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Guides

Straight answers, written by the CPA who’d file it.

971 plain-English guides on cross-border moves, US and Canadian returns, and small-business money. Each one ends in what to do next, and says when a written Diagnostic is the smarter first step.

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

Page 38 of 41, newest first.

Cross-Border

529 Plan in Canada: What Happens When You Move?

Canada does not recognize a 529 plan's tax-free status. The 529 keeps its US tax-free status after you move.

Aug 18, 2026
Cross-Border

I'm a Canadian selling my US property. How much does the IRS withhold, and how do I get it back?

Both require the seller to compute the real tax, and the real tax depends on whether the property was personal use or rental, how long it was held.

Aug 18, 2026
Cross-Border

How are ISOs and NQSOs taxed when I move between Canada and the US?

Canada ignores the ISO distinction, so all stock options are taxed alike. A stock option exercised after a cross-border move is taxed by both countries.

Aug 18, 2026
Cross-Border

I'm moving to Canada and I have an HSA. Can I keep it?

You keep your HSA when you move to Canada, but Canada taxes the growth annually, you cannot contribute without a US HDHP, and the treaty does not cover it.

Aug 18, 2026
Cross-Border

The One Big Beautiful Bill: what changed for Canadians with US income?

The One Big Beautiful Bill made TCJA rates permanent and raised the estate exemption to $15 million. Here is what changed for cross-border filers.

Aug 18, 2026
Cross-Border

US-Canada Totalization Agreement: how do I combine work credits for Social Security and CPP?

How the totalization agreement prevents double FICA and CPP contributions, assigns coverage to one country, and lets you combine work credits for benefits.

Aug 18, 2026
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