Who Gets My Tax Dollars?
A Tax Guide for US Professionals and Consultants Doing Business in Canada
2011 Updated Version
By Kathie Ross
Smashwords Edition
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Copyright © Kathie Ross 2010
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Corporations with a Permanent Establishment in Canada
Chapter 3 Corporations without a Permanent Establishment in Canada
Chapter 4 Individuals with a Permanent Establishment in Canada
Chapter 5 Individuals without a Permanent Establishment in Canada
Chapter 6 Federal Goods and Services Tax And Provincial Taxes
Chapter 7 Use of Equipment in Canada
Chapter 8 Employees
Chapter 9 Subcontractors
Chapter 10 Using a Canadian Corporation
Resources - Flow Chart Part II
Resources - Flow Chart Part III
Resources - NAFTA Professional Categories
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Part I
Introduction
Canadian Tax
Canadian tax is based on residency. Residents of Canada are subject to tax on their world wide income. That means that no matter where the income is earned, if you are a resident of Canada, you are required to pay tax to the Canadian government on that income. A person can be a factual resident of Canada or a deemed resident depending on residential ties and treaty tie-breaker rules (more on the treaty later).
Non-residents, on the other hand, are subject to tax only on Canadian source income. This will normally fall into two types of tax. The first is a Part XIII withholding tax on passive investments that are sourced to Canada and the second is Part I tax on employment income in Canada, income from carrying on a business in Canada and the sale of taxable Canadian property.
Part XIII tax is fairly straight forward. It is simply a withholding of tax on the gross amount paid to the non-resident. Part XIII only applies to passive income. Passive income in Canada is the same as in the US – dividends, rent, royalties, etc. All you need to remember is that if it is passive income you will have withholding at source and no Canadian income tax return to file.
Part I tax on the other hand may have withholding at source (unless a waiver has been requested and received from the CRA) and an income tax return must be filed. Employees working in Canada are subject to withholding and filing of a tax return regardless of whether the employer is Canadian or not. A business being carried on in Canada must also file a tax return. What type of tax return will depend on how the business is being run – through a corporation or an individual. If you sell taxable Canadian property, you must file a Certificate of Compliance at the time of the sale as well as filing your income tax return.
SINs, ITNs and BNs
In order to file your Canadian income tax returns you will need a tax number. An individual will have either a social insurance number (SIN) or an Individual Tax Number (ITN). In addition to the ITN a business will also need a business number (BN). A corporation will only need a BN. The BN is a 9 digit number followed by “RC000#” starting with 0001. For GST purposes you will have a business number with the suffix “RT000#” and for payroll the suffix will be “RP000#”. For instance, if you BN number is 123456789 you might have 3 numbers: tax (123456789RC0001), GST (123456789RT0001) and payroll (123456789RP0001). You can register for a business number over the phone or fill out an RC1 Request for a Business Number.
The Canada-United States Income Tax Treaty
It sounds like you could end up paying tax two different places – and paying double the tax. Without the treaty, that is exactly what could happen. One of the main purposes of the treaty is to eliminate double tax. The treaty helps you to figure out where you should pay tax and where to claim the tax credits or ask for a refund.
The treaty will never cause you to pay tax you would not otherwise have to pay. If something is non-taxable it will not become taxable because of the treaty. It will however determine which country will tax certain income. It will also limit the amount of tax each country can withhold on passive income.
The treaty is divided into 31 Articles each dealing with a specific purpose.
Article 1 of the treaty determines who able to take advantage of the treaty. It is pretty clear. You must be a resident in either Canada or the US in order for the treaty to be applicable.
The second article describes which taxes are covered. In Canada, only those taxes under the Income Tax Act are applicable. In the US, the taxes under the Internal Revenue Code are included. Other US taxes that are included in the treaty only to the extent of eliminating double tax are estate taxes, holding company taxes and social security taxes.
Article 4 of the treaty is an important article. It describes where you will be considered a resident. Without the treaty, both Canada and the US could consider you to be a resident. It could be based on ties to the country or simply because of deeming rules. The treaty has some tie breaker rules to determine where you will be resident. In Canada if you are considered resident of the US by virtue of the treaty then you will be treated as a non-resident for purposes of the Act. Of course, if you are a US citizen you will still be subject to tax on your world wide income in the US.
The first determining factor for an individual is that you are resident where ever you are liable to tax because of your residence or citizenship, place of management or place of incorporation or any other criteria similar in nature. That sounds simple enough, it also sounds like it’s pretty easy to be resident in both the US and Canada. So we have the tie breaker rules. If you are resident in both countries, you will be considered to be resident where your have a permanent home available. If that doesn’t break the tie, you look to your personal and economic relations. If you still can’t make a determination, your habitual abode is the tie breaker. After that, it will be based on your citizenship. In the event that it is still a tie the Competent Authorities will negotiate to break the tie.
For corporations, deciding on residence is much easier. If the company is incorporated in Canada it is resident in Canada. If the company is incorporated in the US it is resident in the US. A company that is not incorporated in either of the countries will be resident where the mind and management of the company are located. If that location is in either Canada or the US, then the company may be able to take advantage of treaty protection against double tax.
The treaty also sets out rules on how double tax will be eliminated. This can become very complicated when you are dealing with a resident of Canada who is a citizen of the US. But for the most part the treaty simply directs that the country of residence will give a tax credit up to the amount of tax that is permitted to be withheld or charged under the treaty.
The treaty is treated differently in Canada and the US. In Canada the legislation that enacts the treaty ensures that the treaty will override the Income Tax Act. In the US treaties and other legislation are equal and can override each other. So that means that whichever is enacted later in time is the controlling legislation.
LLCs and Other Hybrids
A hybrid is an entity that is considered differently by each country. Between Canada and the US there are a number of hybrid entities. Most are due to the ‘tick the box’ rules in the US that allow an entity to elect their entity classification.
In Canada, the courts have decided how an entity will be looked at for tax purposes. So, you look at how the entity is structured in the laws of the state or country where it is established. Then you look at the Canadian law to decide how the entity should be taxed in Canada.
In the US, a number of entities have the opportunity of electing a different tax classification than their structure. An S Corp can elect to be taxed as a flow through as can an LLC. Certain partnerships on the other hand can elect to be taxed as corporations.
The newest protocol to the treaty includes some changes to the rules for LLCs and hybrids. If you are operating your business through an LLC, it allows any income, profit or gain to be considered to be the income of the entity to whom it is flowed to if the tax treatment is the same as if it was directly received. So, for example, if the income would be taxable only in the US if you earned it directly, it will also be taxable only in the US if earned in the LLC. However, if the tax treatment is not the same there will be no be treaty protection and you may be subject to double tax. If you want to use and LLC, or if you have an LLC that is owned by both a US resident and a non-resident, you should talk to an accountant knowledgeable in cross border tax for further advice.
An S Corp. is also a hybrid but the S Corp is specifically covered in the treaty. A special election can be made with the Canadian competent authority to have the S Corp income taxed as FAPI. This will eliminate the timing issues but, again, the decision should not be made without further discussion with an accountant knowledgeable in cross border tax.
The differences between the two countries can result in both intended and unintended tax consequences. If you are doing your own tax returns and not planning on getting expert advice, I would suggest you stick to having the same entity classification across the border.
Permanent Establishment
Each country has its own rules regarding what constitutes a permanent establishment or a PE. The treaty also determines some rules for what will or will not be a permanent establishment. A PE is a fixed place of business through which the business is wholly or partly carried on. A fixed place of business may also be where no premises are available for the business but the enterprise has some space at its disposal.
Canada has published guidelines on what it will consider to be a PE based on three main factors. There must be a place of business, the place of business must be fixed and the non-resident must be carrying on business wholly or partly in that place of business. While it seems straight forward on the surface, there are many factors that must be looked at to make a determination.
The treaty offers some guidance to ensure that some business operations will be a PE and others that will not.
Permanent establishments include a place of management, a branch, an office, a factory, a workshop and a mine or oil and gas well. If you have one of these places, you have a PE. A building or construction site will only be a PE if it lasts longer than 12 months. The same holds true for the use of an installation or drilling rig or ship.
If someone can conclude contracts on behalf of your company or business in Canada then you will have a PE in Canada. However, if that person is an independent broker or agent and that is their business, you will not have a PE because of their efforts on your behalf.
Some facilities can be set up in Canada without creating a PE. Facilities used only for the storage or display of goods, or to store merchandise belonging to you but being used only for processing by someone else, or activities that are strictly preparatory or auxiliary in nature will not be classified as a PE.
The simple existence of a subsidiary or parent corporation will also not create a PE for the first corporation.
There is an overriding rule in the new protocol that is effective as of January 1, 2010. If services are provided by an individual, and that individual is in Canada for 183 days or more, the business will have a PE in Canada. Or, if more than 50% of the revenue of the enterprise are from the service in Canada, you will be considered to have a PE in Canada. Note that this rule does not require that the income be earned by an individual, only that the individual be providing the services in Canada. The treaty also stops you from spreading out the work between different people because if the work is done with respect to the same project and the customers are resident or have a PE in Canada, then you will be considered to have a PE in Canada.
Example Linda Wilson
Linda is just starting her consulting business. She received two contracts this year – one in the US and one in Canada. She will receive $5,000 for her contract in the US and $10,000 for the contract in Canada. She will only be in Canada three days to do consulting work. Under the old rules, Linda would not have a PE in Canada. However, because more than 50% of her gross business income is related to work done in Canada, under the new rules Linda will have a PE in Canada and must allocate her income and expenses accordingly.
Seminars and Lectures- are you an artist?
There are special rules for how much tax is paid by an artiste. If you are providing lectures or seminars, you might have to determine whether you should be classified as a business consultant or an entertainer.
If you are presenting at seminars or lecturing you may be considered an artiste or an entertainer as opposed to a business consultant. This classification results in a different tax treatment under the treaty so it is wise to know where you fit. While you may not consider yourself an entertainer, the CRA may determine that you are based on the services you are providing.
Although the determination of whether or not you are an entertainer is made on a case-by-case basis, some of the things to think about are:
1) Is the lecture/seminar being advertised to the general public
2) Is an entrance fee being charged
3) f it is a training session, is there an exam required for participants
4) Do the participants receive a certificate upon completion
5) Are there any pre-requisites for attendees
If you are considered to be an entertainer and have a permanent establishment in Canada refer to Chapter 2 (corporations) or Chapter 4 (individuals).
If you are and entertainer and receive more than $15,000 Canadian in a calendar year (including reimbursement of expenses), you will be taxable in Canada on that income regardless of whether or not you have a PE. Again, you should use chapter 2 or chapter 4 as applicable.
If you receive less than $15,000 Canadian in a calendar year including reimbursement of expenses and do not have a PE in Canada, your income will be taxable only in the US. Refer to chapter 3 (corporations) or 5 (individuals) for further information.
Work Permits
Whether or not you need a work permit depends on the type of work you are doing.
If you coming to Canada to do public speaking, you will not need a work permit. Public speaking includes giving seminars or academic speakers at a university or college. If you are not doing public speaking you will need to determine what category you fall into.
As a business person you may be classified in four main categories:
- Business visitor
- Professional
- Intra-company transferee or
- Traders and investors.
A business visitor includes carrying out activities relating to research, manufacture marketing, sales, after sales service and general service. If you fall into this category you do not need a work permit to enter Canada.
However, if you are providing services in one of the more than 60 professional occupations you will need to have a work permit. However, you are not subject to Humans Resources Services Development Canada (HRSDC) confirmation. That means you can apply for a work permit at the point of entry or an application can be made at a visa office before coming to Canada. You must have proof of citizenship, confirmation of the contract and details of the position and educational qualifications (including copies of degrees, diplomas, etc.).
The other two categories are employee categories (see that chapter for further information).
Paying Tax and filing tax returns
Part II of this book includes instructions on what you will have to file and when you will have to file it. Part III includes information that may be needed for all situations. For an easy way to determine what chapters you need to read based on your specific situation, you can use the flowchart at the end of this document.
Refer to the resources section at the end of this document to see what forms and guides you will need as well as further reading for this chapter.
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Part II
This section should be used to determine the requirements for Canadian tax in your specific situation. Use the flow chart at the end of the document to determine which chapter to use in Part II.
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Corporations with a Permanent Establishment in Canada
Corporations that have a PE in Canada are required to pay taxes on income earned in Canada under the treaty. The business profits are to be calculated as though the business in the PE is a separate business from the remainder of the business in the US.
When you get paid
You will be subject to a withholding amount under Regulation 105 of the Act. Regulation 105 imposes a 15% withholding on the gross amount of the payment. The withholding is required regardless of whether the payer is a resident of Canada or a non-resident. If a payment is made that is partly for work done in Canada and partly for work done in the US, a reasonable allocation must be made. If no allocation is made the whole amount will be subject to Canadian withholding.
You will not be eligible for a reduction to the withholding amount based on treaty exemption as the treaty requires that this income is to be reported in Canada. However, assuming you have expenses, you may be eligible for a reduction based on the fact that your expenses may be claimed against the revenue to be reported. In order to get a reduction to the withholding amount you must have received a waiver from the CRA. You may apply for a waiver based on income and expenses. That means that you will request a reduction in the withholding amount required based on your estimated net income rather than the gross income that is being paid. If the waiver is granted, the payer will withhold 15% on the lesser amount.
To apply for a request for a waiver you will need to fill out a form R105 and send it to the Tax Services Office nearest the location where your work is being done. Waiver requests should be sent to CRA 30 days before the commencement of service or 30 days before the payment whichever is earlier.
You may also need to make instalment payments to CRA based on your prior year’s taxable income (though you won’t have to worry about this your first year). If this is the case, you will receive a notice from the CRA that tells you the amount of the instalment required. If the CRA has not made the calculation for you, reduce the tax instalments required by any Regulation 105 that has been withheld during the year in order to avoid double withholding.
Example—Jones Consulting, Inc.
Michael Jones does business through his C Corporation, Jones Consulting, Inc. He has negotiated a contract to provide services in Canada. The contract is a one-year contract and he is renting an office in Toronto. As soon as the contract has been signed Michael fills out an R105. He calculates the corporate income and expenses and provides copies of his incorporation documentation, the contract and estimated expenses. Michael knows he is likely to be granted a waiver as the net income earned in Canada will be significantly less than the gross fee he will receive. Once Michael receives a confirmation from CRA that his waiver has been approved, he provides a copy of the waiver to the client so that a lesser amount of withholding is necessary. That means that Michael has additional cash in his pocket to pay expenses.
Michael also uses the 1120-W to reduce the estimated tax owing to the IRS based on the expected foreign tax credit. However, he must be careful to calculate the expected foreign tax to be paid based on the amount of Canadian tax that will be paid at year end – not on the amount withheld.
Reporting Business Income
Canadian income tax rules do not vary significantly from the US income tax rules. The capitalization of assets, personal expenses, business use of vehicle rules are very similar in nature. But there are some specific differences that you should be aware of when calculating your Canadian business income.
First of all, remember to report your income and expenses in Canadian dollars. You may use the average exchange rate for the year. This will save you from calculating the exchange rate on all of your income and expenses on the dates earned and then re-calculating when the amount is paid.
Revenue
Remember that you must report all revenue earned in Canada. If the revenue to be received is as a result of a combination of work done both in the US and in Canada you must make a reasonable allocation of that income.
The accrual method of income is required for taxes in Canada. Income must be reported when it is earned, regardless of when it is received.
Fringe benefits must be included in income earned in Canada if they relate to the Canadian portion of the business—regardless of where those benefits are received. A free flight from Houston to Tahiti may be a taxable benefit in Canada if the reason for the flight was for work done in Canada.
Expenses
Expenses are calculated for purpose of taxable income in Canada in generally the same manner as calculated for the IRS. Expenses that are ordinary and necessary for the work being done in Canada can be deducted.
The allocation of personal versus business expenses are treated in the same manner as in the US. The expense must have been laid out to earn income in Canada in order to be deducted from revenue reported in Canada.
Whether or not something is an expense or capital (an expense can be written of in one year but capital written spread out over several years) is similar to the rules you are familiar with for US tax purposes. Ask yourself the following two questions:
1. Does the expense result in a lasting benefit (i.e. did you buy a computer that will last a couple of years or a flash drive that you expect to use for one year).
2. Does the expense maintain or increase the value of the equipment or property [i.e. did you repair your hard drive (expense) or purchase an upgraded faster/better hard drive (capital)].
The rule for prepaid expenses is the same as the rule for US tax purposes. You cannot deduct an expense that is paid in advance. It must be deducted when it, or the underlying asset, is used.
If you are planning to advertise your business, you should be aware that only certain types of advertising will be deductible in full on your Canadian income tax return. Any advertising with a US broadcaster cannot be deducted against Canadian income and advertising in a periodical could be restricted to 50% or 80% depending on the type of periodical.
Meals and entertainment expenses are deductible at 50% which is the same as the US tax adjustment required. Club dues are not deductible if the main purpose of the club is dining, recreation or sporting. Expenses paid to a golf course – even if they are paid for the restaurant are not deductible. Any fees relating to the use of a yacht are not deductible.
Some vehicle expenses, such as lease expenses are restricted for passenger vehicles. If you use your corporate vehicle for personal use as well as corporate use, you will have to calculate a stand-by charge taxable benefit for your personal income tax.
Just as in the US, equipment used in Canada cannot be written off in the year it is purchased but must be allocated over a number of years. In most cases, the Capital Cost (basis) of the property is calculated the same as you would for equipment in the US. The amount of deduction that is permitted each year is called Capital Cost Allowance or CCA. CCA in most cases will be on a declining balance basis with a limitation of 50% in the first year of use. When you are finished using your equipment in Canada and it is sold or removed from use the rules become very different than US calculations. These rules are outside the scope of this book.
Books and Records
You must keep your books and records for tax purposes until two years after your corporation is dissolved. If you keep records electronically, those records must be kept in “an electronically readable format”. For books and records pertaining directly to the income and expenses of the business in Canada, the records must be physically in Canada (including the electronic hard disk) unless you have received permission to keep those records outside of Canada. To receive permission to keep the records outside of Canada or permission to destroy records, write to the Tax Services Office nearest the location of your business.
Example Brown Consulting, Inc.
Brown Consulting, Inc. was completing a contract in Canada. During the contract, travel was required and the cost for meals was $1,500. One-half of the meals expense of $750 is not deductible for Canadian tax purposes. If Brown Consulting, Inc. had received a reimbursement the meals expenses, they would include the reimbursement in income and would be permitted to expense the total amount of meals. The adjustment for non-deductible expenses is made on Schedule 1 of the T2 (see below).
Filing Canadian Tax Returns
The withholding and installment payments you make are not your final tax payable. You must file Canadian tax returns in order to determine the actual amount owing to the CRA.
The first thing to do before you file your Canadian Tax Return is to calculate your Canadian income and expenses. You should treat the income and expenses from Canada as a separate branch. If you have expenses that apply to both Canada and the US, you will need to allocate those expenses.
Once you have calculated your expenses you will need to file a Canadian Corporation Tax Return (T2) and all the appropriate schedules. This return is due six months after the fiscal year end of your corporation. However, be aware than any tax owing for the year is due two months after the fiscal year end.
Fill out a Schedule 1 to report any adjustments from your financial statements to taxable income (i.e. those expenses that are not deductible. Use Schedule 8 to calculate the CCA that is deductible.
You must also fill out Schedule 50 to indicate shareholder information and Schedule 19 since the shareholders are non-resident. Other schedules can be used as needed (use page 2 of the T2 as your guide to additional Schedules needed).
Line 800 is used to record the withholding amount on revenue that the payer(s) have made and line 840 is used to record any installment payments you have made.
There are also schedules to that you must fill out that capture general accounting information. The Schedule 100 provides the balance sheet information and the Schedule 125 provides the income statement information. Make sure that the net income on your Schedule 125 agrees with the net income per financial statements on your Schedule 1.
Provincial tax
You do not have to fill out a separate return to calculate most provincial tax amounts. Although you will have a PE in a province, use schedule 5 to allocate income to the appropriate province.
For Alberta, you must file an AT1 and appropriate schedules to the province of Alberta. Quebec taxes must be filed separately using the CO-17-T and other applicable forms and schedules to the province of Quebec.
Municipal tax
No municipalities in Canada levy taxes on income.
Branch Tax
In addition to the regular income tax you will be subject to Branch tax. Branch tax is limited under the treaty and you will be able to earn $500,000 cumulatively before you have to pay Branch tax. But you must calculate the amount each year. Use Schedule 20 to calculate your income for purposes of the branch tax and to calculate your carry-forward amounts for the $500,000 exemption under the treaty.
US Income Tax Returns
Fill out your 1120 and include your worldwide income. You must include all the income you earned in Canada.
Use form 1118 to calculate the foreign tax credit. The foreign tax paid to be claimed includes the actual amount owing as calculated on the T2, not the amount withheld at source.
Transfer Pricing
Both the IRS and the CRA have indicated that transfer pricing guidelines should be applied for permanent establishments. And, changes to the treaty will require that profits should be attributed to a PE as if the PE was a separate person. This implies that transfer pricing must be calculated for any transactions between the branch and the rest of your enterprise. Please see Chapter 10 for information on transfer pricing.
Refer to the resources section at the end of this document to see what forms and guides you will need as well as further reading for this chapter.
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Corporations without a Permanent Establishment in Canada
US corporations that do not have a PE in Canada are not required to pay taxes on income earned in Canada under the treaty. However, a tax return must still be filed.
When you get paid
You may be eligible to a reduction to the withholding amount under Regulation 105 of the Act. Regulation 105 imposes a 15% withholding on the gross amount of the payment. The withholding is required regardless of whether the payer is a resident of Canada or a non-resident. If a payment is made that is partly for work done in Canada and partly for work done in the US, a reasonable allocation must be made. If no allocation is made the whole amount will be subject to Canadian withholding.
You may not be eligible for a reduction to the withholding amount based on treaty exemption. This is because, at the time of waiver, there may be a possibility of a permanent establishment. The CRA will not make a determination at the time of the waiver, so withholdings may be applicable. Even if you fail to quality for a waiver under the treaty exemption, you may be eligible for a reduction based on the fact that you will have expenses that may be claimed against the revenue to be reported.
In order to get any reduction to the withholding amount you must have received a waiver from the CRA. You may apply for a waiver based on the treaty or on income and expenses. Waiver requests should be sent to CRA 30 days before the commencement of service or 30 days before the payment whichever is earlier.
To apply for a waiver you will need to fill out a form R105 and send it to the Tax Services Office nearest the location where your work is being done.
Example—Miller Consulting, Inc.
David Miller does business through his C Corporation, Miller Consulting, Inc. He has negotiated a contract to provide services in Canada. The contract is a short-term contract and David will be in Canada only at the offices of his client. As soon as the contract has been signed David fills out an R105 to send to the CRA. As well as completing the form, he indicates in an attached note that he is eligible for exemption under Article XII of the Canada-US Income Tax Treaty. He also provides copies of the contract and his incorporation documents. David receives his confirmation from CRA for the exemption from withholding. He provides his client with a copy of the waiver confirmation so that he will have no withholdings.
Example – Davis Consulting, Inc.
Patty Davis does business through her C Corporation, Davis Consulting, Inc. She has negotiated a contract to provide services in Canada. The contract is a short-term contract and Patty will be in Canada only at the offices of her client. Patty has had a number of short-term contracts over the last couple of years and has been denied a waiver under the treaty. However, she knows that she can apply for a waiver under income and expenses. As soon as the contract has been signed Patty fills out an R105. She estimates the corporate income and expenses while in Canada and provides copies of her incorporation documentation, the contract and estimated expenses. Patty knows she is likely to be granted a waiver as the net income earned in Canada will be significantly less than the gross fee she will receive. Once Patty receives a confirmation from CRA that her waiver has been approved, she provides a copy of the waiver to the client so that a lesser amount of withholding is necessary.
As Patty is planning on filing a corporate tax return to indicate that no ultimate tax is owning in Canada, she will not be able to reduce her estimated tax owing to the IRS based on any expected foreign tax credit.
Calculation of Income
As you will be filing a return claiming treaty exemption, there is no need to calculate your Canadian income and expenses separately from your US income.
Filing Canadian Tax Returns
Although you may feel that no tax return is necessary because you do not have to pay tax. That is not correct. You must still file a Canadian tax return. An additional reason to file – one of the most common reasons for being denied a waiver request is that you have not filed your tax returns when required.
You will need to file a Canadian Corporation Tax Return (T2) and the appropriate schedules. This return is due six months after the fiscal year end of your corporation.
Fill out Schedules 91 and 97 to indicate you are applying for exemption under the treaty and provide the additional information required.
Line 800 is used to record the withholding on revenue that the payer(s) have made. Enter any withholding on this line and claim a refund.
Provincial tax
You do not have to fill out a separate return for the provincial tax requirements. Use schedule 5 to allocate all the income to the outside of Canada.
Municipal tax
No municipalities in Canada levy taxes on income.
US Income Tax Returns
Fill out your 1120 and include your worldwide income. You must include all the income you earned in Canada.
There is no foreign tax paid may be claimed because no taxes will be ultimately owing to Canada, therefore no foreign tax credit may be claimed.
Refer to the resources section at the end of this document to see what forms and guides you will need as well as further reading for this chapter.
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Individuals with a Permanent Establishment in Canada
US residents that have a PE in Canada are required to pay taxes on income earned in Canada under the treaty. The business profits are to be calculated as though the business in the PE is a separate business from the remainder of the business in the US.
When you get paid
You will be subject to a withholding amount under Regulation 105 of the Act. Regulation 105 imposes a 15% withholding on the gross amount of the payment. The withholding is required regardless of whether the payer is a resident of Canada or a non-resident. If a payment is made that is partly for work done in Canada and partly for work done in the US, a reasonable allocation must be made. If no allocation is made the whole amount will be subject to Canadian withholding.
You will not be eligible for a reduction to the withholding amount based on treaty exemption as the treaty requires that this income is to be reported in Canada. However, you may be eligible for a reduction based on the fact that you will have expenses that may be claimed against the revenue to be reported. In order to get a reduction to the withholding amount you must have received a waiver from the CRA. You may apply for a waiver based on income and expenses. That means that you will request a reduction in the withholding amount required based on your estimated net income rather than the gross income that is being paid. If the waiver is granted, the payer will withhold 15% on the lesser amount.
To apply for a request for a waiver you will need to fill out a form R105 and send it to the Tax Services Office nearest the location where your work is being done. Waiver requests should be sent to CRA 30 days before the commencement of service or 30 days before the payment whichever is earlier.
You may also need to make instalment payments to CRA based on your prior year’s taxable income (though you won’t have to worry about this your first year). If this is the case, you will receive a notice from the CRA that tells you the amount of the instalment required. If the CRA has not made the calculation for you, reduce the tax instalments required by any Regulation 105 that has been withheld during the year in order to avoid double withholding.
Example—John Smith Consulting
John Smith does business as an individual through his business John Smith Consulting. He has negotiated a contract to provide services in Canada. The contract is a one-year contract and he is renting an office in Vancouver. As soon as the contract has been signed John fills out an R105. He calculates the income and expenses and provides the contract and estimated expenses. He has filed his form 8802 with the IRS and has received a copy of form 6166. He attaches a copy of form 6166 to his waiver request. John knows he is likely to be granted a waiver as the net income earned in Canada will be significantly less than the gross fee he will receive. Once John receives a confirmation from CRA that his waiver has been approved, he provides a copy of the waiver to the client so that a lesser amount of withholding is necessary. That means that John has additional cash in his pocket to pay expenses. John may also reduce the estimated tax owing to the IRS based on the expected foreign tax credit. However, he must be careful to calculate the expected foreign tax to be paid based on the amount of Canadian tax that will be paid at year end – not on the amount withheld.
Reporting Business Income
Canadian income tax rules do not vary significantly from the US income tax rules. Capitalization of assets, personal expenses, business use of vehicle rules are very similar in nature. But there are some specific differences that you should be aware of when calculating your Canadian business income.
First of all, remember to report your income and expenses in Canadian dollars. You may use the average exchange rate for the year. This will save you from calculating the exchange rate on all of your income and expenses on the dates earned and then re-calculating when the amount is paid.
Individuals reporting business or professional income in Canada are normally required to have a December 31 year end. While it is possible to elect to have a year end that is not December 31, you will be required to allocate your income and pro-rate the amounts. The end result is the same – you will have to pay Canadian tax as if your year-end is December 31. So it is simpler to calculate your income and expenses on a calendar year basis.
Revenue
Remember that you must report all revenue earned in Canada. If the revenue to be received is as a result of a combination of work done both in the US and in Canada you must make a reasonable allocation of that income.
The accrual method of income is required for taxes in Canada. Income must be reported when it is earned, regardless of when it is received.
Fringe benefits must be included in income earned in Canada if they relate to the Canadian portion of the business—regardless of where those benefits are received. A free flight from Houston to Tahiti may be a taxable benefit in Canada if the reason for the flight was earned for work done in Canada.
Expenses
Expenses are calculated for the CRA in generally the same manner as calculated for the IRS. Expenses that are ordinary and necessary for the work being done in Canada can be deducted.
The allocation of personal expenses versus business expenses are treated in the same manner as in the US. The expense must have been spent to earn income in Canada in order to be deducted from revenue reported in Canada.