Do I really owe tax just for leaving Canada?
Sometimes, yes. When you become a non-resident, the CRA applies a deemed disposition: it treats you as having sold most of your investments at fair-market value on the day you leave, and taxes the gain. The good news is that it can usually be planned, reduced, or deferred with the right elections, but only if those decisions are made before, or right around, your departure.
I just moved between the countries. Which years do I file?
A move usually means a part-year or departure return in the country you left and an arrival-year return where you landed, often with treaty tie-breaker positions for the transition year. We map exactly which returns apply on the assessment, before you commit to anything.
What happens to my RRSP, TFSA, and home when I leave?
They are treated differently, and that is the point of planning. Your RRSP generally keeps its tax deferral after you leave; your TFSA usually stops being tax-advantaged once you are a non-resident; and your principal residence has its own rules and timing. We settle each one in writing as part of the departure plan.
I already left without planning the departure. Is it too late?
Usually not. We can still file the departure year correctly, report the deemed disposition properly, and claim any elections that were available, even after the move. The earlier we look at it the more options you have, but a departure that was not planned can almost always still be cleaned up.
Why not use a US expat service and keep my Canadian accountant?
It can work, and it is how most people start. The risk lives in the seam: credits claimed in the wrong order, accounts reported on one side and not the other, treaty positions nobody documents. Each preparer is right in their own country, and no one owns the whole picture. One preparer for both returns costs about the same and removes the seam.
What does working together look like?
Everything runs through a secure TaxDome portal: one cross-border organizer, document uploads, e-signatures, and two-way messaging in one place. You send each slip once; we handle currency conversion and the back-and-forth between the two returns. Questions are answered within one business day by the CPA, not a support queue.
How does the $249 assessment work?
It is a paid 60-minute review plus a written plan that maps your both-country exposure and gives you a clear scope and a fixed number. Hire us for any package within 60 days and the full $249 comes off your bill. The written plan is yours to keep either way.
How much does cross-border tax preparation cost?
Our coordinated packages start at $1,495 per person, covering both countries' returns prepared together, with the second spouse's return at half price. Layered situations (several PFIC funds, rental property, multiple states, or years to catch up) commonly land in the $3,000 to $4,000 range, and pricing that correctly is exactly what the $249 assessment is for. For comparison, a US-only expat service publishes around $450 to $800 for the US return alone, a separate Canadian preparer charges several hundred more, and nobody is responsible for making the two returns agree. Every quote is fixed in writing before work starts.
Is a cross-border accountant the same as a US-Canada tax accountant?
Same job, different labels. Cross-border accountant, US-Canada tax accountant, dual-licensed CPA: what matters is that one person is licensed and current in both systems. Here the same CPA holds both licenses, US and Canada, and prepares, reviews, and signs both returns.
What happens if my CPA is unavailable?
Every file is prepared, reviewed, and signed by the same CPA, year over year. The calendar is protected by design: automatic extensions, both countries' deadlines tracked for every client, and replies within one business day. What you will never get is a junior pool or an account manager between you and the person doing the work.
How much of my time does this take?
One organizer, once. Plan on about an hour to complete it, plus a 30-minute walkthrough of both returns at the end. The coordination work between the two returns happens on our side; the decisions stay on yours.
Do I have to commit to anything ongoing?
No. Packages are priced per filing year, and most clients book again each season. Year-Round Care is optional: $495 per household per year, covering routine IRS and CRA letters plus a mid-year planning call. Nothing recurs unless you choose it.
