
Understanding GILTI – For US Expats in Canada
Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income – Simplified!
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) brought some major changes for U.S. taxpayers.
The Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (GILTI) regime was enacted to tax the U.S. Shareholders of Controlled Foreign Corporations (CFC) on a current basis. TCJA introduced Transition tax and GILTI. Transition tax (Sec 965) is a one-time tax on the...

Hybrid Entities – The Tax Problems in Canada
A hybrid entity is an entity that has different tax treatments in different countries. The typical examples of these entities are US Limited Liability Company (LLC), Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) or Limited Liability Limited Partnerships (LLLP).
We have previously published a high-level overview of the taxation of US LLCs in Canada. This post is an attempt to further explain why using...

10 Things Americans in Canada Should Know!
Effective February 12, 2021, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has begun receiving 2020 tax returns in the U.S.
In 2020, the American have moved to Canada in record numbers. Whether you have recently moved to Canada or have been living here for a while, there are a couple of things to know when it comes to your tax obligations.
Disclaimer: This post is for general information purposes and...

Forgivable Portion of CEBA and Income Inclusion
Many businesses in Canada have taken advantage of Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA).
The initial program offered $40,000 with 1/4 i.e. $10,000 is forgivable if certain conditions are met. Later on, the program expanded and offered an additional $60,000 with an additional $10,000 forgivable.
The forgivable portion of the CEBA loans must be included in the income during the year funds...

Personal Services Business (Incorporated Employee)
Have you recently received a contract offer from a business that has asked you to incorporate yourself?
By the way, this is very trendy in the IT and transportation industry! We receive a couple of requests every day for such incorporations. Most of the time, because the “employer” (yes, the word used by these people) requires them to incorporate!
Incorporating a business in...

2019 Income Tax return Adjustments for CERB Eligibility
A lot of people have claimed CERB for the full 28 weeks period, totalling up to $14,000. Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has issued letters to the taxpayers who they think might not have been eligible. The confusion came because the CRA did not mention the word “Net” while explaining the self-employment for CERB purposes.
Self-employment income is always net when reporting on the...

2020 – Year End Income Tax Planning – Individuals
The year 2020 is approaching an end! This is the time of the year when you should not forget important tax planning to best optimize your 2020 income taxes in Canada.
We have compiled a brief list for the end of year tax planning for individuals in 2020.
Income Tax Effects of COVID-19 Benefits Received in 2020
Many individuals have received support from the government during the pandemic. The...

2020 End of Year Tax Planning for Small Corporations in Canada
There are many ways small business owners can optimize their corporate income taxes for 2020.
This post is for the small to medium-sized businesses operating in the corporate form. Further, we do not recommend relying solely on this post for corporate tax planning purposes. It is always better to consult your corporate tax accountant to get wholesome tax advice.
Government Support to...

Flipping Houses – Business Income Vs Capital Gains
Property flipping is an increasingly common practice to buy a property and then reselling it for a quick profit. Property flipping also includes assignment sales a.k.a. shadow flipping. Shadow flipping is the sale of a property before taking possession, mostly in cases of new constructions with builders.
Property flipping is a key area of interest for the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)...

Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS) – Applications opened
Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS) applications are open now.
CERS provides much-needed support to Canadian businesses struggling with rent payments during the pandemic. If you have already applied for Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) you will find the process quite familiar.
In the below post, we are going to have a quick overview of CERS instead of going into more details. The Canada...