Canada, oh Canada!  California, oh California! We in San Francisco are in one of the most international cities on earth, and we get plenty of overseas visitors, residents, and immigrants. California remains, after all, the land of opportunity. Being on the West Coast, we also get our fair share of Canadians who come to the Bay Area either permanently or temporarily for businesses… and welcome to the USA – it’s time to pay Uncle Sam. CanCross-border Tax: Canada and USAadian citizens earning income in the United States are subject to US tax laws, just as US citizens working or earning in come in Canada also are subject to US tax laws.

It’s complicated!

It’s called ‘Cross-border Tax Returns’ and we are specialists in this area. Especially for USA / Canadian issues, we can help you (whether you are Canadian or American) figure out what you need to do to comply with the tax laws of each sovereign country.  Here are some scenarios:

  • US citizen working in Canada, generating Canadian income.
  • US citizen working in the USA and Canada, generating both USA and Canadian income.
  • Canadian citizen working in the USA, generating USA income.
  • Canadian citizen working in the USA and Canada, generating both USA and Canadian income.
  • USA citizen with business interests in Canada, generating passive business income.
  • Canadian citizen with business interests in the USA, generating passive business income.

Those are just a few scenarios. The tax laws are complicated; many Canadians (and other foreigners) do not realize that even though they may not be “citizens” of the USA, they are subject to USA tax laws on their USA-based income. Welcome to America!  Uncle Sam would like a piece of your pie.

So, if this scenario applies to you, we are growing this area of our expertise: cross-border tax returns, especially but not only for San Francisco residents with ties to Canada.  We are San Francisco’s top international tax accounting firm, and Canada is one of the many countries (scenarios) for which we do tax.