One firm for both tax systems — so your returns finally tell the same story.
When the same practice prepares your IRS and CRA returns, the numbers line up the way they’re supposed to: credits applied in the right sequence, treaty positions documented, and nothing lost in translation between two offices that never compare notes. With CPA credentials on both sides of the border, we treat your two returns as one job — because that’s what they are.
The mistakes happen in the space between two accountants
Here’s the thing most people learn the hard way: cross-border tax problems rarely come from the rules themselves. They come from a U.S. preparer and a Canadian one working in separate silos, each holding half the picture. Credits get claimed out of order. An account shows up on one return and vanishes on the other. A treaty position gets assumed instead of written down. Put both returns on one desk, under one practitioner who reads both tax codes, and the gap simply closes. Every question below is really a question that has to be answered in two systems at once:
Which country do I file in this year — and does the order matter?
What exactly does the IRS want to see about my RRSP and TFSA?
I crossed the border mid-year. What happens to the months before I moved?
I’m an American in Canada who’s fallen behind. How much trouble am I in?
Could the same paycheck get taxed twice — or does the treaty stop that?
Why can’t my two accountants ever agree on the answer?
For anyone whose financial life doesn’t stop at the border
Earn, own, or bank in both countries, and you don’t have two tax problems — you have one problem wearing two flags. It has to be solved in both systems together, or it isn’t really solved. That’s the only kind of work this side of the practice does.
Americans living in Canada
the yearly both-countries filing, finally in one place
Canadians living in the U.S.
on a TN, an H-1B, a green card, or a permanent move
Snowbirds
south for the winter, Canadian for taxes, and right with both
- Hand us your slips once — we convert the currency and split each amount across both returns ourselves.
- The accounts nobody warns you about — RRSP, TFSA, RESP, and the U.S. paperwork chained to them (FBAR, Form 8938, Form 3520).
Two returns, engineered to match
Returns that reconcile
Your U.S. and Canadian filings built together and e-filed in both countries, credits sequenced correctly between them.
Reporting that lines up
FBAR, Form 8938, and T1135 drawn from one master list, so the two governments never see contradictory numbers.
Treaty positions on paper
Where the treaty assigns the taxing right, we document the position with your file instead of hoping nobody asks.
A plan for next year
Every engagement ends with a single page: both deadlines, what to pay, and what’s changing for you next cycle.
The move year is the one that rewards getting it right
Of every tax year you’ll file, the year you change countries is the one with the most moving parts — and the highest cost of fumbling. There’s an exit to handle where you’re leaving, a part-year return where you’re arriving, residency dates that should be chosen on purpose, and a handful of elections that only exist in that one window. We file it as a single coordinated event rather than two strangers’ guesses.
- Exit and entry, stitched together — the departure return where you left, the arrival-year return where you landed, reconciled to each other.
- Behind on U.S. filing? There’s a calm way back — the IRS Streamlined route for honest non-filers: three years of returns, six of account reports, no drama.
Filed both sides
Roughly the cost of two firms — minus the gap they leave behind
The usual route — two separate firms
Typical separate-firm market rates, per person — illustrative, not Fairlight’s fees.
- U.S. expat return (cross-border) $650–$950
- FBAR reporting $85–$150
- Form 8938 $120–$200
- State return $125–$185
- Canadian T1 (cross-border) $400–$850
- T1135 foreign-property form $150–$300
- Making the two returns agree nobody’s job
- Adds up to, per person ~$1,530 to $2,600+
Bought in pieces it climbs fast — and you’re still left holding the seam.
With Fairlight — one engagement
- U.S. + Canadian returns, together included
- Reporting aligned, both sides included
- Treaty positions documented included
- A next-year plan included
- One firm, one contact included
One firm preparing both starts at $1,345, includes the coordination, and the two returns actually reconcile.
From first call to both returns filed, without the friction
Four steps, one firm. Here is how a cross-border engagement actually runs — from the first call to both returns reviewed and e-filed in each country.
A no-cost first call
Fifteen minutes to tell you straight which returns apply and what they’ll run.
One organizer, both countries
A single set of documents mapped to both returns; send each slip once and we handle the rest.
Built together, checked together
Both returns prepared in the right order and reviewed before anything is filed.
Filed, then forward
We walk you through both, e-file in both countries, and hand you the plan for next year.
Cross-border pricing you can actually see before you commit
Every engagement starts with an assessment that maps your exact situation. Prices below are starting points; your fixed quote is confirmed in writing first.
Cross-Border Tax Assessment
Credited in full toward any package engaged within 60 days.
Book a Free Consultation- Comprehensive situation analysis
- Day tracking + substantial presence test
- Residency determination
- Filing requirements assessment
- Treaty position review
- Written compliance roadmap
- Custom package recommendation + quote
Individual packages per tax year
Canadian in US Compliance
Canadian citizens living/working in the US
- 1040 + 1 state return
- T1 (departure or ongoing)
- RRSP/TFSA reporting + treaty election
- FBAR; 8938 if required
- Treaty optimization
US Expat Compliance
US citizens/green card holders in Canada
- 1040, 2555, 1116
- FBAR; 8938 if required
- T1 (1 province)
- 1 state return if required
- Treaty optimization
Cross-Border Executive
Investments, rental property, or retirement accounts in both countries
- 1040 + T1
- FBAR, 8938, T1135
- Investment income up to 50 transactions
- 1 rental reported in both countries
- RRSP/401(k) optimization
- 1116 + 1 state return
- Treaty optimization
Have a business, multiple entities, or a specialty situation? Expand the options below.
Business & entity packages 3 packages
US LLC Compliance
Canadian residents with a US LLC
- Form 5472
- 1040-NR
- T1 with business income
- 1 state return
- FBAR if required
Dual-Entity Compliance
Entities in both countries
- 5472 if US LLC
- US business return (1065/1120-S/1120)
- Canadian T2
- 1 state + 1 provincial return
- Owner personal return (1 country)
Corporate Compliance
Parent-subsidiary structures
- 5472 if applicable
- US corporate return
- Canadian T2
- 2 state + 2 provincial returns
- Owner/executive personal return (1 country)
- Basic transfer pricing documentation
Specialty situations 3 packages
Snowbird Annual Package
Canadians wintering 4–6 months in Florida
- Day tracking analysis
- Substantial presence test
- Residency determination
- Treaty tie-breaker
- Form 8840
- 1040-NR
- T1 adjustments
- State exposure review
- Year-round email support
- Auto-renewal
Streamlined Catch-Up
US citizens behind on filings — full IRS Streamlined Filing Compliance submission
- 3 yrs of 1040s
- 6 yrs of FBARs
- Form 14653 non-willful certification
- 1116, 2555, 8938
- IRS correspondence support
Entry / Exit Tax Planning
Planning a move between the US and Canada
- Pre-move analysis
- Deemed disposition calcs
- Expatriation tax considerations
- Treaty tie-breaker analysis
- Asset restructuring recommendations
- RRSP/401(k) analysis
- Timeline of tax events
- Written relocation roadmap
- Multi-year projections
Year-round cross-border care 3 monthly tiers
Basic Cross-Border Compliance
Reliable dual-country compliance and peace of mind
- Cross-border returns in both countries
- Quarterly estimated tax projections
- Routine notice response
- Email support
Strategic Cross-Border Partner
Growing cross-border businesses that need strategy
- Everything in Basic, plus:
- Treaty planning session with written recommendations
- Multi-state filing support
- Priority email support
Cross-Border CFO Advisory
Established companies wanting proactive planning + priority service
- Everything in Strategic, plus:
- Quarterly planning sessions
- Multi-state nexus analysis
- Audit assistance (up to 10 hours)
- Email + phone support
All prices in USD, fixed in writing before any work begins. The $355 assessment is credited in full toward any package within 60 days.
What it tends to look like
Two returns brought back in sync.
A cross-border professional’s U.S. and Canadian filings had drifted out of step across separate preparers; the returns were brought back into agreement and the credit position documented going forward.
A clean break from the old system.
A mover’s final year in the country they left: the departure return with its exit rules, the penalty-relief filing the situation called for, and the account questions settled before the new country’s years began.
A first cross-border year, handled once.
A first year straddling the border: both returns prepared together from one organizer, residency dates set deliberately, treaty positions documented.
Illustrative of the kind of work handled. Details generalized.
Credentialed where it counts — both countries
Fairlight’s cross-border desk is the practice this firm was built around, and it’s led by Fairlight’s founder — fifteen-plus years in senior finance, with hands-on U.S. and Canadian tax experience. The team holds CPA credentials in both the United States and Canada, so one practice owns both returns and nothing slips through the seam between two outside preparers.
Cross-border questions, answered
Do you really prepare both the U.S. and Canadian returns?
Yes — both returns are handled by one practice with CPA credentials in both countries, so the foreign tax credits and treaty positions are decided in one place, not relayed between two firms.
I just moved between the countries — which years do I file?
A move usually means a part-year or departure return in the country you left and an arrival-year return where you landed, often with treaty tie-breaker positions for the transition year. The assessment maps exactly which returns apply before you commit.
Do my RRSP and TFSA really need U.S. reporting?
Usually yes — even when no tax is owed. The treaty generally shields your RRSP’s growth from annual U.S. tax, but the account still has to be reported. The TFSA gets no such protection and parts of its U.S. treatment are genuinely unsettled, so we document the position we take in writing.
I’m behind on U.S. filings from Canada — how bad is it?
Usually more fixable than it feels. The IRS Streamlined program exists for people who fell behind by mistake, not on purpose — typically three years of returns and six years of account reports, without the usual penalties. We tell you exactly what needs filing before anything is filed.
Will I get taxed twice on the same income?
That’s exactly what the treaty and the foreign tax credit system are designed to prevent — but only when both returns are prepared together so the credits line up. Filing them in isolation is how double taxation and missed credits actually happen.
How does the assessment work?
It’s a paid review plus a written roadmap that maps your both-country exposure and gives you a clear scope and fixed price. Engage any package within 60 days and the full $355 comes off your bill. The written plan is yours to keep either way.
Let’s get both sides of your taxes pointing the same direction
Book a free call. We’ll give you an honest read on which returns you actually need — and the $355 assessment comes straight off your engagement.
- A free consultation with a dual-credentialed practice
- An honest read on which returns actually apply
- The $355 assessment credited toward your engagement
- One firm handling both sides, start to finish
Book your consultation
One firm, both sides. No pressure — just a clear read on what you need.
Book a Free Consultation Call (786) 917-4628