CA+US Parallel49
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US Exit Tax Estimator

This is the US's own exit tax under IRC §877A — for a US citizen who formally renounces, or a long-term Green Card holder who gives it up. It's a different regime from Canada's departure tax, which is triggered by leaving Canadian residency and applies regardless of citizenship. You could owe one, both, or neither depending on your situation. General information only, not tax or immigration advice; confirm your specific situation with a cross-border specialist before you file anything.

Related:Also see Moving Back to Canada for the account-by-account checklist, or the full guide for how this fits into a return to Canada.
Your inputs are saved in this browser automatically, so you won't lose them on refresh.Saved
Heads up: the fields below default to a "no exposure" example scenario, just so you can see how the estimate works before you answer for your own situation. None of this is your data. Replace each field with your own whenever you're ready — or use the button to reset back to these defaults any time.

Your situation

A couple of questions to figure out whether you're even subject to this tax. Answering the same questions here or on Moving Back to Canada keeps both pages in sync — it's the same saved answer either place.

Worldwide assets — deemed sale

If you're a covered expatriate, the IRS treats essentially your entire worldwide estate as sold at fair market value the day before you expatriate — not just US assets, and not just non-registered accounts the way Canada's departure tax works. Enter your total fair market value and cost basis across everything you own.
Not sure? 23.8% covers the top federal LTCG rate (20%) plus the 3.8% NIIT — add a state rate if applicable.

Quick adjust — drag to see the estimate update live

23.8%

Estimated exit tax

Mark-to-market gain above the 2026 exclusion, taxed at the rate you entered above.
Deemed gain
2026 exclusion applied
Taxable gain
Estimated tax owing
Also worth knowing:
ℹ️Retirement accounts aren't part of this estimate
"Specified tax-deferred accounts" — 401(k), traditional/Roth IRA, and similar — get separate treatment under IRC 877A (generally either a 30% withholding on future distributions, or immediate income inclusion, depending on the account and your election) rather than mark-to-market like everything else. That's genuinely account-specific and isn't modeled here — leave these out of the FMV/cost basis fields above and talk to a specialist about them separately.
ℹ️Deferred compensation and trust interests aren't included either
Restricted stock units, deferred comp plans, and interests in certain trusts each have their own IRC 877A treatment, separate from the ordinary mark-to-market rule this estimate uses. If these make up a meaningful part of your net worth, this estimate will understate your actual exposure.
📋Form 8854 — the third covered-expatriate test
Beyond the net-worth and tax-liability tests above, you're also a covered expatriate if you can't certify 5 years of full US tax compliance on Form 8854 — regardless of wealth. This isn't a number this tool can check for you; if your filings have any gaps, that's worth confirming with a specialist before you assume you're clear.
ℹ️A related tax on the recipient, not you
IRC §2801 imposes a separate tax on any US person who later receives a gift or bequest from a covered expatriate — that's a liability for the recipient, not modeled here since it isn't a bill you personally owe at expatriation.

❓ Glossary & how this is calculated

Exit tax (US)
The US's own departure tax (IRC Section 877A) for certain long-term Green Card holders or citizens who expatriate — can deem worldwide assets sold on the way out, separate from Canada's deemed disposition.
Covered expatriate
A citizen renouncing, or a Long-Term Resident giving up their Green Card, who also meets at least one of: worldwide net worth at or above the threshold above, average annual US tax liability above the threshold above, or failing to certify 5 years of US tax compliance on Form 8854.
Long-Term Resident
A Green Card holder who has held it in 8 or more of the last 15 tax years — crossing this threshold is a prerequisite for the Green-Card path into covered-expatriate status.

Why does the exclusion matter? Only the deemed gain above the 2026 exclusion amount is taxed — a covered expatriate with a modest gain may still owe nothing.

How is this different from Canada's departure tax? Canada's tax includes only 50% of the gain in taxable income and exempts registered accounts, Canadian real estate, and pensions outright. This US tax instead excludes a flat dollar amount up front and then taxes the full remainder at capital-gains rates — a different mechanism, not just a different number.

Next: Your Action Items — see the specific forms and elections this triggers.
Figures current as of 2026
  • 2026 — the net-worth threshold, average tax-liability threshold, and mark-to-market exclusion amount are all updated for 2026.
  • Last independently verified: August 2026 — checked directly against IRC §877A and IRS Notice 2026 inflation adjustments.
  • Full sourcing & citations for this page →