New husband in the US – Tax implications
Posted on 22. Feb, 2011 by Phil Hogan, CA in Cross Border Tax Q&A
Question
Hello,
I am a self employed Canadian and US citizen residing in Canada.
I file Canadian and US income taxes each year on worldwide income with
foreigh tax credits/exclusions. I am going to marry a US citizen who
resides in Massachusetts (he is not a Canadian citizen).
We plan to continue to “visit” each other after we get married for a few years and
retain our respective residency status (me in Canada; he in the US). So
each of us would be at least 6 months in our respective countries. My
question is: Will this marital arrangement cause us tax issues in either
country? Do we each continue to file separately as we have been in the
past, but now state that we are married on the returns? Would “married
filing jointly” in the states have any tax benefits under our arrangement?
Answer
Hi XXXX
Hi Deb
You definitely have to disclose that you’re married on both your Canadian and US tax return, however you can decide whether to file separate or jointly in the US.
The biggest concern would be your new husband’s Canadian tax residency status. If he stays in Canada for more than 183 days in any particular year he’ll be a deemed a Canadian tax resident and have to pay tax on his worldwide income in Canada. From a tax minimization strategy it would be best if he ensured he wasn’t in Canada for more than 183 days in each respective year.
Hope that helps.
Phil
Phil Hogan, CA
250-661-9417
___________________________________________________________________
If you would like to reach me to discuss a tax or accounting matter please call 250-661-9417 or email me at phil@philhogan.com.
The accounting and tax information provided on this website is for informational purposes only and does not represent binding professional advice. Appropriate tax treatment and advice will depend on an individuals particular circumstances and set of facts.
4 Responses to “New husband in the US – Tax implications”
Leave a Reply
David
08. Mar, 2011
Hi ,
I am a Canadian citizen. I have a corporate company and I worked in US for more than 183 days. Its a corp to corp payment. DO I have to file taxes in US or only in CAnada?
Joe Meyers
30. Mar, 2011
Wow! What a great source of information. As a CPA business owner it’s always great to find other professionals in the field. I don’t deal much with international tax issues, but I can tell you know your stuff.
Joe
Seminole CPA
Robert Lopez CPA
05. Apr, 2012
Great site. Keeping abreast of tax law changes is a growing problem for CPAs in Australia. Your thoughts on http://www.expertsoftwaresystems.com.au would be appreciated.
Kelly jones
11. Jul, 2012
thanks for sharing this nice and essential query..
rest of the site is helpful and containing sufficient information about tax and accounting.
http://www.arlingtoncpas.com/services.html