My_question_is: Applicable to both US and Canada Subject: SIN card Expert: taxman at centa.com Date: Wednesday January 10, 2007 Time: 01:44 PM -0500 QUESTION: Hello: my question is I came to Canada at age 13 and never had a US SSI card.Iam a US citizen and I have never chaged that,but I just what to know if there is any real reason for me to get one at this time? I am almost at the age to retire so I do not know if there is any reason for me to get one. ============================================= david ingram replies: Well, you put me between a rock and a hard place. There is no doubt (since you admit to being a US citizen) that you should have been filing US tax returns all these years and therefore, should have had a number. However, if you just ignored it, you would be part of another 400,000 plus Americans living in Canada who are not filing their US returns and have not been caught. I guess my statement would be that you should have filed and if you ever took out a US passport you really SHOULD file your past due returns for the current year plus six. If you have never done anything American, you have likely slipped under and over the radar. However, any time you cross the US border, an alert US person might haul you in to the system in which case penalties could be severe. For instance, one I am dealing with right now who spent a lot of time in Birch Bay, has just been handed a US tax bill for over $100,000 for the tax free sale of her Canadian farm in 2002. ie. Canada allows a $500,000 tax free profit on the sale of a working Canadian farm and the US does not recognize this as tax free. The tax bill was the result of a minor altercation at the border where the Homeland Security officer was not going to allow the Canadian in so she pulled rank and made the point that she was also a US citizen. Since it is illegal for a US citizen to enter the US using another country's passport, the shit hit the fan as they say. Another client "ML" was hit with a $218,000 US tax bill when he lost his passport in Paris and had to get another passport. At that time, the fact that he had not being filing US returns came to light and they went back ten years which was not bad because the IRS can go back to 1967 if they want. So, if you ever intend to visit the US again, get your number and get the last six years of returns in. If you never intend to go to the US, there is no reason to think that you will be caught as it were although remember that anyone who does not like you and knows you are an American and suspects that you have not being filing your US returns can turn you in and actually collect a reward of from about 1% to up to over 20% depending upon the information and amounts collected. So, another suggestion would be to not mention the situation to anybody in the future. See form 211 at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f211.pdf Save yourself a lot of sleepless nights and bring the returns up to date. We would be happy to help. ----------------------------------------- David Ingram's US / Canada Services US / Canada / Mexico tax, Immigration and working Visa Specialists US / Canada Real Estate Specialists My Home office is at: 4466 Prospect Road North Vancouver, BC, CANADA, V7N 3L7 Cell (604) 657-8451 - (604) 980-0321 Fax (604) 980-0325 Calls welcomed from 10 AM to 9 PM 7 days a week Vancouver (LA) time - (please do not fax or phone outside of those hours as this is a home office) email to taxman at centa.com <mailto:taxman at centa.com> www.centa.com <http://www.centa.com/> www.david-ingram.com <http://www.david-ingram.com/> Disclaimer: This question has been answered without detailed information or consultation and is to be regarded only as general comment. Nothing in this message is or should be construed as advice in any particular circumstances. No contract exists between the reader and the author and any and all non-contractual duties are expressly denied. All readers should obtain formal advice from a competent and appropriately qualified legal practitioner or tax specialist for expert help, assistance, preparation, or consultation in connection with personal or business affairs such as at www.centa.com <http://www.centa.com> . If you forward this message, this disclaimer must be included." Be ALERT, the world needs more "lerts" David Ingram gives expert income tax & immigration help to non-resident Americans & Canadians from New York to California to Mexico family, estate, income trust trusts Cross border, dual citizen - out of country investments are all handled with competence & authority. This from "ask an income trusts tax and immigration expert" from www.centa.com <http://www.centa.com/> or www.jurock.com <http://www.jurock.com/> or www.featureweb.com <http://www.featureweb.com/> . David Ingram deals on a daily basis with expatriate tax returns with: multi jurisdictional cross and trans border expatriate problems for the United States, Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, United Kingdom, Kuwait, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, China, New Zealand, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Russia, Georgia, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Scotland, Ireland, Hawaii, Florida, Montana, Morocco, Israel, Iraq, Iran, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Mali, Bangkok, Greenland, Iceland, Cuba, Bahamas, Bermuda, Barbados, St Vincent, Grenada,, Virgin Islands, US, UK, GB, and any of the 43 states with state tax returns, etc. Rockwall, Dallas, San Antonio Houston Denmark, Finland, Sweden Norway Bulgaria Croatia Income Tax and Immigration Tips, Income Tax Immigration Wizard Antarctica Rwanda Guru Consultant Specialist Section 216(4) 216(1) NR6 NR-6 NR 6 Non-Resident Real Estate tax specialist expert preparer expatriate anti money laundering money seasoning FINTRAC E677 E667 105 106 TDF-90 Reporting $10,000 cross border transactions Grand Cayman Aruba Zimbabwe South Africa Namibia help USA US international non-resident cross border income tax help estate family trust assistance expert preparation & immigration consultant david ingram, income trusts experts on rentals mutual funds RRSP RESP IRA 401(K) & divorce preparer preparers consultants Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Garland, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon. 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