Book a callHow a filing season runs with us
One document request, one team, one set of numbers that agree with each other.
Documents, once
One encrypted upload covering both countries. We work out what is missing and chase it, rather than sending you between two firms.
Built in the right order
We determine the taxing rights and relief for each income item first, because which country supplies the primary tax and which grants relief depends on the income and the treaty rules. The reporting forms are prepared alongside both returns rather than bolted on at the end.
Reviewed as one file
A second pair of eyes checks the two returns against each other before anything is filed, which is the step that catches what nobody else is looking for.
They are returns that were each individually correct and inconsistent with one another, reporting forms nobody knew were due, and positions that were assumed rather than filed. You can only see all three if you are holding both files.
The forms we file most often
Not all of these will apply to you. Establishing which do is the first half of the job.
United States
- 1040 and 1040NR individual returns
- 1116 foreign tax credit
- 2555 foreign earned income exclusion
- FinCEN 114 foreign account report
- 8938 specified foreign financial assets
- 8621 passive foreign investment companies
- 3520 and 3520-A foreign trusts
- State returns and residency filings
Canada
- T1 federal personal return. Quebec residents also file a separate TP-1 provincial return
- T1135 foreign income verification, generally where specified foreign property cost exceeds CAD100,000 in aggregate, with exceptions
- T2209 federal foreign tax credit
- T1161 and T1243 on departure
- Section 216 non resident rental returns
- Section 217 elections
- T2 corporate returns
- T1134 foreign affiliate reporting
Positions and elections
- 8833 treaty based return positions
- 8840 closer connection statement
- Treaty tie breaker analysis
- Registered plan deferral elections
- W-8BEN and W-9 for payers
- ITIN applications
- Currency conversion methodology
- Instalment and withholding set up
The mistakes live between the two returns
It is tempting to think of preparation as mechanical, where the risk is a mistyped number. In cross-border work it almost never is.
The failures we are called in to correct fall into three groups. Returns that were each individually correct but inconsistent with one another, so the credits did not reconcile. Reporting forms that nobody realised were due, carrying penalties that apply whether or not tax was owed. And positions that were assumed rather than filed, which offer no protection when they are eventually questioned.
None of those are arithmetic errors. All three come from looking at one system at a time.
That is the whole argument for one firm holding both files. Not that we can add up better, but that the mistakes in this field live in the space between two returns, and you can only see that space if you are holding both.
Included as standard
Things we do not charge separately for, because they are part of doing the job properly.
Both returns checked against each other
Every figure appearing on both sides is traced through. The amounts need not match mechanically, because currencies, sourcing, income categories, paid or accrued treatment and credit limits can differ, so the reconciliation is to the tax actually paid rather than to a matching number. A prepared return is not itself proof that a tax was paid.
We check what you did not ask about
Account and asset reporting obligations are assessed every year as part of the engagement, not only when a client thinks to raise them.
What to change before next year
A short written note at the end of every engagement covering anything that would produce a better result if handled differently.
Questions about preparation and compliance
This is general guidance rather than advice on your situation.
Can you take over from my current accountant mid stream?
Yes, and it is common. We will usually want to look at the last two or three years first, partly to understand the positions already taken and partly because inconsistencies are worth finding before another year is added to them.
What if I have not filed one side for several years?
That is a catch up engagement rather than a preparation one, and there are established amnesty routes on both sides. It usually ends better than people expect.
How long does it take?
Two to three weeks from complete documents for a straightforward pair. Anything involving foreign funds, registered plans or a mid year move takes longer, and we will tell you which you are at the quoting stage.
Do you handle state returns as well?
Yes. State residency is its own problem, and a few states are notably aggressive about continuing to tax people who have left.
Situations we prepare for most
Every one of these carries a different set of forms.
Send us last year's returns and we will tell you what is missing.
Twenty minutes, no charge, and a written fixed quote afterwards.
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