Clear pricing, quoted before any work begins. Book a free fit call.

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Fairlight Accounting Fit Call
Position Check · where every engagement starts

Know where you stand before you spend a dollar fixing it.

Cross-border tax problems are expensive to guess at, so we don't guess and we don't quote blind. Our U.S. Tax Desk and Canadian Tax Desk read your file together and send you a written answer: what applies to you in each country, what it costs to put right, and what you can safely leave alone.

Choose your Position Check Book a free fit call
  • Fixed fee, quoted up front
  • Answer in writing
  • Fee credited if you engage within 60 days
A business owner reviewing tax paperwork at a bright, tidy desk
$250Cross-Border Position Check — both countries, one report
$195Filed Return Review — a second look at last year's return
3–4 business daysFrom a complete file to your written report
Credited in fullToward the work that follows, if you engage within 60 days
What you receive

A report you can act on, not a sales call

Every Position Check ends in a written document built around your file. Here is how each one is laid out.

Cross-Border Position Check
Position Report
$250
Prepared for Client fileCountries U.S. + CanadaAbout 6 pages

Where you stand

Two filings are open, one of them time-sensitive. No back tax is owed, and the window to correct the missed disclosures is still open.

ObligationU.S.Canada
Income tax returnsClearOpen
Foreign account reportsUrgent—
Foreign property disclosure—Clear
Treaty residency positionClearClear
Exposure by urgencySized in dollars in the report
Recommended fixFixed quote included
Fairlight AccountingReviewed by the U.S. Tax Desk and the Canadian Tax Desk
Reviewed
Your position in both countries, each exposure sized, the fix priced, and what you can ignore.
Filed Return Review
Second-Opinion Memo
$195
Return reviewed Last year's filingCountry U.S. or Canada

The short answer

Most of the return is right. One credit went unclaimed, and it is worth recovering with an amended return.

  • ✓Income reported in fullCorrect
  • ✓Filing status and residencyCorrect
  • !Foreign tax credit not claimedRecoverable
  • ✓Deductions and electionsCorrect
  • !Treaty disclosure missingLow risk
Our recommendationAmend — worth it
Fairlight AccountingReviewed by the relevant Tax Desk
Reviewed
What was done right, what was missed and what it is worth, and a straight answer on whether to amend.

Layouts shown for illustration. Every report is written for your file, and every finding comes from your documents.

How it works

From your file to a clear answer in four steps

  1. 1
    Day 0

    You send the file

    A short intake form, then upload prior returns, notices, move dates, and property or business details. Missing pieces are fine — we tell you what matters.

  2. 2
    Days 1–3

    Both desks read it together

    The U.S. and Canadian Tax Desks work your file side by side, because the answer in one country changes the answer in the other.

  3. 3
    Days 3–4

    You get it in writing

    Your position, each open item with a dollar figure, the recommended fix, and a fixed quote for that fix — in plain language.

  4. 4
    When it suits you

    We walk you through it

    A 20-minute results call. Then you decide: go ahead within 60 days with the fee credited, handle it yourself, or take the report elsewhere.

Choose your Position Check

Two ways to start, one for your situation

Both are a fixed fee, both end in a written report and a results call, and both are credited in full if you sign an engagement within 60 days of the written report.

Ties in both countries

Cross-Border Position Check

You moved, you're about to move, or you have income, property, or a business across the border — and you're not sure what you should have been filing.

$250USDFixed fee
Delivered in 3–4 business days

What the report covers

  • Your residency and filing position in each country, and how the two interact
  • Every open obligation — returns, disclosures, elections — ranked by urgency
  • Tax, penalty, and interest exposure for each item, in dollars
  • The recommended path to compliance, with a fixed quote to carry it out
  • What you can safely ignore, and why
  • A 20-minute results call

Often a fit for

SnowbirdsRecent moversU.S. citizens in CanadaCross-border property ownersBusiness owners with a foot in each country
Position Check$250
Credit if you engage within 60 days– $250
Net cost if you engage within 60 days$0
Start a Cross-Border Position Check
Return already filed

Filed Return Review

A line-by-line second look at a U.S. or Canadian return that has already gone in. We tell you whether it was done right — and if not, whether fixing it is worth it.

$195USDFixed fee
Delivered in 3–4 business days

What the memo covers

  • What was reported correctly, stated plainly so you can stop worrying about it
  • Missed credits, deductions, elections, or treaty positions, each with a dollar value
  • Errors likely to draw a letter from the IRS or the Canada Revenue Agency
  • A clear recommendation: amend, or leave it as filed
  • A 20-minute results call

Often a fit for

A new preparer last yearA first cross-border returnA refund smaller than expectedA notice you want explained
Filed Return Review$195
Credit toward an amendment or next return, within 60 days– $195
Net cost if you engage within 60 days$0
Start a Filed Return Review

Not sure either one fits?

Book a free consultation. A quick read of your situation and a plain answer on which check applies — or whether you need one at all.

Book a free fit call
Illustration of a person reviewing a checklist of documents
Why we start this way

A quote without a review is a guess

  • The file tells us the scope

    No one can price a cross-border cleanup from a phone call. Reading the actual returns, notices, and dates is the only honest way to quote the work.

  • Most people are less exposed than they fear

    Missed forms are common; back tax is rarer than the internet suggests. The report separates the urgent from the merely untidy.

  • You decide with the answer in hand

    You commit to nothing beyond the check. If the fix is small, you may do it yourself. If it isn't, you'll know exactly what you're hiring us for.

Questions

What people ask before ordering

Something else on your mind? Ask it on a free consultation.

What if the report says I have nothing to fix?

Then you have that in writing, which is worth keeping on file. The fee stands, because the review is the work — and the credit applies to any return you engage us for within 60 days of the report.

Do I have to hire Fairlight afterward?

No. The report is yours. Some clients use it to do the work themselves, and some take it to another preparer. Most go ahead with us because the quote is already in hand.

Can I order one for my spouse, an estate, or a business?

Yes. A couple with mixed residency, an estate, or a business each gets its own report. Tell us on the intake form and we confirm scope before you pay.

What if my documents are incomplete?

Send what you have. The 3–4 business day clock starts once we have enough to work from, and we tell you within one business day if something essential is missing.

How do I pay?

You receive an engagement letter before we start. Payment is by ACH or Zelle from a U.S. account, or Interac e-Transfer from a Canadian account.

Is the results call the advice?

The written report is the advice. The call is there to make sure you understand it and to answer questions about the next step.

Start with the answer.

A fixed fee, a written report within 3–4 business days, and every dollar credited back if you engage within 60 days.

Choose your Position Check Book a free fit call

Every Position Check and Filed Return Review is prepared by Fairlight Accounting's U.S. Tax Desk and Canadian Tax Desk. Fees are in U.S. dollars.

The content on this page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional tax advice. A Position Check and a Filed Return Review are assessments based on the documents supplied — not filed returns, opinion letters, or a substitute for a full engagement — and their conclusions depend on individual facts and circumstances and are subject to change. See our full legal disclaimer.