Filing this year's taxes

[Zaraliaya 122]

I moved perm to the US in August. And only made income in Canada for all of 2020 (well until I moved of course). Since I can't work here yet. 

 

What happens if I file jointly in the US with my Husband? Do I get double taxed? He is very adament about filing jointly and not separate.

 

We are going to H&R Block to get it done, who seem to think they know what they're doing, but idk what's going to happen.

 

Should I just file married but separately in Canada? Or is this way fine? I don't know a thing about when it comes to taxes, I always had a family friend/account to do them for me in Canada.

Edited March 2, 2021 by Zaraliaya

[Joan58 47]

I filed in Canada as married and then filed joint with my husband in the US. You will pay taxes on your income once, as Canada and US have an Agreement on not double taxing. I  wasn't happy about paying for 2 Tax returns but I did get a Canadian Refund. Hope this helps😊

Edited March 2, 2021 by Joan58
Typo

[Duke & Marie 1,389]

No double taxes due to US treaties with many western countries and yes filing jointly usually give the better refund.. not to mention he’ll get tax credits for you here which means you may well get the stimulus  

Edited March 2, 2021 by Duke & Marie

[gavinski91 102]

Depending on your income level, the money you made in Canada while living in Canada may qualify for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion anyways when filing US taxes. My wife and I have been living in Canada and filing jointly in the US for a number of years (I work in the US, she works in Canada) and we've been able to deduct her income using that exclusion. Of course, I am not an accountant and this is not tax advice - talk to your accountant.

[Zaraliaya 122]

1 hour ago, Joan58 said:

I filed in Canada as married and then filed joint with my husband in the US. You will pay taxes on your income once, as Canada and US have an Agreement on not double taxing. I  wasn't happy about paying for 2 Tax returns but I did get a Canadian Refund. Hope this helps😊

 

13 minutes ago, gavinski91 said:

Depending on your income level, the money you made in Canada while living in Canada may qualify for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion anyways when filing US taxes. My wife and I have been living in Canada and filing jointly in the US for a number of years (I work in the US, she works in Canada) and we've been able to deduct her income using that exclusion. Of course, I am not an accountant and this is not tax advice - talk to your accountant.

Okay so, do I have to file twice? 
Jointly here, and also in Canada?

Or would filing here would be sufficient?

[Joan58 47]

I filed a Tax Return first in Canada to receive my refund on Canadian taxes paid. Then I filed jointly with my husband in US, declared my foriegn income. Claiming me as his spouse lowered his tax payable. We did use HR Block too.

[Zaraliaya 122]

1 hour ago, Joan58 said:

I filed a Tax Return first in Canada to receive my refund on Canadian taxes paid. Then I filed jointly with my husband in US, declared my foriegn income. Claiming me as his spouse lowered his tax payable. We did use HR Block too.

So when you filed first in Canada, did you file as married -jointly, or married-separately.

 

And did you file you Canadian taxes with the H&R Block here in the US or some other way?

[Joan58 47]

In Canada, I filed as married and separately. The only info they need is your Spouse's name, date of birth, enter their income in US as unknown or estimate.

I used my accountant in Canada to file my Canadian Return.

We used HR Block in US to file our married joint US returns as I worked in Canada and US the 1st year. It saved him a couple of thousand in taxes by filing joint.

[gavinski91 102]

There's no such thing as a "joint filing" in Canada. You will need to file in both Canada and the US for 2020. I would suggest talking to an accountant if you're unsure of how to proceed - there are many firms that specialize in filing taxes for people who are required to file in both the US and Canada and they can advise you on the best way forward.