Canadian tax returns?

[Andy and Kayla 45]

Just wondering how this works, exactly. By next spring, I will (hopefully) be moved and settled in the US with my fiance (then husband ).

That being said, I have been working in Canada this year while waiting for our K1 process to finish for a significant amount of time. Can I still file a tax return next year for those hours worked? Or is it null and void after I enter on the K1?

[Inky 1,110]

You have to file a tax return for your final year. Its called an exit return.

You also have to claim all that money on your US tax return and file for a special exemption because its already been taxed in Canada.

[ralyse 31]

You have to file a tax return for your final year. Its called an exit return.

You also have to claim all that money on your US tax return and file for a special exemption because its already been taxed in Canada.

Out of curiosity, what if AOS isn't approved by the end of 2011 and therefore I don't work in the US whatsoever in that tax year?

[Inky 1,110]

Out of curiosity, what if AOS isn't approved by the end of 2011 and therefore I don't work in the US whatsoever in that tax year?

I didn't work in the US and still have to file taxes, Joint with my husband.

For ROC you need join tax returns! and you file taxes regardless of working or not.

My first year here I had to claim my Canadian income on the US taxes even though I had not worked here. Also had to claim my stocks from Canada on them. We got a HUGE return on our taxes too.

[ralyse 31]

I didn't work in the US and still have to file taxes, Joint with my husband.

For ROC you need join tax returns! and you file taxes regardless of working or not.

My first year here I had to claim my Canadian income on the US taxes even though I had not worked here. Also had to claim my stocks from Canada on them. We got a HUGE return on our taxes too.

Good to know, thanks!

[Andy and Kayla 45]

So I will file my return with Canada and then we'll file our US return after? This stuff has never been my strong suit - I have a mom who's an accountant who has handled most of this for me in the past.

[Andy and Kayla 45]

Oh, and also - I'm assuming I'll need to file my Canadian return as 'married' as well. Does it cause any problems when your with holdings for paychecks this year are set for a 'single' person but you file as 'married'? I most likely won't be working in 2011 after we're married, pending AOS/EAD approval and whether or not I find anything even if they are approved quickly.

Also, if I file as 'married' on my Canadian returns, do I need A's income information, too? And would I need to file anything special as his income as obviously from outside of Canada?

I'm sure all of this becomes easier when you're finally settled in one place but in the meantime, this stuff is especially for someone like myself who wonders about all of these random things and wants it planned in advance.

[canadian_wife 1,791]

I filed as single, through my accountant, because my husband was a USC with no Canadian income - you might want to verify however. I called CRA with all my questions, they were very nice and extremly helpful

You'll file taxes for every year you worked in Canada so if you leave in the Spring, you'll file 2011 taxes for this year and 2012 for the few months you were working in 2012 before you moved

Good luck

[Inky 1,110]

I filed single for Canadian because when I left I was not married and had no more income for the rest of that year. Was told that I didn't need to file Married on my Canadian return because I was not married the majority of the year and also ended my employment early on in the year.

Edit to add, we use HR block to file taxes, have had no problems and they also did my Canadian stuff on the taxes very well. Make sure there is a specialist at the office if you choose to go this way though or they can mess it up pretty easly.

Edited July 27, 2011 by Inky

[Andy and Kayla 45]

I filed as single, through my accountant, because my husband was a USC with no Canadian income - you might want to verify however. I called CRA with all my questions, they were very nice and extremly helpful

You'll file taxes for every year you worked in Canada so if you leave in the Spring, you'll file 2011 taxes for this year and 2012 for the few months you were working in 2012 before you moved

Good luck

Oh, goodness, I certainly hope my visa doesn't take that long to get back to me. I won't be working in Canada in 2012, but thank you.

Won't it raise red flags if I file in Canada as 'single' and file in the US jointly as 'married'?

I thought of another question. So if I figure all of this out, will I still receive my tax return from Canada?

[Inky 1,110]

I thought of another question. So if I figure all of this out, will I still receive my tax return from Canada?

HUGE issue with CRA for that with me, its illegal to accept the returns at a certain point or something and they kept sending me the returns and GST stuff and then they would send me bills saying I owed all this money to them because I was not allowed to accept it having moved to the USA. I never cashed any of the checks and kept sending it back to them but they kept saying i was cashing the checks. It took months to resolve the issue and they had all the checks sitting in their mail room, they were never cashed.

[Andy and Kayla 45]

I kind of figured I wouldn't be entitled to any GST (HST) checks in the future, but I wasn't sure about my income tax return since that's a little bit different.

Or does the IRS give me that return?

Edited July 27, 2011 by Andy and Kayla

[hikergirl 277]

I found a whole section on the CRA website that should answer some or hopefully all of your questions.

Leaving Canada (emigrants)

[Andy and Kayla 45]

Thanks! It still doesn't seem clear about whether or not I receive my return though. It just mentions the GST/HST and family credit and how you are not supposed to receive them.

A lot of it seems to be regarding once you're a non-resident and still receiving forms of income from Canadian sources (won't be the case for me).

[Colleens 40]

Yes, you are still entitled to your tax return...it is excess money that you paid into the tax pot, so it is your money.

Just be aware that sometimes when you do your return from the US it can take much longer than it does in Canada. I filed mine in early May, and I called today to find out why I have not recieved it, and they have just started processing it. They told me it can take up to another 5 weeks, so that can be up to 16 weeks. You have to mail your return in, you will not be able to e-file with at US address and they will not be able to do a direct deposit, so you will get a cheque from the canadian govt in canadian funds.....which can be a pain in the a$$ to deposit in the US. I have a RBC and RBC usa account and I can transfer between the 2 on-line and I find that has helped me a lot. I added my sister as a joint account holder to my canadian account and then I just send her any cheques and she is able to deposit them for me. The only thing that sucks is that there is not a RBC USA branch near me so there have been a couple of things that have been inconvienent but generally it has worked quite well.