Simone Barrett is a tax lawyer at Barrett Tax Law who works with individuals, families, entrepreneurs, and business owners when life, wealth, property, or business interests cross the Canada-U.S. border. She is licensed in both Ontario and Florida.
Her practice focuses on cross-border tax planning and compliance. For Canadians moving to the United States — many of them heading to Florida — Simone advises on Canadian departure tax, U.S. tax residency, dual-status filing, cross-border trusts, U.S. real estate ownership, FIRPTA withholding, and ownership structures for Canadian buyers, with the goal of addressing the tax consequences before a move, purchase, sale, or change in residency triggers them.
For Americans, dual citizens, and other U.S. persons living in Canada, Simone works on the parallel U.S. tax system that follows them across the border: U.S. income tax filings, treaty-based positions, FBAR and FATCA reporting, PFIC and CFC analysis, TFSA and RESP reporting, and the Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures for those catching up on past filings.
She also advises business owners and high-net-worth families on corporate ownership, family trusts, succession planning, treaty residency, Section 116 clearance certificates for non-resident dispositions of taxable Canadian property, and cross-border restructurings. Whether a client is buying a Florida property, planning a move, managing a family trust, or preparing a Canadian business for a U.S. future, Simone helps them move forward with a clear cross-border tax plan.
Practice highlights
- Licensed in both Ontario and Florida
- Experienced in Canada-U.S. cross-border tax planning and compliance
- Works on departure tax, treaty residency, and U.S. estate-tax exposure
- Handles FATCA / FBAR reporting and the Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures
- Advises on FIRPTA and Section 116 clearance certificates on cross-border property dispositions
Scope of representation
Simone Barrett’s cross-border practice covers Canadian federal tax law (admitted in Ontario), United States federal tax law, and Florida state law (admitted in Florida). For matters arising under the state law of US jurisdictions other than Florida, Barrett Tax Law engages locally-admitted US counsel and coordinates the Canadian tax position.