Serbinski Accounting Firms

There are a lot of people in your situation over at the blog
http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/
I'm sure some there can give you some reasonable advice.

Rockbottom, I submitted reasonable cause letters with my FBARs and 3520/3520As in Jan. 2012. They weren't signed under penalty of perjury. I haven't heard a word back on the FBARs. The 3520s were a whole different situation. I received several letters indicating that the forms were not completed pro...

I was in the same situation that you are. Came to Canada as a child, have lived here for 40 years and never had a SSN. I was able to get a SSN at the SSA in Niagara falls with just my birth certificate, Canadian passport and Canadian immigration paper. SSA initially said I would probably not get a n...

Could you apply for an ITIN since you have a letter from SS denying your application?
http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/General-ITIN-Information

Looks like there is a way to request deferral of RRSP income through the streamlined process. http://www.irs.gov/uac/Instructions-for-New-Streamlined-Filing-Compliance-Procedures-for-Non-Resident-Non-Filer-US-Taxpayers Any taxpayer seeking relief for failure to timely elect deferral of income from c...

I've used turbotax and taxact and found turbotax easier for a rookie to US taxes.

line 21 as a negative number. If you're using tax software correctly, it should show up automatically.

They can still be mailed in. http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Report-of-Foreign-Bank-and-Financial-Accounts-%28FBAR%29 Electronic Filing for FBAR Forms – MANDATORY Beginning July 1, 2013 On June 29, 2011, FinCEN announced that all FinCEN forms must be filed electr...

I know if you have a CRA epass account, you can find a history of your RRSP contributions. I could get my contribution amounts back to 1993 there but I couldn't figure out the period back to 1980. Might be easier than finding your own records.

The FMV and the Adjusted Cost Base would be the same for cash. For your mutual funds in your RRSP, LIRA, RESP, you would add your initial investment plus any reinvestment plus commissions you paid to get your adjusted cost base.(column B) The difference between the adjusted cost base and FMV will be...

If they receive more than $100,000, they have to fill out 3520. From the IRS website: Reporting Requirements You must file Form 3520, Annual Return to Report Transactions with Foreign Trusts and Receipt of Certain Foreign Gifts, if, during the current tax year, you treat the receipt of money or othe...

The 3520/3520A aren't submitted with your 1040. They are sent to a different IRS centre in Ogden, Utah. I don't know how to find out from the IRS if they received your 3520/3520A. They were of no help when I started receiving letters from Ogden. They seem to have no access to that information by pho...

Quite a few people did get penalty letters about 3520/3520As but were able to resolve it successfully. See this thread:
http://forums.serbinski.com/viewtopic.p ... lty+letter

Travy,
You should check out the Isaac Brock Society before you consider OVDP. There are a few people there that have been through it there and will likely have some advice for you.

You file an exit tax return, 8854. If you aren't a covered expatriate, like me. you are done. You are covered, and have more to deal with, if you have more than $2 million in assets or haven't been filing in the last 5 years.