Built for Alberta residents who own Florida rental property.
Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge — Albertans diversify oil-economy income with USD-denominated Florida real estate. BorderBird is the tax-ready ledger for the Alberta → Florida case specifically.
Create account, connect Gmail, add a property, add a tenant, run the first scan. Five steps, about a minute each.
Rent payments, utility bills, and receipts detected automatically — matched to the right property, dated, and queued for one-click import.
Years of payments in Yahoo, Outlook, or Apple Mail? Forward them to Gmail and BorderBird imports them with their original dates.
Upload a signed lease PDF — AI pulls dates, rent, and tenant names. Renewals, vacates, and full tenancy history stay organized.
The Alberta → Florida cross-border math is uniquely simple
Two structural factors make Alberta → Florida materially easier than Ontario → Florida or BC → Florida, despite all three sharing the same underlying CRA and IRS framework.
1. Alberta's lower marginal rate.Alberta's top combined federal-provincial rate (47%) is meaningfully lower than Ontario (53.53%) or BC (53.5%). On rental income from Florida, your US tax (federal only — no Florida state) typically runs 24-30% effective. After the foreign tax credit absorbs the US tax on your Alberta T1, the residual Alberta top-up is small or zero. Ontario / BC filers face a larger top-up because the gap between US and Canadian rate is wider.
2. Florida's zero state income tax. Of every US state, Florida produces the simplest US-side workflow. No state return; the only US filing is federal 1040-NR. Compared to Alberta → California (state tax 1-13.3%) or Alberta → New York (4-10.9%), Florida saves you a state return every year.
Practical upshot:for many Alberta filers with Florida rental property, total annual tax exposure (CRA + IRS combined) is comparable to what they'd pay on the same income at home in Alberta — without the rate stacking that makes Ontario / BC + Florida (or any province + California / NY) more expensive.
Your Alberta + Florida tax obligations
Alberta residents declare worldwide income to CRA. Florida rental flows through T776 with USD converted to CAD at Bank of Canada annual average (2025 = 1.3978 CAD/USD). Alberta's lower combined marginal rate (47%) vs Ontario / BC means the foreign tax credit absorbs more US tax — Albertans frequently owe little Alberta top-up.
A typical Florida condo or single-family home easily exceeds the CAD $100,000 cost threshold. The $250k Detailed Reporting threshold is also commonly crossed. Penalties start at $24,000 minimum for non-filing.
Florida has zero state income tax. Your only US filing is federal 1040-NR. ITIN required (Form W-7 with first return). Deadline June 15 for Canadians without US wage withholding.
Florida-specific deductions: high property tax (1.0-1.5%), hurricane insurance (often 2-4x Alberta rates), condo HOA fees, pool service. 27.5-year straight-line depreciation on the building portion (Form 4562).
Without Section 871(d), property manager withholds 30% of gross rent under FDAP rules — no expenses deductible. The election shifts to effectively connected income so you deduct expenses on Schedule E and pay tax on net only.
When you sell, the buyer's closing agent withholds 15% of gross sale price (10% if buyer-occupant + $300k-$1M; 0% if buyer-occupant + ≤$300k). File Form 8288-B 90+ days before closing to reduce withholding to your actual estimated capital gains tax.
Pay US tax via 1040-NR first; claim Foreign Tax Credit on Alberta T1 to offset the same income. Alberta's lower marginal rate means the FTC frequently absorbs the entire US tax with no Alberta top-up — a quirk that makes Alberta → Florida materially simpler than Ontario or BC → Florida.
How BorderBird helps Alberta → Florida landlords specifically
- One ledger producing both T776 and Schedule E. Every rent payment and expense renders in USD for Schedule E and CAD for T776 — without re-keying.
- Bank of Canada 1.3978 (2025) baked in. Annual average rate per tax year, applied consistently across all USD entries.
- Florida-specific expense categories. Hurricane insurance, condo HOA, pool service, property tax (county-level) all pre-mapped to Schedule E line positions and T776 expense lines.
- FIRPTA-aware at sale. When you sell, the ledger pre-computes estimated capital gains tax so your cross-border CPA can file Form 8288-B for reduced withholding 90+ days before closing.
- Florida-specific guides. Read Alberta → Florida (full guide) or city-level pages for Tampa, Naples, Sarasota, and others.