[tpm] Cross-border contracting

[Liam R E Quin]

On Wed, 2013-07-31 at 14:22 -0400, Neil Watson wrote:
> 1. Incorporation is expensive, but will make you more attractive to
> future customers.

As s sole proprietor you'll need to fill in W8BEN US tax withholding
forms for every supplier/client.

> 3. You do not charge US customers HST.

Right.

> 
> 4. Get your payment via wire transfers. International cheques take 30
> business days to clear. Wire's are available immediately.

This depends on the bank and the names on the cheque. For RBC you can
get a message on your account not to hold cheques from a specific
"trusted" source, and then the money is usually available immediately.

You can also get paid by bank transfer - TD and RBC both have US banks,
and you can transfer money using internet banking (I've done this for
RBC, not TD, though).

> 
> 7. If you travel to the US on business always tell immigration that
> you are there to meet with clients rather than to work.

Yes. You are there for sales meetings. They are not paying you for your
time while you are there. Do not lie - don't charge the client for that
time unless you have a work permit.

Hope this helps.

Liam


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