Taxes for Canadians living abroad
Living in Lisbon, Bucharest, Mexico City or Bali — but still filing in Canada? PlanTaxes.Pro keeps your trips, foreign income and Canadian taxes in one place, so you know where you stand with CRA and your health card.
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Free: how many more days can I stay outside Canada?
Are you still a Canadian tax resident?
Canada taxes residents on their worldwide income — wherever they live during the year. There is no simple day count: CRA looks at your residential ties. The big ones are a home available to you in Canada, a spouse or common-law partner here, and dependants here. Secondary ties include a provincial health card, Canadian bank accounts and credit cards, a driver’s licence and a car.
| Your situation | Likely status | What you file in Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Travel or live abroad part of the year, keep a home, partner or kids in Canada | Resident | Normal T1 + T2125 on worldwide income; foreign tax credit for tax paid abroad; CPP on self-employment income |
| Moved away for good, no significant ties left | Non-resident from the day you left | Part-year return for the year you left; departure tax on most property; afterwards only Canadian-source income |
| Non-resident who stays 183 days or more in Canada in a year | Deemed resident | Worldwide income for the year; a federal surtax instead of provincial tax |
| Both countries say you are resident | The tax treaty decides | Tie-breaker rules: permanent home, centre of vital interests, habitual abode |
Official guidance: CRA — determining your residency status. Unsure? CRA can give an opinion with form NR73.
Everything a Canadian abroad needs, in one app
Residency check
Answer a few questions about your ties (home, spouse, dependants, health card, bank accounts) and see if you are most likely still a Canadian resident — and what that means.
Max days outside Canada
Log your trips once. See how many days you can still be away before you risk your provincial health coverage, and your days in each country against the 183-day rule.
Foreign income in CAD
Add income earned abroad in any currency with the Bank of Canada rate, and the tax you already paid there.
Foreign tax credit estimate
See roughly how much of the tax paid abroad you can claim against Canadian tax, so you are not taxed twice.
T1135 reminder
Foreign bank accounts, investments or a rental abroad over $100,000? PlanTaxes.Pro tells you when form T1135 is due.
Leaving Canada checklist
Moving away for good? Departure date, departure tax, what to tell CRA and when your health coverage ends.
Still self-employed, from anywhere
Your Canadian clients, invoices, Gmail receipts, GST/HST and your T2125 work the same from any country. Income in USD, EUR or RON is converted with the Bank of Canada rate, and your province stays the one you had ties to on December 31.
Read more: taxes for Canadian digital nomads · self-employed tax calculator.
Questions
Do I pay Canadian tax if I live abroad?
If you are still a Canadian resident (you kept significant ties such as a home, spouse or dependants in Canada), yes — on your worldwide income, with a credit for tax paid abroad. If you became a non-resident, Canada generally taxes only your Canadian-source income.
How many days can I be outside Canada?
For tax there is no fixed number — CRA looks at your ties. Your provincial health plan does have limits, for example Ontario requires 153 days in Ontario in any 12-month period. Use the calculator above.
Will I be taxed twice?
Usually not. As a Canadian resident you can claim a foreign tax credit for income tax paid to another country on the same income, up to the Canadian tax on that income. Tax treaties also help decide who taxes first.
What is the 183-day rule?
Many countries treat you as their tax resident after 183 days there in a year. For Canada, a non-resident who stays 183 days or more in Canada can become a deemed resident.
Do I still pay CPP while living abroad?
If you remain a Canadian resident and are self-employed, you generally still pay CPP on your self-employment income. Some countries have social security agreements with Canada — check if one applies to you.