Border

Can I make a check-the-box election on my Canadian corporation before I move to the US?

Usually not. Canadian Corporations and Companies are treated as corporations for US tax, so Form 8832 is closed to them.

Aug 7, 2026
Cross-Border

Do I need to file Form 8840 as a Canadian snowbird?

If you meet the substantial presence test and want the closer connection exception, Form 8840 is the statement you file.

Aug 7, 2026
Cross-Border

Do I need to file a T1134 for my US company?

Yes if you're resident in Canada and a US corporation is your foreign affiliate: 1% yourself, 10% across related persons, 10 months after year end.

Aug 7, 2026
Cross-Border

Do I pay both US self-employment tax and CPP?

US self-employment tax is a US-person exposure: it generally reaches US citizens and US residents wherever they live.

Aug 7, 2026
Cross-Border

Do I still need to file Form 8891 for my RRSP?

No, and the relief reaches back further than most write-ups say. But it left Form 8938 and the FBAR standing, and that carve-out is in the operative text.

Aug 7, 2026
Cross-Border

Who actually files Form 3520-A, and why is a calendar-year trust's deadline before my tax return?

Unless exempt, the trust files it and the trustee signs, by the 15th day of the 3rd month after its year end.

Aug 7, 2026
Cross-Border

I'm a US citizen with a Canadian corporation. Is GILTI still called GILTI?

It depends on the tax year. Public Law 119-21 (4 July 2025) renamed the inclusion net CFC tested income.

Aug 7, 2026
Cross-Border

I moved to the US but kept my Canadian clients. Which country taxes that income?

If the move made you a US tax resident, the US taxes income from sources inside and outside the country.

Aug 7, 2026
Cross-Border

Moving from Toronto to New York for work: how do the taxes actually work?

It's three taxes stacked: New York State residency, New York City's own income tax, and nonresident sourcing. State and city each have two routes in.

Aug 7, 2026
Cross-Border

Can I just start filing US returns going forward instead of doing Streamlined?

You can, but filing quietly doesn't buy Streamlined's penalty terms. You can file going forward, and nothing stops you amending old returns either.

Aug 7, 2026
Cross-Border

Should I file Form NR74 when I move to Canada?

Form NR74 produces an opinion, and CRA Folio S5-F1-C1 says it "is not binding on the CRA and may be subject to a more detailed review at a later date".

Aug 7, 2026
Cross-Border

Do I pay US tax on an inheritance or gift from my Canadian parent?

No, it's not taxable income. But once a gift or inheritance from a Canadian parent tops $100,000 in a year, Form 3520 is required.

Aug 7, 2026
Cross-Border

When do I actually need to file Form 8833 for a Canada-US treaty position?

You need it when you take the position on a US return that the treaty overrules or modifies US tax law, and no waiver covers you.

Aug 7, 2026
Cross-Border

I'm a Canadian and I rent my Florida condo on Airbnb. Is that different from a normal rental?

Yes, short stays can pull a rental out of per se passive status under IRC 469. Yes, in one narrow way.

Jul 30, 2026
Cross-Border

I'm buying a house in Canada and the seller might be a non-resident. Am I liable for their tax?

Yes. ITA 116(5) makes you liable for 25% of the full price if the non-resident seller lacks a clearance certificate.

Jul 30, 2026
Cross-Border

Canadian Buying US Property: The Complete Tax Picture

Buy a US property as a Canadian and four obligations attach: a US charge on rental income, withholding on the sale keyed to gross price.

Jul 30, 2026