What happens to your RRSP, your home, and your retirement savings the moment you follow your heart across the border?

Of all the emails Gerry receives, the ones that concern him most come from snowbirds who've fallen in love with an American and are now making a permanent move south with their heart fully invested and their tax plan nowhere near ready. In this episode, Gerry sits down with Calgary-based US tax specialist Peter Blomfield to walk through the most common and costly mistakes Canadians make when transitioning from snowbird to U.S. resident. From departure tax to state-level RRSP exposure, from LLC pitfalls to the principal residence trap, this is the conversation to have before your heart makes the decision for you.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

• Why the IRS's reporting requirements catch most Canadians completely off guard and what the penalties look like when you miss them

• The difference between immigration residency and tax residency, and why confusing the two can cost you

• How state tax rules vary dramatically and why Hawaii and California are two states where RRSP holders face a nasty surprise

• Why crystallizing gains inside your RRSP before you leave Canada may be one of the smartest moves you can make

• The Canadian principal residence exemption vs. the U.S. version and how a tax-free sale in Canada can become a taxable event the moment you cross the border

• The LLC warning every Canadian investor or entrepreneur needs to hear before setting up a U.S. business structure

• Why having a U.S. lawyer set up your investment structure without a cross-border accountant in the room is a recipe for penalties

• The foreign tax credit and how rental income from a Canadian property gets reported once you're a U.S. resident

• A real-world scenario: Bruce and Susan, $2M in assets, an RRSP, cash, and a principal residence. What does departure planning actually look like?

Resources & LinksPeter Blomfield — Blomfield Tax: blomfieldtax.com

Email Peter: peter.blomfield@blomfieldtax.com

Coming Soon: The Snowbirds Expat Radio Book

What happens to your U.S. investment accounts when you move to Canada or vice versa? In this episode, Gerry Scott sits down with returning guest Trent Robinson, a cross-border tax specialist at Buckberger & Partners in Saskatoon, to unpack the most common and costly mistakes people make when holding non-registered investment accounts across borders. From wrong tax slips to CRA audits arriving five years late, Trent breaks it all down in plain language.

What You’ll Learn

• Why holding a U.S. non-registered account as a Canadian resident can trigger serious tax complications

• The key difference between a U.S. “qualified dividend” and a Canadian “eligible dividend” — and why mixing them up is costly

• What happens when your U.S. financial institution doesn’t know you’ve moved to Canada

• The difference between a 1099 and a 1042-S tax slip — and why getting the wrong one creates a mess

• How CRA and the IRS share information — and why the delay can make things worse

• The $2,500/year penalty for failing to disclose foreign investments over $100,000

• Why some people don’t realize they’re U.S. citizens — and what that means for their tax obligations

• How much planning you should do before leaving the U.S. to return to Canada

About the Guest

Trent Robinson is a partner at Buckberger & Partners, a full-service accounting firm based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Trent specializes in cross-border tax for individuals and businesses moving between Canada and the United States, including U.S. tax return filing for U.S. citizens living in Canada, property sales, and dual-country compliance. He has been working in this space since 2008.

Website: www.bbllp.ca

Host Gerry Scott sits down with Heather Sanders of Tax Junction, a cross-border personal tax specialist who helps U.S. citizens living in Canada and Canadians working for U.S. employers navigate the complexities of filing in two countries at once.

With a practice built around real people in real cross-border situations, not corporations or trusts, Heather brings practical, ground-level insight into the mistakes that happen when employees move countries without thinking through the tax consequences first, and what it actually takes to get it right.

Together, Gerry and Heather unpack some of the most misunderstood rules facing cross-border workers, including why "I just work from my home office" is never as simple as it sounds, and why the payroll question matters more than most people realize.

In this conversation, they explore:

• Why the country where you physically work determines where your payroll must be registered, and the liability risk employers face when it isn't

• The Certificate of Coverage and when Canadians working for U.S. companies can still contribute to CPP

• How 401(k) contributions are treated in Canada and why aligning them with your RSP room is the key to avoiding a surprise tax bill

• Why RSP contributions aren't deductible on a U.S. return, and why that usually matters less than people fear

• The risks of large catch-up RSP contributions for U.S. citizens living in Canada

• How mid-year payroll switches between W-2 and T-4, especially when RSUs are involved, can create reporting nightmares

• Why selling U.S. real estate as a Canadian non-resident requires the right people in your corner from the start

• The foreign tax credit audit that CRA triggers more often than most people expect, and what happens when no one responds

• Why "my situation is pretty straightforward" is almost never true once a border is involved

If you're living in Canada and working for a U.S. employer, considering a cross-border move, or simply trying to understand what compliance actually looks like for internationally mobile workers, this episode offers a frank and practical look at the planning that protects you and the mistakes that are far easier to avoid than to fix.
Cross-border tax doesn't have to be overwhelming. Download the Snowbirds DayTracker app today to connect with specialists like Heather and access the tools and resources you need to navigate your international life with confidence.