CPA licensed in the US & Canada 786-952-6621
Cross-border tax · US catch-up filing

Behind on your US taxes? There is a clean way back.

If you fell behind on US filings while living in Canada, the IRS has a program built for exactly that. Most non-willful filers catch up with no penalties: three years of returns, six years of account reports. One dual-licensed CPA handles it, calmly.

Streamlined, done rightUsually no penaltiesIf our error causes a penalty, we pay itPublished prices
Yarik Yarosh, CPA
Prepared and signed by Yarik Yarosh, CPALicensed in the US (AICPA) and Canada. A CPA takes your call, not a sales rep.
Dual-licensed US & CanadaPublished pricesNo pitch

Book your free fit call

Two quick steps, then pick a time. Fifteen minutes with a CPA.

No payment until after the call. Prefer the phone? 786-952-6621

Licensed in bothCPA US (AICPA) + CPA Canada
Both returns, one firmNo second accountant to coordinate
Published pricesSet packages + a public rate card
US + Canada, remoteAll 50 states and every province
Behind, not in trouble

Being behind is common, and usually fixable.

Most people who fall behind did not do it on purpose. They simply never knew the US expects a return from its citizens abroad. The IRS streamlined program exists for exactly that, non-willful filers, and it almost always means catching up without the late-filing and FBAR penalties. The worst move is to keep waiting, or to quietly file the back years yourself. These are the questions people in this spot ask first.

01I am a US citizen and have not filed in years. Am I in trouble?
02What is the streamlined program, and do I qualify?
03How many years do I actually have to go back and file?
04Will I owe penalties, or back taxes, on all those years?
05What about FBAR, the account report I never filed?
06Should I just quietly file the back years myself?
A relieved US person in Canada after catching up on filings
✓
Never knew you had to fileFound out years later
●
Several years behindReturns and FBARs
★
Accidental AmericansUS-born, raised in Canada
Built for catching up

For people who just found out they were behind

Most people we help here are not tax dodgers. They are US citizens, dual citizens, and green-card holders who built a life in Canada and only recently learned the US expected a return all along. The streamlined program was made for exactly this, and the catch-up is calmer than you would expect.

  • ✓The streamlined program, done rightThree years of US returns and six years of FBARs, filed together with the non-willful certification that unlocks the penalty relief.
  • ✓Usually little or no US taxThe foreign tax credit and the treaty mean most catch-up filers owe little or nothing once their Canadian tax is credited.
Book a free fit call
The clean way back

Done right, the back years close without the penalties

The streamlined program is not a loophole; it is the IRS's own path for people who fell behind by mistake. Filed correctly, with the right certification, it brings you current without the failure-to-file, failure-to-pay, and FBAR penalties that scare people into doing nothing. The key is the certification, and the order.

  • ✓The certification that protects youA correctly drafted non-willful statement is what unlocks the relief. We prepare it with the filing, not as an afterthought.
  • ✓Then you are current, for goodOnce the catch-up is filed, one CPA files both sides every year, so it never builds up again.
Talk to a cross-border CPA
A US person in Canada at ease after a streamlined catch-up
Streamlined
No penalties
Filed both sides
The coordinated package

Both returns, built to agree with each other

Two returns from one organizer, by one CPA who holds both licenses. Here is what that produces.

US
Form 1040United States
Foreign tax credit applied
Reconciled
Same numbers,
both systems
CA
T1 GeneralCanada
Treaty position documented
I

Two returns that agree

Your US and Canadian returns prepared together and e-filed in both countries, with the credits between them claimed in the right order.

II

Account reporting, aligned

FBAR, Form 8938, and T1135 built from one master list, so the two countries never contradict each other.

III

Treaty positions, in writing

Where the treaty decides which country taxes what, the position is documented with the filing, not assumed.

IV

The Next Year memo

Every engagement closes with a one-page plan: both countries' deadlines, estimated payments, and what changes for you next year.

Drafts of both returns within 10 business days of your complete documents.

How it works

From first call to both returns filed, without the friction

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Free fit call
Tue · 10:00 AM
Thu · 2:00 PM
Book now

A free fit call

Fifteen minutes. Simple files get a written quote; layered ones start with the $249 assessment that maps the scope exactly.

Both returnsSCOPE
US 1040incl.
Canada T1incl.
One packagefrom $1,495
$Published price

One cross-border organizer

One organizer mapped to both returns. Send each slip once; we handle the currency and split it across the two.

Yarik Yarosh, CPA
Your CPA
Yarik Yarosh, CPA
✓Both sides, one CPA

Prepared together, signed

We prepare both returns in the right order, a dual-licensed CPA reviews and signs them, then walks you through both.

Your returnsUSCA
10 daysdrafts
✓Filed both sides

Drafts in 10 days, filed

Drafts of both within 10 business days, then we e-file in both countries and hand over the Next Year memo.

What the package replaces

Two firms, or one. About the same money, without the gap.

How most people buy it

Two separate firms

A US expat service plus a Canadian preparer, each doing half. Per person.

  • US expat return, cross-border facts$650 to $950
  • FBAR report, added on$85 to $150
  • Form 8938, added on$120 to $200
  • State return, added on$125 to $185
  • Canadian T1, cross-border$400 to $850
  • T1135 foreign-property form$150 to $300
  • The two returns reconcilednobody's job
Adds up to, per person~$1,530 to $2,600+
VS
What you pay at Blue Cloud

The coordinated package

Both countries, one CPA, one organizer, one invoice.

  • US + Canadian returns, togetherincluded
  • Account reporting, both sidesincluded
  • Treaty positions documentedincluded
  • One routine IRS / CRA letterincluded
  • Next Year memo + calendarincluded
  • Replies in one business dayincluded
One engagementfrom $1,495

Bought in pieces, it adds up to more once every line is in, and the seam between the two returns is still yours to carry. One CPA preparing both starts at $1,495, includes the coordination, and the returns actually agree.

The catch-up package

One flat price to get fully caught up

The streamlined catch-up is a fixed, flat fee, published up front and put in writing before any work begins. Couples: the second person is quoted at the assessment. All prices in USD.

Streamlined Catch-Up
Non-willful filers, behind on US taxes
flat $2,495
  • Three years of US returns + six years of FBARs
  • Unlimited foreign accounts included
  • The non-willful certification, drafted with the filing
  • Foreign tax credit + treaty so most owe little or no US tax
  • Your Canadian side checked for alignment
Start with a free call
Caught up, then current
Your annual filing, after the catch-up
from $1,495/person
  • Coordinated 1040 + T1 each year, both countries
  • Reporting kept current: FBAR, 8938, T1135
  • One CPA so it never builds up again
  • Next Year memo + filing calendar
  • Second spouse half price
Start with a free call
Complex Catch-Up
PFICs, rentals, a business, or more years
from $3,500
  • Everything in streamlined, plus:
  • PFIC funds (Canadian ETFs / mutual funds)
  • Rental property or a business, either side
  • Years beyond the standard three / six
  • Priced exactly by the $249 assessment first
Start with a free call

Only one or two years behind, not the full six? The catch-up scales down from the flat fee, and the $249 assessment sets your exact number before you commit. Already current and just want it kept that way? The annual package above keeps you compliant for good, one CPA, both countries, every year.

The add-on rate card, in full
Extra state return, each (extra province included)$125
Form 8621, Canadian funds / ETFs (PFIC), beyond included$400 each
Forms 3520 / 3520-A with a written TFSA / RESP position$350
Departure-year module (Canadian exit mechanics)$750
Principal-residence sale module$500
T2062 / T2062A clearance certificates$700
Section 216 rental return$700
1040-NR on its own$600
FBAR accounts beyond 10$10 each
Year-Round Care (optional, opt-in)$495/household/yr

The $249 Cross-Border Assessment (about $349 CAD, billed in USD) is credited in full toward any package within 60 days. Out-of-scope work is always quoted and approved before it starts.

Who you work with

Your preparer is licensed in both countries

Yarik Yarosh, CPA, licensed in the US and Canada
Dual-licensedUS + Canada
Signs both returnsPersonally

Blue Cloud's cross-border files are prepared, reviewed, and signed personally by Yarik Yarosh, a CPA licensed in both the United States and Canada. The same person sees both returns, so nothing falls into the gap between two preparers. The practice runs bookkeeping, business tax, and advisory under one roof, and cross-border is the specialty it was built around.

LicensureCPA (US) · CPA (Canada)
MembershipsAICPA · CPA Canada
FirmFlorida-licensed CPA firm
ProfileLinkedIn
Experience

What this looks like in practice

Tech professional · Quebec + US

Two countries' returns, realigned.

A cross-border employee's US and Quebec filings had drifted out of step across separate preparers. We refiled the US side, brought the two returns back into agreement, and documented the credit position going forward.

✓
ResultOver $200,000 of foreign tax credit documented and carried forward against future US tax.
Departure year · Canada to US

A clean exit from the Canadian system.

A mover's final Canadian year: the departure return with its exit-tax rules, the penalty-relief filing her situation called for, and the account questions settled before the US years began.

✓
ResultThe departure year filed on both sides, penalty-relief request prepared and submitted.
Relocating couple · year one in the US

The first dual-country year, done once.

A couple's first year straddling the border: both countries' returns prepared together from one organizer, residency dates set deliberately, and the treaty positions documented for the years ahead.

✓
ResultA coordinated first-year filing in both countries, with a written map for the next one.

Client engagements of the firm. Details anonymized.

The accuracy warranty

If our error causes a penalty, we pay the penalty

Two countries, one preparer. If we make an error on a return we prepared, the cost is ours, written into the engagement letter you sign.

  • Our error, our billIf a penalty or interest results from our mistake on a return we prepared, we pay it, up to your engagement fee or $2,500, whichever is smaller.
  • Drafts in 10 business daysBoth countries' drafts within 10 business days of your complete documents, published here and written into your engagement letter.
  • No surprise billsPackages and the add-on rate card are published. Your quote is fixed in writing, and anything beyond it is priced and approved first.

The conditions: complete and timely information from you, and any IRS or CRA letter forwarded to us within 7 days of the date on the letter. The warranty covers our errors; it does not promise specific outcomes or refund amounts.

Engagement LetterBlue Cloud CPA
Accuracy warranty

If our error causes a penalty or interest on a return we prepared, we pay it, up to your fee or $2,500, whichever is smaller.

Yarik Yarosh
CPA (US · Canada)
✓Signed
✓We pay the penalty
✓In writing
Catching-up questions

The ones behind-filers ask first

I have not filed US taxes in years. Am I in trouble?
Almost certainly not, if it was not willful. The IRS streamlined program is its own path for people who fell behind by mistake, and for most qualifying filers it means catching up with no late-filing or FBAR penalties. The thing that creates risk is doing nothing, or quiet-filing the back years without the certification. Handled properly, this is routine.
How many years do I have to go back and file?
For most qualifying filers, the streamlined program is three years of US tax returns and six years of FBARs (the foreign account report), plus a certification that the lapse was non-willful. That is it: you do not refile your entire history. We confirm exactly which years apply before anything is filed.
Do my RRSP and TFSA really need US reporting?
Usually yes on reporting, even when no tax is due. Under the treaty the IRS does not tax your RRSP's growth each year, but the account still appears on the reports. A TFSA gets no such protection and parts of its US treatment are genuinely unsettled, so we document the position we take in writing.
Will I owe penalties or back taxes on all those years?
Under streamlined, usually no penalties at all when you qualify. And because of the foreign tax credit and the treaty, most filers owe little or no actual US tax once their Canadian tax is credited. For many people the catch-up costs the preparation, not a tax bill. We give you the real number before you commit.
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.
Should I just quietly file the back years myself?
It is the common instinct, and it is the one real mistake to avoid. A quiet disclosure (filing back years without the streamlined certification) forfeits the program's penalty protection and can actually draw attention. The streamlined path is the protective one, and it has to be done as a package, in the right order. That is what we do.
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.
Not sure which applies to you?A cross-border CPA will tell you on a free fifteen-minute call.
Book a free call

Let's get you caught up, calmly

A free fifteen-minute fit call with a CPA licensed in both countries. We will tell you honestly what your file needs, and what it does not.

  • ✓A free call with a dual-licensed CPA
  • ✓Honest read on which returns apply
  • ✓The $249 assessment credits to your engagement
  • ✓If our error causes a penalty, we pay it
A CPA takes your call, not a sales repEvery first call is with a licensed CPA, dual-licensed US and Canada. Real answers from the start.
Dual-licensed US & CanadaPublished pricesNo pitch

Book your free fit call

Two quick steps, then pick a time. Fifteen minutes with a CPA.

No payment until after the call. Prefer the phone? 786-952-6621

Book your free fit call