Why the last mile of tax remittance is now a regulatory risk and what you can do about it.

For many Canadian accounting firms, facilitating tax payments for clients has long been viewed as a value add: a convenient extension of advisory services that simplifies compliance for business owners.

But recent shifts in regulatory interpretation, particularly under FINTRAC (Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada), are complicating this reality. Firms that help clients remit payments, especially across borders, are increasingly being classified as Money Services Businesses (MSBs).

This change isn’t just semantic. It brings with it a mountain of compliance obligations, including:

• Registering as an MSB

• Ongoing anti-money laundering (AML) training

• Enhanced record-keeping and reporting

• Risk assessments and internal compliance audits

For most accounting firms, whose expertise lies in tax and financial advisory, not payment processing, this creates a fundamental dilemma:

Take on new operational and regulatory risk, or Step back from client payment services altogether

The Cross-Border Complexity

The challenge is magnified when it comes to cross-border payments, like remitting taxes from the U.S. into Canada or vice versa. These transactions often trigger greater scrutiny, more complex documentation, and increased exposure to regulatory misclassification.

For firms managing corporate clients with dual operations, cross-border employees, or U.S. investors, the stakes are even higher.

So, what’s the alternative?

This is where Remitian steps in.

We’ve built a platform that allows firms to retain the value of payment facilitation without assuming the regulatory burden.

How Remitian Keeps You Compliant

Remitian handles the “last mile” of tax remittance, the actual movement of funds, so accounting firms never touch the money and never fall under MSB obligations.

Here’s how it works:

• White-labeled client experience: Your clients use a seamless, branded portal to schedule and approve payments.

• Remitian executes the transaction: As the registered remittance provider, we handle the technical and regulatory aspects of payment processing.

• Audit-ready trails: Every transaction is documented with timestamps, approvals, and source-of-fund verification.

• Cross-border compliant: Whether it’s a U.S. company paying Canadian HST or a Canadian firm managing U.S. payroll, our infrastructure is designed for international tax flows.

Why Firms Choose Remitian

Instead of risking misclassification or walking away from a high-value client service, firms can rely on Remitian to:

• Stay fully compliant with FINTRAC and MSB regulations

• Reduce operational overhead tied to payment facilitation

• Preserve client trust and relationship continuity

• Support cross-border remittance with confidence

A Better Way Forward

Tax remittance is evolving. Compliance demands are increasing. And client expectations haven’t slowed down.

At Remitian, we believe there’s a smarter way to serve your clients, without compromising your regulatory standing or operational focus.

Let us handle the payments.
You focus on what you do best: advising, planning, and building relationships.