Build the document trail
- Plan and award documents
- Vesting, purchase, and release statements
- Employer tax slips and payroll summaries
- Brokerage statements and trade confirmations
- Contribution, withholding, transfer, and cash records
Special project · Equity compensation
RSU and ESPP records rarely reconcile themselves
Employer slips, payroll summaries, plan statements, brokerage transactions, share withholding, and foreign-currency amounts need to tell one consistent story before the Canadian tax reporting is finalized.
When reconciliation is needed
One compensation plan can create several records
The problem is usually not one missing number. It is that each system records a different part of the same event.
- 01Employer slips show one benefit amount, while the plan and brokerage statements show many transactions
- 02RSUs vested in stages and some shares were sold or withheld to cover payroll obligations
- 03ESPP contributions, purchase discounts, shares acquired, and later sales do not reconcile in one schedule
- 04The employer and broker report in U.S. dollars, but the Canadian return and cost records must be supported in Canadian dollars
- 05Multiple acquisition lots, partial sales, commissions, transfers, or stock splits make the cost record difficult to follow
- 06Foreign shares may require a separate foreign-property reporting review in addition to income-tax reporting
Project scope
From scattered statements to a filing-ready record
The exact scope depends on the plan terms, the employer’s reporting, the broker’s records, and what happened to the shares after acquisition.
Connect the transactions
- Awards or purchases matched to shares delivered
- Shares sold or withheld matched to cash and payroll records
- Employer-reported amounts compared with plan activity
- Transaction-date foreign-exchange support
- Unexplained differences isolated for follow-up
Prepare filing support
- Canadian-dollar transaction schedule
- Adjusted cost base and disposition working papers
- Capital gain or loss support where applicable
- Foreign-property reporting review where relevant
- Summary of assumptions, missing records, and open items
What you receive
A working schedule that explains what happened
The deliverable is designed to support the Canadian return, not simply repeat a brokerage summary. It identifies the records used, the exchange-rate support, the transaction sequence, and any differences that still require an answer.
- 01Transaction ledger
Vesting or purchase lots, shares delivered, shares sold or withheld, and cash activity arranged chronologically.
- 02Canadian-dollar working papers
Relevant amounts translated and organized for the reporting analysis.
- 03Reconciliation notes
Employer, plan, brokerage, and tax-slip totals compared with variances made visible.
- 04Filing-support summary
Reporting conclusions within the agreed scope, together with assumptions and open items.
Important scope boundaries
The plan documents determine the treatment
“RSU” and “ESPP” are starting labels, not complete tax conclusions. The employer, plan structure, residence history, acquisition events, share location, and later dispositions all matter.
This is accounting and tax-reporting support. It does not provide investment recommendations, securities valuation, legal advice, or a guarantee that an employer or brokerage record is correct. Employer-slip corrections or historical amended returns are scoped separately if they become necessary.
Common questions
Before the project begins
Q.01Is the amount on my T4 enough to file the RSU or ESPP activity?
Not always. The employer slip may report an employment benefit, but shares acquired and later sold can create a separate disposition record. The plan statements, payroll records, brokerage activity, and tax slip need to be compared before deciding what additional reporting is required.
Q.02Why might the brokerage gain or cost figure differ from the Canadian tax result?
A brokerage statement may use foreign-currency figures, a broker-specific cost convention, or information that does not reflect an employer-reported benefit. Canadian reporting requires the relevant acquisition costs, sale proceeds, and selling expenses to be supported in Canadian dollars at the applicable transaction dates.
Q.03Does holding employer shares mean I need to file Form T1135?
It depends on what property was held, where it was held, its cost amount, and the taxpayer’s other specified foreign property. The project can identify whether a separate T1135 review is required, but it does not assume that every unvested award or foreign-company share creates the same reporting result.
Q.04Can this be a one-time project if another accountant prepares my return?
Yes. The engagement can produce a reconciliation and filing-support schedule for you or your existing tax preparer. The deliverables and responsibility for the final return are confirmed in the engagement scope.
Q.05What should I provide for an initial scope review?
Start with the plan documents, annual vesting or purchase summaries, employer tax slips, payroll detail, complete brokerage statements, trade confirmations, and any records of transfers between accounts. A specific checklist follows once the plan and transaction pattern are understood.
RSU & ESPP reconciliation
Start with the records you already have
Describe the employer, plan type, tax year, approximate number of transactions, brokerage platform, and whether a Canadian return has already been filed.