6 Canada-US Tax Accountant tax and accounting engagements in full — what the client came to us with, what we did, and what it was worth. Each one is specific to canada-us tax accountant work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Backlog brought current
$136,000 Of Arbitrary Assessments Vacated After 5 Years — Canadian Resident with a, Burnaby
Client: A Canadian resident with a US rental property · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Arbitrary tax vacated$136,000
Years brought current5
Account statusCurrent
The situation
5 years of unfiled returns had turned into notional assessments at a Canadian resident with a US rental property in Burnaby, British Columbia, with a US LLC taxed as a corporation in Canada, producing double tax on the same income underneath. Collections had already started.
What we did
We filed the section 216 election with the supporting rental statements and recovered the excess withholding as a refund, then filed every outstanding year in chronological order so the CRA could vacate the notional assessments cleanly.
The result
All 5 years were accepted as filed. $136,000 of arbitrarily assessed tax was vacated, collections action stopped, and the account is current for the first time in 5 years.
Case Study 2 · Structure rebuilt
Corporate Structure Rebuilt For $24,500 Of Annual Savings — US Citizen Living in, Brampton
Client: A US citizen living in Canada · Where: Brampton, Ontario · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Saving per year$24,500
DocumentationComplete
Transfer basisRollover
The situation
The structure at a US citizen living in Canada in Brampton, Ontario had been set up years earlier for a business that no longer existed, and US tax paid but no foreign tax credit claimed on the Canadian return had become expensive.
What we did
We reported the deemed disposition properly on the departure return and claimed the foreign tax credits that had been left unused. The reorganisation used the rollover provisions rather than a taxable transfer, so no tax fell due on the restructuring itself.
The result
$24,500 of annual saving, achieved on a tax-deferred basis. The minute book, elections and valuations are all in the file.
Case Study 3 · Sale and succession
Share Sale Restructured, $395,000 Less Tax On Closing — Canadian Corporation with US, Regina
Client: A Canadian corporation with US customers · Where: Regina, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Tax saved on closing$395,000
PriceAs agreed
Post-closing adjustmentsNone
The situation
A Canadian corporation with US customers in Regina, Saskatchewan was preparing to sell. Due diligence surfaced retained cash well above what the business needed to operate, which would have reduced the price or killed the deal outright.
What we did
We cleaned up the historical file, filed the outstanding T1135 disclosures through the Voluntary Disclosures Program, which eliminated the penalty exposure entirely, and prepared the due-diligence package the buyer's advisers actually asked for.
The result
The deal closed at the agreed price. $395,000 of tax was saved against the structure originally proposed, with no post-closing adjustment.
Case Study 4 · Deadline rescue
5-Week Turnaround Beat The Deadline And Saved $15,500 — Snowbird Spending Winters in, Kitchener
Client: A snowbird spending winters in Arizona · Where: Kitchener, Ontario · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Late-filing penalty avoided$15,500
Filed with16 days to spare
Next yearPapers ready
The situation
With the deadline for canada-us tax accountant weeks away, a snowbird spending winters in Arizona in Kitchener, Ontario was carrying foreign accounts that had passed the $100,000 T1135 threshold three years earlier. The exposure if the date slipped was around $15,500.
What we did
We restructured the US holding so the Canadian and US characterisations aligned, ending the double taxation going forward. The filing went in complete rather than provisional, so there was no amended return to follow.
The result
Filed with 16 days to spare. $15,500 in late-filing penalties avoided, and the working papers are ready for the following year.
Case Study 5 · Records and systems rebuilt
Books Rebuilt From Source, $20,000 In Unclaimed Input Tax Found — Non-Resident Owning Canadian Rental, Red Deer
Client: A non-resident owning Canadian rental property · Where: Red Deer, Alberta · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Unclaimed tax found$20,000
Records rebuilt24 months
ProcessDocumented
The situation
A non-resident owning Canadian rental property in Red Deer, Alberta could not answer basic questions about its own numbers, because a departure year filed as a normal resident return with no deemed disposition reported sat between the bank statements and the ledger.
What we did
We filed the section 216 election with the supporting rental statements and recovered the excess withholding as a refund, then documented the process so the work does not depend on any one person remembering how it was done.
The result
Records rebuilt and reconciled, $20,000 recovered in input tax credits that the old file could not support, and a documented monthly process now in place.
Case Study 6 · Objection and relief
Desk-Review Assessment Of $85,000 Vacated — Dual Citizen with a, Victoria
Client: A dual citizen with a US retirement account · Where: Victoria, British Columbia · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Assessment vacated$85,000
Supporting recordsNow on file
AccountCleared
The situation
A dual citizen with a US retirement account in Victoria, British Columbia was carrying $85,000 of penalties and interest arising from a US LLC taxed as a corporation in Canada, producing double tax on the same income, much of it accumulated during a period the CRA itself had delayed.
What we did
We reported the deemed disposition properly on the departure return and claimed the foreign tax credits that had been left unused and framed the relief application on the specific grounds the CRA guidelines recognise rather than on general hardship.
The result
The assessment was vacated. $85,000 came off the account, and the documentation now on file makes the same position straightforward to defend next time.
Reviewed for the 2025 tax year by Udit Gupta, Certified Tax Accountant. Figures describe representative engagements of this type; outcomes depend on your own facts. Client names and identifying details are omitted for confidentiality.
