US Tax Filing Deadlines for Americans in Canada

Americans living in Canada file two tax returns every year, and the deadlines do not line up. The Canadian T1 return is due April 30 (June 15 if you or your spouse is self-employed, but the balance owing is still due April 30). The US 1040 is due April 15 for domestic filers, but Americans abroad get an automatic 2-month extension to June 15 without filing any form. The FBAR deadline is April 15 with an automatic extension to October 15. And the Canadian departure return, if you left Canada during the year, is due April 30 of the following year (not 90 days after departure, which is a common misconception). The number of deadlines, the interaction between them, and the fact that you need the Canadian return to calculate your US foreign tax credit make the sequencing as important as the dates themselves.

When is the US 1040 due for Americans abroad?

The standard 1040 deadline is April 15. But Americans living outside the US and Puerto Rico on April 15 get an automatic 2-month extension to June 15 under IRC 6081 and Reg. 1.6081-5. No form is required to claim this extension. You just file by June 15 and attach a statement to the return saying you qualify for the automatic extension because you live outside the US.

• Interest on any unpaid balance runs from April 15 (not June 15), but the late-filing penalty does not apply until after June 15. If you owe and cannot pay by April 15, the interest cost of the 2-month automatic extension is the federal underpayment rate (currently about 7% annualized) on the unpaid balance for two months, which is usually small relative to the convenience of waiting for the Canadian return to be finalized.

If you need more time beyond June 15, file Form 4868 by June 15. This gives you until October 15 to file. You can also file Form 4868 by April 15 if you want the belt-and-suspenders approach. The extension is automatic upon filing; the IRS does not approve or deny it.

When is the FBAR due?

The FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) is due April 15, with an automatic extension to October 15. No form is required for the extension, and there is no penalty for using it. The FBAR is filed electronically through the FinCEN BSA E-Filing system, not with the IRS and not with the 1040.

• The FBAR is required if the aggregate value of all foreign financial accounts exceeds $10,000 at any point during the calendar year. For Americans in Canada, this includes every Canadian bank account, RRSP, RRIF, TFSA (if you have one), RESP, and any other Canadian financial account. The threshold is low, so most Americans in Canada file an FBAR every year.

When is Form 8938 due?

Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets) is filed with the 1040, so it follows the 1040 deadline. For Americans abroad, the filing thresholds are higher than for domestic filers: $200,000 on the last day of the year, or $300,000 at any point during the year ($400,000/$600,000 for married filing jointly).

• Form 8938 overlaps with the FBAR in coverage (both report foreign financial accounts), but Form 8938 also captures non-account assets like foreign stock or securities, foreign partnership interests, and certain foreign trust interests. Filing one does not eliminate the obligation to file the other.

When is the Canadian T1 due?

The Canadian T1 return is due April 30 for most filers. If you or your spouse or common-law partner is self-employed, the filing deadline extends to June 15, but any balance owing is still due April 30. Interest on unpaid balances runs from May 1.

• For Americans in Canada, the practical importance of the April 30 deadline is that you need the Canadian return completed before you can accurately prepare the US 1040. The Form 1116 foreign tax credit on the US return depends on the Canadian tax actually paid or accrued, and the most reliable figure comes from the completed T1. Filing the T1 first (by April 30) and the 1040 second (by June 15 or October 15 with extension) is the sequence that avoids having to amend one return when the other is finalized.

What if I left Canada during the year?

If you left Canada during the year (emigrated), the Canadian departure return is due April 30 of the following year, the same as a regular T1. The departure return covers January 1 through the departure date and includes the departure tax on deemed dispositions of capital property (ITA 128.1(4)). The departure date is the date you cease to be a Canadian resident, which is typically the date you leave with the intent to settle elsewhere.

• On the US side, the departure year may involve a dual-status return (part-year resident, part-year nonresident) or a full-year resident return, depending on whether you meet the substantial presence test or make a first-year election. The 1040 deadline is the same regardless (June 15 with the automatic abroad extension, or April 15 if you are back in the US by then and no longer qualify for the abroad extension).

How do the deadlines interact?

The interaction creates a sequencing constraint that most cross-border filers learn the hard way:

• January-February. Gather Canadian and US tax slips. Canadian T4s and T5s are due by the end of February. US W-2s and 1099s are due by January 31. If you have Canadian rental income, the T776 calculation depends on the full year’s figures.
• March-April 15. Prepare the Canadian T1 (due April 30). If the T1 is simple, it can be done early enough to feed into a US return filed by April 15. But if Canadian figures are complex (rental income, business income, capital gains), most filers use the automatic extension.
• April 15. FBAR deadline (automatic extension to October 15 available, no form needed). If you owe US tax and want to minimize interest, estimate and pay by April 15.
• April 30. Canadian T1 due. File it. The CRA’s assessed tax (which may differ from your filed return if there are adjustments) is the figure that feeds the US Form 1116.
• June 15. US 1040 due (automatic abroad extension). File the 1040 using the Canadian tax figures from the filed T1. If you need more time, file Form 4868 by this date for an extension to October 15.
• October 15. Extended 1040 and FBAR deadline. This is the last regular deadline for both.

Can I get a further extension beyond October 15?

For the 1040, taxpayers abroad can request an additional 2-month extension (to December 15) by writing to the IRS before October 15. This is a discretionary extension under IRC 6081(a) and is not automatic, but it is generally granted when requested. Beyond December 15, the only path is demonstrating reasonable cause.

• For the FBAR, the October 15 extended deadline is final. There is no further extension. The FBAR must be filed by October 15 or you are late.

For the Canadian T1, the CRA does not grant extensions to individual filers the way the IRS does. The April 30 deadline (or June 15 for self-employed) is firm, and late filing triggers a penalty of 5% of the balance owing plus 1% per month, up to 12 months. If you have a balance of zero or a refund, there is no penalty for late filing, but the CRA will not process your refund until you file.

What should I do next?

The filing sequence that works for most Americans in Canada: prepare the Canadian T1 in March, file by April 30, then prepare the US 1040 using the Canadian figures, and file by June 15 (or October 15 with Form 4868). File the FBAR by October 15. If you are missing prior-year returns, the streamlined filing procedures may be available.

• FBAR vs Form 8938: do I file both?
• Form 1116 and the foreign tax credit
• US citizen in Canada who has never filed US taxes
• What does the streamlined procedure cost?
• Dual citizen US-Canada filing obligations
• Moving to Canada from the US: tax consequences

This guide is general information, not tax advice for your specific situation. Which points apply, and how, depends on your facts.