ITIN from Canada

Your ITIN from Canada, with an IRS-authorized Certifying Acceptance Agent.

If you live in Canada and have a tax obligation in the United States, the ITIN is the number the IRS will ask you for. Here is what changes when you apply from Canada: the tax treaty, the documents that work and how the process runs from there.

Find out which case is yoursWhat changes from Canada
From Canada

Three things that depend on living in Canada.

Tax treaty

The United States has an income tax treaty with Canada.

Depending on the type of income and on where you are a tax resident, the treaty can reduce the tax the United States withholds from you. Claiming a treaty benefit usually requires a taxpayer identification number, and for an individual without a Social Security number that number is the ITIN. Whether it applies to you is decided case by case.

Documents

Your passport, or two documents.

Canada has no national identity card, so without a passport the usual combination is a driver’s licence, which proves identity, and a birth certificate, which proves foreign status. Dependents from Canada do not need the U.S. entry stamp that the IRS asks for in the passports of dependents from other countries.

Your tax number

Your SIN does not replace the ITIN.

Your SIN identifies you before CRA; the IRS does not recognise it. When you have to file with the IRS, report U.S. income or sign a U.S. tax form and you cannot get a Social Security number, the number it asks for is the ITIN. You keep both, each for its own country.

How it works

From Canada, without guessing what the IRS wants.

Big Skill Solutions is an IRS-authorized Certifying Acceptance Agent. That lets us verify your identity documents and certify the application ourselves, instead of you mailing your originals to the IRS and waiting for them to come back.

We tell you the exact rule, because it matters from abroad: the interview can be done by video call, but the documents cannot be checked on a screen. We have to receive and examine your originals, or copies certified by the agency that issued them, by an embassy or consulate of your country, or by a U.S. embassy or consulate. Before you send anything, we agree with you how they reach us and how they come back.

  • ✓We check your case firstThe questionnaire tells you whether you need a return and which W-7 reason applies, before you spend anything.
  • ✓Video interviewIn Spanish or in English, at a time that works from where you are.
  • ✓A complete fileIncomplete documentation is the most common reason for rejection. We review everything before filing.
  • ✓And the tax return, if one is neededWe are also an IRS Registered Tax Preparer: the W-7 and the return go out together.
Questionnaire

Which case is yours?

Five questions. We tell you which Form W-7 reason applies, whether you need to file a return, and which documents you will be asked for. At the end you can request a quote for your specific case.

The questionnaire needs JavaScript. If you cannot enable it, write to info@big-skill.com and we will review your case with you directly.

Frequently asked questions

What people in Canada ask us.

Do I have to travel to the United States to get an ITIN from Canada?
No. The interview with a Certifying Acceptance Agent can be done by video call. What the rules do require is that the agent receives and examines your original documents, or copies certified by the issuing agency, by an embassy or consulate of your country, or by a U.S. embassy or consulate.
Can I use my SIN instead of an ITIN?
No. Your SIN only works before CRA. For the IRS you need a U.S. number: a Social Security number if you are eligible for one, and the ITIN if you are not.
Does the tax treaty with Canada mean I do not pay tax in the United States?
Not necessarily. A treaty can reduce withholding or assign the right to tax some income to one country, but it depends on the type of income and on your residency, and some benefits have to be claimed on a form or a return. We review it for your case.
Does an ITIN give me a work permit or immigration status?
No. An ITIN exists solely to meet tax obligations with the IRS. It does not authorize work, it grants no immigration status, and it carries no entitlement to Social Security benefits.
Is a tax return always required?
That is the general rule: Form W-7 is filed attached to a federal return. The only exceptions are the five IRS Exceptions, and each one requires specific documentation from a third party, such as a bank, a lender or a withholding agent.

The five Exceptions, the 13 documents the IRS accepts and the rest of the rules are in the complete guide: ITIN, explained

Would you rather we looked at it with you?

We work Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 17:00 Panama time, which is 9:00 to 18:00 in Toronto.

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