1,407 plain-English guides on cross-border moves, US and Canadian returns, and small-business money. Each one ends in what to do next, and says when a written Position Check is the smarter first step.
September 7, 2026
Late FBARs have their own procedure with no penalty, but only if all the income from the accounts was reported on the returns. If any income was missed, the FBARs go into a streamlined submission. Here is the line between the two, the Delinquent FBAR Submission Procedures, and what to do when the answer is 'mostly reported.'
Read more →September 7, 2026
How an RRSP works for a US citizen living in Canada: the Canadian deduction, the absence of a US deduction, the treaty deferral on growth, the basis tracking for withdrawals, the FBAR and Form 8938 reporting, and why the RRSP still beats the alternatives.
Read more →September 7, 2026
The three Canadian registered accounts are treated differently in a streamlined submission. The RRSP's treaty deferral is restored retroactively under Rev. Proc. 2014-55 and the account goes on the FBAR. The TFSA's earnings are added to income for the three years and Forms 3520 and 3520-A are filed. The RESP is the same as the TFSA with the grant taxed too. Here is each account, form by form.
Read more →September 7, 2026
How a spousal RRSP works when one or both spouses are US persons: the Canadian deduction to the contributor, the US treaty deferral for the annuitant, the FBAR and Form 8938 reporting by the plan's owner, the attribution rule on early withdrawals, and the basis question when the US person is the contributor.
Read more →September 7, 2026
The domestic streamlined procedure charges a 5% miscellaneous offshore penalty. It is not 5% of the income, the tax, or everything foreign; it is 5% of the highest aggregate year-end value of the foreign financial assets that should have been reported and were not, across the six FBAR years and three return years. Here is how the base is built, what is excluded, and how a Canadian mover's RRSP usually escapes it.
Read more →September 7, 2026
The streamlined procedures require non-willful conduct and carry no penalty (foreign) or 5% (domestic). The Voluntary Disclosure Practice is for conduct that may have been willful, and under its current terms it costs failure-to-file and accuracy-related penalties plus per-year FBAR penalties, in exchange for protection from criminal referral. Here is how willfulness is judged, how the two routes compare, and how to decide when the facts are mixed.
Read more →September 7, 2026
The US tax deadlines that apply to Americans living in Canada: the automatic two-month extension to June 15, the further extension to October 15, the FBAR's own calendar, the information-return due dates, and the estimated payment schedule. With the Canadian deadlines beside them.
Read more →June 28, 2026
If you're a Canadian who moved to the U.S. — or a snowbird who spends enough time here — the U.S. Treasury wants an annual report of your Canadian bank accounts. A plain-English guide to the FBAR: who files, the $10,000 trigger, which accounts count, the penalties, and how to catch up if you're behind.
Read more →The content on this page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional tax, accounting, or legal advice. See our full legal disclaimer.
