6 US Tax Return for Canadians 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 us tax return for canadians work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Sale and succession
Share Sale Restructured, $885,000 Less Tax On Closing — Emigrant Who Left Canada, Surrey
Client: An emigrant who left Canada mid-year · Where: Surrey, British Columbia · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Tax saved on closing$885,000
PriceAs agreed
Post-closing adjustmentsNone
The situation
An emigrant who left Canada mid-year in Surrey, British Columbia was preparing to sell. Due diligence surfaced no valuation on file to support the price the parties had agreed, which would have reduced the price or killed the deal outright.
What we did
We cleaned up the historical file, filed the section 216 election with the supporting rental statements and recovered the excess withholding as a refund, and prepared the due-diligence package the buyer's advisers actually asked for.
The result
The deal closed at the agreed price. $885,000 of tax was saved against the structure originally proposed, with no post-closing adjustment.
Case Study 2 · Records and systems rebuilt
Month-End Close Cut From 8 Weeks To 5 Days — Dual Citizen with a, Barrie
Client: A dual citizen with a US retirement account · Where: Barrie, Ontario · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Close time before8 weeks
Close time after5 days
Year-endReview, not rebuild
The situation
The accounting file at a dual citizen with a US retirement account in Barrie, Ontario was built on foreign accounts that had passed the $100,000 T1135 threshold three years earlier. The year-end had taken 8 weeks each of the last three years.
What we did
We restructured the US holding so the Canadian and US characterisations aligned, ending the double taxation going forward and moved the reconciliations into the monthly cycle, so the year-end stopped being a rebuild.
The result
The file reconciles. Month-end closes in 5 days instead of 8 weeks, and the year-end is a review rather than a reconstruction.
Case Study 3 · Planning that cut the bill
Remuneration Review Saved $56,000 Across Corporate And Personal Returns — Non-Resident Owning Canadian Rental, Halifax
Client: A non-resident owning Canadian rental property · Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Combined saving$56,000
ScopeCorporate + personal
Future yearsNo rework needed
The situation
Nothing was wrong at a non-resident owning Canadian rental property in Halifax, Nova Scotia — the filings were on time and accurate. What they were not was planned. A departure year filed as a normal resident return with no deemed disposition reported had never been reviewed.
What we did
We filed the outstanding T1135 disclosures through the Voluntary Disclosures Program, which eliminated the penalty exposure entirely, and ran the numbers across both the corporate and personal returns so the saving was real rather than deferred into someone else's hands.
The result
$56,000 came off the combined corporate and personal tax bill, and the structure holds for future years without further work.
Case Study 4 · CRA review defended
$142,000 Reassessment Reduced To Nil On Review — Snowbird Spending Winters in, Kelowna
Client: A snowbird spending winters in Arizona · Where: Kelowna, British Columbia · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Reassessment reduced toNil
Tax protected$142,000
Prior filingsUndisturbed
The situation
A review notice arrived at a snowbird spending winters in Arizona in Kelowna, British Columbia covering us tax return for canadians for two tax years. The auditor's working position was an adjustment of $142,000, driven by a US LLC taxed as a corporation in Canada, producing double tax on the same income.
What we did
Rather than negotiate, we rebuilt the record. We reported the deemed disposition properly on the departure return and claimed the foreign tax credits that had been left unused and submitted a point-by-point response that answered each proposed adjustment with the document behind it.
The result
The auditor accepted the documented position and closed the review without adjustment, protecting $142,000 and leaving the prior filings undisturbed.
Case Study 5 · Objection and relief
Desk-Review Assessment Of $107,000 Vacated — Canadian Corporation with US, Saskatoon
Client: A Canadian corporation with US customers · Where: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Assessment vacated$107,000
Supporting recordsNow on file
AccountCleared
The situation
A Canadian corporation with US customers in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan was carrying $107,000 of penalties and interest arising from US tax paid but no foreign tax credit claimed on the Canadian return, much of it accumulated during a period the CRA itself had delayed.
What we did
We filed the section 216 election with the supporting rental statements and recovered the excess withholding as a refund and framed the relief application on the specific grounds the CRA guidelines recognise rather than on general hardship.
The result
The assessment was vacated. $107,000 came off the account, and the documentation now on file makes the same position straightforward to defend next time.
Case Study 6 · Scaling without breaking
Second-Province Expansion Handled, $115,000 Of Cash Released — US Citizen Living in, Guelph
Client: A US citizen living in Canada · Where: Guelph, Ontario · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Cash released$115,000
New registrationsComplete on day one
Compliance gapsNone
The situation
Revenue at a US citizen living in Canada in Guelph, Ontario was up sharply and cash was tighter than ever. Underneath it sat 25% withholding on gross Canadian rent where a section 216 election would have taxed only the net.
What we did
We restructured the US holding so the Canadian and US characterisations aligned, ending the double taxation going forward. Every new obligation — registration, remittance frequency, provincial filing — was set up before it was triggered, not after.
The result
$115,000 of cash was released from the working capital cycle, and the expansion completed with every registration and filing obligation covered from day one.
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.
