Cost-effective Entity selection across borders

The right entity in one country is frequently the wrong entity in the other, because the two systems disagree about what the same vehicle is. Cost-effective entity selection across borders with a fixed fee agreed in writing before any work starts. Call the 24-hour helpline on +1 (416) 619-0068, or request a written quote today.

  • 15+Years of cross-border experience
  • 18,000+Clients served
  • 5.0Google rating
  • 4Global offices — India, USA, Canada & UAE

Secure a fixed quote

Start by sending whatever paperwork exists — a written fixed quote comes back before any work begins.

24-hour helpline: +1 (416) 619-0068
  • Offices in India, the USA, Canada and the UAE
  • 24-hour helpline: +1 (416) 619-0068
  • Fixed fee agreed before work starts
The short answer

The right entity in one country is frequently the wrong entity in the other, because the two systems disagree about what the same vehicle is. Classification decides who is taxable, whether credits align, and what withholding applies on distributions.

Do you need this?

  • Your entity is treated differently by each of the two countries
  • You are planning a reorganisation, a sale or a wind-up
  • The structure was built one decision at a time and never reviewed
  • A dormant entity is still generating filing obligations
  • Your intercompany agreements do not match what the entities actually do

One of those is usually enough to make this worth a conversation. If none of them fits, say so on the call and we will find the page that does.

The firm’s founder at his desk in the Delhi office

Fixed fees for entity selection across borders, agreed up front

Entity selection across borders is quoted on how many countries the structure touches and how many vehicles are genuinely in contention. Choosing before formation, while the classification elections are still open, is a shorter piece of work than advising on a structure already in place that the two systems treat differently. The fee is agreed in writing first.

PE / structure opinion — fixed-fee price

From $999

fixed, quoted before work starts

A written opinion on whether the activity creates a taxable presence, what would be attributable to it if it did, and what could be changed to alter the answer.
See the full fee page

T2 with foreign income — fixed-fee price

From $999

fixed, quoted before work starts

The Canadian corporate return with the cross-border schedules that travel with it — foreign income, payments to non-residents, and the foreign affiliate flags.
See the full fee page

Corporate cross-border filing

From $999

fixed, quoted before work starts

Corporate compliance for a group that trades or holds assets in more than one country, prepared on both sides together.
See the fee schedule

Transfer pricing documentation

From $2,500

fixed, quoted before work starts

Documentation for transactions between related companies: the method, the comparables and the file an authority asks to see.
See the fee schedule

Payroll & mobility setup

From $999

fixed, quoted before work starts

The employer side of mobility — where to register, what to withhold, and what to report once someone works across a border.
See the fee schedule

Individual tax filing

From $349

fixed, quoted before work starts

Individual returns where salary, investments or property sit outside the country of residence, prepared so relief is claimed once and in the right place.
See the fee schedule

Foreign asset & information reporting

From $349

fixed, quoted before work starts

Accounts, property and company interests held outside the country of residence, reported on the schedules that carry penalties whether or not tax is owed.
See the fee schedule

Non-resident & departure filings

From $349

fixed, quoted before work starts

For anyone taxed by a country they do not live in — rent, pensions and investment income reaching across a border after the move.
See the fee schedule

All published fees on one page — each engagement priced as one number on one list, with nothing left as a range.

Why the answer comes out the way it does

The right entity in one country is frequently the wrong entity in the other, because the two systems disagree about what the same vehicle is.

Classification decides who is taxable, whether credits align, and what withholding applies on distributions. Elections can align the two systems, and they generally have to be made when the entity is formed rather than when the problem appears.

The practical reading of that is simple enough. Establish the position first, in writing; assemble the evidence that supports it; then prepare the filings in the order that lets the relief actually land. Doing those three in the other order is how the cost of entity selection across borders multiplies.

Where the position depends on a threshold, a rate or a day count, we confirm it against the issuing authority for your own tax year before it goes on a return. Where a figure cannot be verified for your year, we set out the mechanism and quote no number — a wrong threshold on a filed return is worse than an explained one. See also intercompany loans & thin capitalisation and corporate emigration from Canada.

What we actually file

  • Corporate returns in each jurisdiction with their cross-border schedules
  • Foreign affiliate, controlled-corporation and related-party information returns
  • Classification and rollover elections, filed on time
  • Withholding returns and slips on distributions
  • Surplus and attributed-income computations per entity

Worked through with figures

The same point, with figures rather than adjectives.

Credit relief on one stream of income

Take C$98,000 of income taxed in both countries. Assume the other country charged 24% on it and the home country would charge 32% on the same amount.

Credit relief on one stream of income
ItemAmount
Income taxed in both countriesC$98,000
Tax paid abroad (assumed 24%)C$23,520
Home tax on the same income (assumed 32%)C$31,360
Credit available (lesser of the two)C$23,520
Home tax still payableC$7,840

The credit absorbs C$23,520 and leaves C$7,840 payable at home, because the home rate on this income is the higher of the two. The balance is real cash and it is due on the home timetable, which is why instalments get raised in the first meeting. We run this on your actual numbers before advising anything, because the conclusion can invert with a modest change in inputs.

Treat these numbers as a worked example rather than advice — they exist to make the mechanics visible, and the rates and thresholds are assumed for the illustration. For a real filing, we verify each figure with the authority that publishes it, for your year.

How the engagement runs

  1. 1A short call to work out what actually applies to you and what does not
  2. 2A written quote against a defined scope, with nothing billed by the hour
  3. 3We prepare, a named reviewer checks it, and you see it before it goes
  4. 4You approve, we file, and only then do you pay

What you pay, and when

You get a number before you commit, not an estimate that drifts. The scope is written down, the fee is fixed against it, and if the scope changes we re-quote rather than invoice the difference. Comparable engagements and their fixed fees are set out on the pricing pages.

  • A 24-hour helpline, +1 (416) 619-0068, before you commit to anything.
  • Authorisation with each authority, so we see the assessments and slips directly rather than asking you for them.
  • Documents move through one secure portal, and you can meet us in person at any of our offices.

What to do next

If that describes your position, the next step is a short call — not a form. Start with the dates. Arrival, departure, transaction, notice — whichever applies. Once those are fixed, the filing set and the fee follow quickly, and you will know both before committing to anything.

Reviewed for accuracy for the 2025 and 2026 filing seasons by Udit Gupta, Cross-Border Tax Expert, Legal Quotient Consultants. This is general information rather than advice about your file — a short call is the way to get the second.

Where business tax advisory comes into this file

People reach this page searching for business tax advisory. It is covered here as it applies to entity selection across borders — who it applies to, what has to be filed, and what it costs, at a fixed fee agreed before the work starts.

The right entity in one country is frequently the wrong entity in the other, because the two systems disagree about what the same vehicle is.

The four phases of the work

  1. Send the documents as they are

    No tidying required — forward what you have and we tell you what is missing.

  2. Get a fixed quote in writing

    Priced from your actual documents before any work begins, not estimated after.

  3. Both countries prepared together

    One team builds the filings against each other so the relief lands exactly once.

  4. Review, then file

    You approve the finished work before we file it.

What you are actually buying with entity selection across borders

Factor Legal Quotient Hourly billing model
Pricing A fixed fee, agreed in writing before work starts Hourly, billed as incurred
Experience 15+ years of cross-border work, 18,000+ clients Varies by file
Both sides of the border Prepared together by one team, so relief is claimed exactly once One country at a time, reconciled later
Who reviews it A named practitioner, published on the page Whoever the queue reaches
Where the work happens Our offices in India, the USA, Canada and the UAE Whichever single office you can travel to

Key terms behind this page, defined

Clearance certificate
Confirmation that all amounts owing by a deceased person and their estate have been paid. Distributing without one exposes the representative personally.
Pillar Two
The global minimum tax rules, which compute a group's effective tax rate jurisdiction by jurisdiction from adjusted accounting data no existing return produces.
Thin capitalization
Rules capping the deductible interest of a company funded disproportionately by related-party debt, tested by capital structure rather than by interest rate.
Hybrid surplus
A surplus pool arising principally from certain capital gains of a foreign affiliate, with its own rules on distribution.
entity selection across borders: Our analysis

Classification decides who is taxable, whether credits align, and what withholding applies on distributions.

However the file develops, three things stay fixed: a written scope and fee before work begins, a named practitioner reviewing the result, and your approval before anything is filed.

Entity selection across borders — what the published fees look like

The published fees here cover the comparison itself: who becomes taxable under each classification, whether foreign tax credits line up, and what withholding falls on distributions to each owner. More owners in more countries, or a vehicle one side treats as transparent and the other does not, lengthens that analysis.

Transfer pricing documentation

$2,500fixed, before work starts

Covers: Intercompany pricing documented before it is questioned — the functional analysis, the benchmarking and the files that support it.

See this fee page

Payroll & mobility setup

$999fixed, before work starts

Covers: Payroll set up for a workforce split across countries, including the relief that stops the same salary being withheld on twice.

See this fee page

Why clients bring entity selection across borders to us

4 global offices

Meet us in person in India, the USA, Canada and the UAE, or send everything through the secure portal — the same process either way.

You deal with the person who did the work

The practitioner who prepared and reviewed your file is the one who answers the question about it.

The reporting penalties get named early

The heaviest exposure on a cross-border file is usually a disclosure form, not the tax. We identify which ones apply before a deadline turns into a penalty.

The quote comes from your documents

Nothing is priced from a phone call. We read what you have first, then the fee is set — so the scope and the number are agreed on the same evidence.

The team at work in the open-plan office

How the engagement runs, phase by phase

Step 1

First conversation

A short call to work out what actually applies to you and what does not

Step 2

Written quote

A written quote against a defined scope, with nothing billed by the hour

Step 3

Preparation and sign-off

We prepare, a named reviewer checks it, and you see it before it goes

Step 4

Submission

You approve, we file, and only then do you pay

The team reviewing a file together at a desk

From first document to filed return

  • Step 1: Hand over the paperwork in any state – Sorting it is our job. Send what exists and we identify what is missing from it.
  • Step 2: Priced before a single form is opened – The fee comes from the documents, agreed in writing, and stays where it was agreed.
  • Step 3: One position across every return – The same facts, filed consistently on each side, so nothing contradicts anything else.
  • Step 4: Filed after you have read it – The completed work reaches you before it reaches an authority.

Quoted up front, in writing.

Contact Us 24-hour helpline +1 (416) 619-0068

Where to go next

Each of these carries its own guide, pricing pointers and FAQ.

Services these clients use most

Local resident director services in India Its own page: resident director services India — mechanism, deadlines and published fees.
Indian company setting up in Canada Everything on Indian company setting up in Canada, at the same depth as this page.
Form T2036 — provincial foreign tax credit T2036 provincial foreign tax credit — the guide, the FAQ and the fixed fee.
Form NR7-R — refund of Part XIII tax The full guide to nr7-r refund of part xiii tax, with the fee fixed before any work starts.
Estate administration across borders Its own page: estate administration across borders — mechanism, deadlines and published fees.
Paying a non-resident for work done in Canada Everything on paying non-resident for work done in Canada, at the same depth as this page.
Why a Canadian should rarely own an LLC Why Canadian should not own LLC — the guide, the FAQ and the fixed fee.
Form ITR-5 — firms & LLPs (India) The full guide to ITR-5 India, with the fee fixed before any work starts.
Resale price & cost plus methods Its own page: resale price & cost plus methods — mechanism, deadlines and published fees.

Who we bring this work to

Civil & structural engineers — your filing calendar Its own page: civil & structural engineers your filing calendar — mechanism, deadlines and published fees.
Tax for forex traders Everything on forex traders tax, at the same depth as this page.
Management consultants — what you owe in each country Management consultants what you owe in each country — the guide, the FAQ and the fixed fee.
Manufacturers cross-border tax The full guide to manufacturers cross border tax, with the fee fixed before any work starts.
Tax for restaurant & hospitality owners Its own page: restaurant & hospitality owners tax — mechanism, deadlines and published fees.
Crypto traders — your filing calendar Everything on crypto traders your filing calendar, at the same depth as this page.
Construction & contracting cross-border tax Construction & contracting cross border tax — the guide, the FAQ and the fixed fee.
Oil & gas rotational workers — what we charge The full guide to oil & gas rotational workers what we charge, with the fee fixed before any work starts.
Management consultants — your filing calendar Its own page: management consultants your filing calendar — mechanism, deadlines and published fees.

Where our clients live and work

Pakistan tax for expats — country guide Its own page: Pakistan tax for expats — mechanism, deadlines and published fees.
Sweden tax for expats — country guide Everything on Sweden tax for expats, at the same depth as this page.
Malta tax for expats — country guide Malta tax for expats — the guide, the FAQ and the fixed fee.
US–UAE tax corridor The full guide to US UAE tax, with the fee fixed before any work starts.
Malaysia tax for expats — country guide Its own page: Malaysia tax for expats — mechanism, deadlines and published fees.
Iceland tax for expats — country guide Everything on Iceland tax for expats, at the same depth as this page.
Netherlands tax for expats — country guide Netherlands tax for expats — the guide, the FAQ and the fixed fee.
Nigeria tax for expats — country guide The full guide to Nigeria tax for expats, with the fee fixed before any work starts.
Mexico tax for expats — country guide Its own page: Mexico tax for expats — mechanism, deadlines and published fees.

The people on your file

Five named practitioners, each with the part of a cross-border file they carry. Every page on this site says who reviewed it, and the reviewer is one of these people rather than an unnamed team.

Udit Gupta

Udit Gupta

Cross-Border Tax Expert

CA (ICAI), In-Depth Tax Trained

Reviews and signs off the practice's cross-border positions, and carries final responsibility for the treaty analysis on every file that leaves the office.

Abhinav Gupta

Abhinav Gupta

Canada Tax / International Tax

Canada Tax, International Tax, Cross-Border Tax, Transfer Pricing

Canadian returns with foreign income, non-resident filings, and the transfer-pricing documentation that runs alongside intercompany work.

Raghav Gupta

Raghav Gupta

International Tax

International Tax, Transfer Pricing Specialist

Benchmarking, method selection and the local-file and master-file sets that support a group's pricing policy under examination.

Anmol Mittal

Anmol Mittal

Canada and US tax

CPA Canada, CPA USA, CA (ICAI)

Files that have to be right on both sides of the border at once — dual filings, streamlined catch-ups, and the foreign tax credit reconciliation between them.

Vinayak Indolia

Vinayak Indolia

CFO advisory

CPA, CA. Fractional CFO and Senior Advisory Specialist

Groups that need the tax position and the finance function to agree: structure reviews, intercompany policy, and the reporting a board can act on.

Meet the whole team

Cross-border tax case studies

Case study 1

Branch or Subsidiary, Decided Before Incorporation

The choice changes where profits are taxed, what has to be filed, and whether losses in the early years are usable. It is difficult to reverse once trading has begun, so it is modelled first.

Read how this one runs
Case study 2

An Indian Company Paying a Foreign Supplier

Payments abroad carry deduction at source and a certification filed before the money moves. Whether the treaty reduces the rate depends on what is being bought, and the classification is the decision the whole filing rests on.

Read how this one runs
Case study 3

A Non-Resident Estate Holding US Assets

US situs assets sit inside the US estate tax net regardless of where the owner lived, and the exemption available to a non-resident is not the resident one. The file establishes situs asset by asset before any relief is claimed.

Read how this one runs
Case study 4

A Company Abroad Owned by a US Person

A business incorporated where the owner lives is a foreign corporation to the IRS, with a reporting package of its own and schedules that need local accounts restated. Classification comes first, because it decides what is reportable and when profits are taxed.

Read how this one runs
Case study 5

A Secondment Whose Paperwork Decided the Tax

Who employs, who directs and who bears the cost are the facts a treaty article turns on, and an assignment letter is where they are recorded. Drafting it with the tax position in view prevents an argument later.

Read how this one runs
Case study 6

A US LLC Owned From Canada

The two countries classify the vehicle differently, so relief that ought to apply frequently does not and the same profit can be taxed in both hands. The engagement examines whether the structure can be changed and what the change itself costs.

Read how this one runs
Case study 7

An Assignee Paid at Home and Taxable Away

Where pay stays on the home payroll but the tax arises elsewhere, a shadow run reports the second country's liability without duplicating the payment. Setting it up correctly is what keeps both sides reconcilable.

Read how this one runs
Case study 8

Paying a Beneficiary Who Lives Abroad

Distributions to a non-resident beneficiary carry withholding and a designation that decides its rate. Getting the designation right before the payment avoids recovering the difference through a return afterwards.

Read how this one runs

All case studies — every published engagement in one place.

Core International & Cross-Border Tax Services

International Tax Planning & Advisory

Strategy and compliance for income, assets and families spread across borders.

One coordinating team: filings on every side of the border are sequenced so treaty relief and foreign tax credits are claimed once — and in the right country.

U.S. & Cross-Border Tax Returns

Dual filers: U.S. citizens in Canada and Canadians with U.S. income run two parallel systems — we prepare both, in the right order, every year.

Expat & Emigration Tax

The move year is its own project: the elections and valuations filed that year decide the next decade of both countries’ returns.

Non-Resident Canadian Tax

Default withholding is 25% of gross: elective returns routinely turn over-withheld rent and pensions into refunds.

Transfer Pricing & BEPS

Documentation prepared with the return is the cheapest insurance in international tax; reconstructing it during an audit is the most expensive.

Cross-Border Estates & Trusts

Wills drafted for one country routinely misfire in the other — deemed disposition here, estate tax there, credits in between.

Cross-Border Corporate Tax

Expansion raises the same four questions every time — entity, PE, repatriation, payroll. We answer them before the tax authorities do.

India Tax for NRIs & Returning Residents

The deduction is taken on the sale price, not the gain — which is why an NRI property sale strands cash unless the certificate is applied for before closing.

Canadian Tax with a Foreign Element

Residency is decided on facts, not on a form — and the year you arrive or leave is the one where the largest amounts turn on the smallest details.

UAE Tax for Expats & Their Home Country

A zero-tax country is only half the answer — the question that decides the bill is whether the country you came from still treats you as resident.

Industries & Client Types We Serve Worldwide

Global E-commerce & Marketplaces
Technology & SaaS
Professional Services Firms
Cross-Border Real Estate
Importers, Exporters & Manufacturers
Athletes, Artists & Entertainers
Remote Workers & Digital Nomads
Investment Funds & Holding Companies

Global E-commerce & Marketplaces

Cross-border tax for sellers shipping worldwide: marketplace withholding, foreign registrations and inventory nexus handled before they become audits.

Marketplaces withhold, remit and report in their own right, so the tax position of a single sale is decided by where the stock sat, where the buyer was and which platform collected — not by where the company is registered. We reconcile the platform's own filings against the returns before either is submitted.

  • Foreign VAT / GST / sales tax registrations
  • Marketplace withholding reviews
  • Inventory nexus & PE analysis
  • Multi-currency books reconciled
Explore E-commerce & Marketplaces

Technology & SaaS

  • Cross-border revenue sourcing & withholding
  • IP structuring with real substance
  • Equity for cross-border teams
  • U.S. expansion: entity & PE setup
Explore Technology & SaaS

Importers, Exporters & Manufacturers

  • Transfer pricing documentation (s.247)
  • Customs value vs transfer price
  • Foreign affiliate reporting (T1134)
  • Country-by-country reporting
Explore Trade & Manufacturing

Athletes, Artists & Entertainers

  • Reg 105 & U.S. CWA agreements
  • Multi-state & country calendars
  • Touring income allocation
  • Royalty & image-rights withholding
Explore Athletes & Entertainers

Remote Workers & Digital Nomads

  • Residency analysis before moving
  • Employer payroll exposure
  • Totalization & social security
  • Foreign tax credits
Explore Remote Workers

Investment Funds & Holding Companies

  • Treaty access & PPT reviews
  • FAPI & surplus computations
  • Withholding-efficient routing
  • Governance & substance
Explore Funds & Holdcos

Entity selection across borders — questions we are asked

Entity selection across borders — do I need an adviser, or can I do it alone?

Some of it, yes — and we will say so on the call if that is the honest answer. The parts that are worth paying for are the ones where a missed election, a missed deadline or an unverified threshold costs more than the fee: classification decides who is taxable, whether credits align, and what withholding applies on distributions.

What if I have already filed and got it wrong?

That is a common starting point. We re-derive the position, identify whether an amendment or a disclosure route is the right vehicle, and tell you which one preserves the relief that is still available. The order matters more than the speed.

How long will it take?

It depends on the documents rather than on us. Once the pack is complete most filings turn around inside a fortnight; anything that needs a certificate from a tax authority runs on that authority's timetable, which we tell you at the start rather than at the end.

I have not filed for several years while living abroad — what are my options?

Both countries have routes back, and using one before they contact you is what preserves the relief. On the US side there are procedures aimed at taxpayers whose failure was not wilful, including one designed for people living outside the country, and separate procedures for late account reports and information returns alone. Canada has its voluntary disclosures programme and taxpayer relief for penalties and interest. Filing quietly and hoping is the one approach with no protection attached to it. See catch-up filing.

Do Canada and the United States share tax information?

Yes, through more than one channel. The treaty has an exchange-of-information article that supports both routine and on-request exchange. Separately, an intergovernmental agreement has Canadian financial institutions identify US-reportable accounts and report them to the CRA, which passes them to the IRS, with the reverse flow for Canadian residents. Most other country pairs use the Common Reporting Standard for the same purpose. See FATCA reporting.

How does cross-border tax planning work?

It starts with facts rather than structures: which countries have a claim on you, what each one taxes, and where the two overlap. From there the decisions are about order and timing — which country taxes first, where relief is claimed, and whether a filing or a certificate has to be in place before money moves rather than after. Most of the value is in the sequencing, because relief claimed late is usually relief recovered slowly. See international tax planning.

Do you sign the return as preparer?

Where the filing requires a preparer identification, yes. The named reviewer appears on the advice either way, so you always know who stands behind the position.

What if an authority disagrees later?

The file is built to be defended: the position, the authority relied on, and the evidence, all recorded at the time. Representation in a review or objection is quoted separately when it is needed.

24-hour helpline: +1 (416) 619-0068

Entity selection across borders, quoted before we start

One short call, one fixed quote in writing, and your approval before anything is filed.

  • Your existing accountant keeps the domestic file
  • 24-hour helpline, +1 (416) 619-0068
  • Fixed fees agreed before work starts

Our practitioners are alumni of leading accounting and tax institutions

Where our partners studied — CPA Canada (In-Depth Tax Program), AICPA, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and the Malaysian Institute of Accountants.

Request a Quote +1 (416) 619-0068