Top Cross-Border Tax Advisors for Americans and Canadians
Are you looking for a cross-border tax advisor who can help you plan your finances as you embark on a move between Canada and the United States?
This post covers ten firms that offer cross-border tax advisory services and explains how a tax advisor's role differs from a cross-border accountant's role.
A cross-border tax advisor helps you understand the tax problems you may face before they happen. Some advisors also prepare and file tax returns, while others focus only on planning. Before hiring someone, confirm whether the engagement includes tax planning, tax compliance, or both.
There is no single best cross-border tax advisor for every person or situation. The right choice depends on your needs, circumstances, and the complexity of your situation.
This post is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice.
Written by Tiffany Woodfield, Senior Wealth Advisor, Portfolio Manager, CRPC®, CIM®, TEP®
Tiffany advises clients who live in Canada and the United States and want to simplify their cross-border financial plan, move their assets across the border, and optimize their investments to minimize their tax burden.
What Is a Cross-Border Tax Advisor?
A cross-border tax advisor helps you build a tax strategy before you make a move, a business decision, or an investment change.
They look at your full financial picture and flag the risks tied to living, working, or investing in more than one country. They’re typically focused on planning and strategy. While all cross-border tax accountants can generally act as advisors, not all cross-border tax advisors are accountants.
An accountant generally focuses on tax compliance—the preparation and filing of your tax return—but can also provide advice.
Some professionals do both jobs. A firm may offer tax advice and also prepare and file your return. Other firms only offer the advisory side and expect you to bring in your own accountant to complete the filing.
Table of Contents
Why Is Cross-Border Tax Planning Important?
Living, working, or investing in two countries can mean dealing with different tax laws, tax rules, and tax authorities.
Each country may treat your residence, investments, retirement accounts, business income, and foreign income differently.
A cross-border tax advisor can help you understand:
Which tax jurisdictions may have the right to tax your income
Whether you must report income or assets in both countries
Which tax benefits, deductions, or credits may be available
How a move could affect your investments, business, or estate
Whether a tax treaty changes how certain income is taxed
How to avoid double taxation when both countries tax the same income
Cross-border tax planning is also a form of risk management.
It can help you identify reporting obligations, tax exposure, and potential penalties before you make an important financial decision. Depending on your needs, you may work with a specialized tax firm or a team of international tax professionals who understand the rules in both countries.
When you work with SWAN Wealth Management, we provide cross-border tax planning consultations before you move and as part of your financial planning process. We want to make sure your investments are optimized for where you live and that no tax planning opportunities are overlooked.
Tax Advisor vs. Tax Accountant
The terms tax advisor and tax accountant are sometimes used interchangeably.
The clearest distinction is between tax advisory services and tax compliance.
A cross-border tax accountant usually handles tax compliance, including preparing and filing Canadian and US tax returns. Depending on the engagement, the accountant may also provide tax planning and advice.
A cross-border tax advisor focuses on planning. They help clients understand the tax implications of decisions involving a move, investment, business, retirement account, or other cross-border matter. Some tax advisors also prepare returns, while others do not.
A helpful way to understand the difference is:
Tax compliance only: The professional prepares and files your tax returns.
Tax compliance and planning: The professional prepares your returns and provides tax advice.
Planning and advice only: The professional helps you understand your options but does not prepare or file your returns.
According to Kate Baumbusch, a CPA and cross-border tax specialist at SWAN Wealth Management, “A helpful way to think about it is that all cross-border tax accountants can generally act as advisors, but not all cross-border tax advisors are accountants. The key distinction is whether the individual is responsible for preparing and filing the client's tax returns.”
Before hiring someone, ask whether the engagement includes tax planning, tax-return preparation, or both.
What to Look for in a Cross-Border Tax Advisor
Scope of Engagement: Ask whether the firm offers planning and strategy only, or if it also prepares and files your tax return.
Specialization: Look for advisors who regularly handle the cross-border issues that apply to you, like your move, your business, or your investments.
Credentials and Experience: Look for professionals with relevant Canadian and US credentials and real cross-border experience.
Coordination: A good advisor should be willing to work with your accountant and your financial advisor.
Cost: Ask how the firm charges for a consultation.
Top Cross-Border Tax Advisors
These firms are listed alphabetically and do not reflect a best-to-worst ranking. The information below was gathered from each firm's own website in September of 2026 and should not be considered definitive.
There is no single best cross-border tax advisor. The right choice depends on your needs, circumstances, and the complexity of your situation.
1. Andersen
Andersen provides US tax planning, compliance, and structuring for individuals, businesses, and estates with cross-border ties. Clients include US citizens and green card holders in Canada, along with companies expanding across the border.
Location: Vancouver and Calgary
2. Baker Tilly Canada
Baker Tilly offers cross-border tax planning and compliance for people living in both Canada and the US. Clients include US citizens and green card holders in Canada, and Canadian residents with US ties.
Location: Offices across Canada
3. Cadesky Tax
Cadesky Tax provides cross-border and international tax services for families and businesses with ties to more than one country. The firm works with private business owners and multinational corporations, including many high-net-worth individuals.
Location: Toronto and Ottawa, ON
Website: https://www.cadesky.com/
4. CBTA
CBTA specializes in Canada-US tax matters. Its services include individual, corporate, partnership, trust, estate, and gift tax preparation, along with cross-border tax strategies and reporting related to real estate and foreign financial accounts. The firm helps Canadians living, working, or investing in the US and Americans doing the same in Canada.
Location: Florida, Arizona, Toronto
Website: https://cbta.cpa/
5. Cross-Border Financial Professional Corporation
This firm focuses on the tax needs of Americans living in Canada and Canadians with US tax obligations. Canadian and US accountants, as well as an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Enrolled Agent, review its returns.
Location: Ontario, with virtual service across Canada
Website: https://cbfinpc.com/
6. Dimov Tax & CPA Services
Dimov handles cross-border tax planning, return preparation, and dispute resolution for clients with ties to the US and Canada. The firm works with expats and business owners who have ties to both countries.
Location: Multiple US offices, including San Francisco
7. Doane Grant Thornton LLP
Doane Grant Thornton provides cross-border personal tax planning and compliance for people relocating between Canada and the US, along with global mobility support. The firm's team includes both lawyers and accountants licensed in Canada and the US.
Location: Offices across Canada
8. Fuller Landau LLP
Fuller Landau advises on US and cross-border tax matters, including treaty reviews, entity structuring, and estate planning. The firm serves Canadian and US companies with operations across the border, along with high-net-worth individuals on both sides.
Location: Toronto and Hamilton, ON
9. GTA Accounting
GTA Accounting specializes in US-Canada tax compliance, including streamlined filing, account reporting, and cross-border restructuring. The firm helps Canadians with US businesses or investments, as well as US citizens and green card holders living in Canada.
Location: Toronto, North York, and Mississauga, ON
10. Smythe LLP
Smythe provides proactive US and cross-border tax planning and compliance, including estate and gift tax planning and support for business expansion. The firm works with individuals relocating across the border and private companies with cross-border ownership.
Location: Vancouver, BC
Do You Also Need a Cross-Border Tax Accountant?
If your tax advisor does not prepare returns, you will likely need a cross-border tax accountant or other qualified tax professional to complete your Canadian and US filings.
Some firms provide both tax planning and return preparation. Others focus on one area and coordinate with another professional. Ask whether the engagement includes tax planning, tax-return preparation, or both.
It may also be helpful to work with a cross-border financial advisor who can coordinate your investments, retirement accounts, and estate plan with your tax professionals.
What Can You Get From a Cross-Border Tax Consultation?
Not every cross-border tax consultation provides the same level of analysis.
In fact, many people searching for a cross-border tax advisor simply want to know what they should do before moving. They may not realize that tax planning and tax-return preparation can be separate services.
An initial consultation can help you understand your potential tax risks, identify questions that need further investigation, and discuss possible strategies.
This can be valuable even if the advisor will not prepare your returns. You can take that information to the accountant responsible for confirming the details and completing your filings.
A more detailed engagement may include reviewing your financial documents, applying the tax rules to your actual numbers, and providing a written report. Cross-border accountants and tax lawyers may also offer this type of pre-move planning.
Before booking a consultation, ask:
Will the advisor review your actual financial information?
Will you receive general information or recommendations specific to your situation?
Will the advisor run calculations or prepare a written report?
Who will confirm the strategy and apply it to your tax returns?
Is tax-return preparation included, or will you need a separate accountant?
At SWAN Wealth Management, our clients receive a complimentary cross-border tax consultation. However, this consultation does not include a written report. The purpose of our tax consultation is to provide our clients with insights and a high-level understanding of their cross-border tax situation. However, they still need to work with an accountant who will run all the numbers.
How Do Worldwide Income, Tax Treaties, and Foreign Tax Credits Work?
US citizens and resident aliens living abroad are generally subject to US tax on their worldwide income.
This includes income earned in Canada and other foreign countries. US citizens and resident aliens generally must file a US federal tax return when their income exceeds the applicable filing threshold, which varies by filing status, age, and type of income.
Living in Canada as a US person may also create Canadian tax obligations.
Canadian residents are generally required to report income from all sources, including foreign income, subject to the tax rules that apply to their individual circumstances.
The Canada-US tax treaty helps coordinate how the two countries tax certain types of income. Tax treaties, sometimes called double taxation agreements, may reduce withholding tax, assign taxing rights, or provide other tax benefits.
However, a tax treaty does not automatically eliminate a US citizen’s obligation to file a US return.
A foreign tax credit may help avoid double taxation when you pay tax to one country on income that is also taxable in the other. The calculations can be complex, and the available credit may not always equal the full amount of foreign tax paid.
A cross-border tax advisor or accountant can review your income, residence, and filing obligations to determine how the treaty and foreign tax credit rules apply.
How Does SWAN Wealth Management Help
Most people with cross-border financial ties have both a financial advisor and an accountant.
Your financial advisor manages your investments and builds your cross-border financial plan. Your accountant files your returns and keeps you compliant with the IRS and CRA.
However, in cross-border situations, a coordinated strategy is what most people are missing.
That’s where SWAN Wealth Management comes in.
Think of cross-border financial planning like building your dream home.
You work with an architect who creates a blueprint, based on your goals and vision. Next, the contractor takes the plans and builds it — making sure it’s up to code.
At SWAN Wealth Management, we create a strategic and tax-savvy financial plan.
Your accountant takes that plan and implements it compliantly, filing your tax returns and confirming every move on paper.
Not everyone needs a complex tax strategy.
If your assets are simple, and you’re not facing major complexities, you may not require advanced tax strategies. But it’s best to have the right team in place who can help you no matter what your financial situation looks like — now and in the future.
At SWAN Wealth Management, we’re a team of dual-licensed Canada/US cross-border financial advisors and wealth managers.
We aren’t tax advisors or accountants. Instead, we manage your investment portfolio so it’s optimized for where you live. We create a financial plan based on your residency, citizenship, and goals. We also coordinate with your accountant and offer tax consulting services to our investment management clients.
As someone with ties on both sides of the border, you need a cross-border team which typically includes a dual-licensed advisor, a cross-border accountant, and a cross-border lawyer.
Common Questions
What is a cross-border tax advisor?
A cross-border tax advisor helps you understand the tax problems tied to living, working, or investing in more than one country, and helps you build a plan before you act.
What's the difference between a cross-border tax advisor and a cross-border accountant?
A tax advisor primarily focuses on planning and strategy. A tax accountant usually handles tax compliance, including preparing and filing returns. However, many cross-border tax accountants provide both planning and compliance services.
Do I need both a tax advisor and an accountant?
Not necessarily. Some firms provide both tax planning and tax-return preparation. If your tax advisor does not prepare returns, you will need a separate qualified professional to complete your filings.
Is a tax consultation the same as tax advice?
It depends on the scope of the engagement. A consultation may provide general information or advice specific to your situation. Ask whether the professional has reviewed your complete circumstances, whether you will receive written recommendations, and what services are included.
How much does a cross-border tax consultation cost?
Costs vary by firm and by how much work is involved. A short call is generally less expensive than a full written report based on your actual numbers.
Can my cross-border financial advisor help too?
Yes. A financial advisor can coordinate your investments and accounts with the strategy your tax advisor builds and the return your accountant files.
Methodology
This list was built through research into firms that offer cross-border tax advisory services between Canada and the US.
It includes larger firms and smaller boutique practices, since firm size does not always reflect cross-border experience.
The details came from each firm's own website, not from third-party directories. Firms are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked from best to worst, because the right tax advisor depends on your specific situation.
This list was compiled in September 2026 and reflects information published on each firm's website at that time. Firms update their websites, so confirm current details before reaching out.
This list should not be considered an endorsement of these firms, nor an exhaustive list of every cross-border tax advisor available to Americans and Canadians.
Next Steps
If you’re a Canadian resident or are planning on moving to Canada or the US and need assistance with moving and optimizing your investments, estate planning, wealth management and portfolio management, please get in touch. At SWAN Wealth, we specialize in Canadian financial planning, cross-border financial planning and cross-border wealth management.
Read More
If you’re planning a cross-border move, these articles and guides will help simplify your move and ensure everything is covered.
About the Authors
TIFFANY WOODFIELD
Tiffany Woodfield is an Associate Portfolio Manager licensed in Canada and the USA, a Chartered Investment Manager (CIM), a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC), a Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) and the co-founder of SWAN Wealth Management, along with her husband, John Woodfield. Tiffany advises clients who live in Canada and the United States and want to simplify their cross-border financial plan, move their assets across the border, and optimize their investments to minimize their tax burden. Together, Tiffany and John Woodfield help their clients simplify their cross-border finances and create long-term revenue streams that will keep their assets safe whether they live in Canada or the U.S.
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Firm Fact-Checking Disclosure: The service and specialization information for the firms in this post was compiled using Claude, Google, and our own knowledge of cross-border tax advisory firms. Fact-checking was performed using Claude Sonnet 5 and ChatGPT. Please speak with each firm directly to confirm its services and who it helps.
Disclosure: These firms are presented as options to consider, not as a ranked or independently verified list. Being included does not mean an endorsement. Readers should check each firm's services, credentials, registrations, fees, and fit on their own. Information about each firm came directly from its website as of September 15, 2026.
Tax advisory firms vary in the services they provide. This article should not be construed as a guarantee that your tax advisor will perform the services listed in this post.
