For Cross-Border Accountants and CPAs
Canadian slips in. Draft U.S. return out. Review it, sign it, bill for your judgment.
Stop retyping the T1 into a 1040.
Lou reads your client’s Canadian slips and return, converts to USD, works out the foreign tax credit, and fills the IRS forms. You spend your time on the calls that need a professional.
Everything runs in the browser on your own computer. No client file is uploaded to Lou, to a cloud, or to an AI service.
Try it on a real file
Lou is free to run all the way to the results screen. You only need a key to download the filled PDFs and the review package.
Open Lou and try a file → Ask about firm pricing ↓Lou is software, not a preparer. Your name stays on the return and your review stays in the loop.
The work that repeats on every client.
Each row below is a step you already do by hand. Lou does it, and shows its work so you can check it fast.
Every number has a source
Each US amount shows its Canadian box, the rate, the IRS instruction and how confident the read was. Review in minutes, not by re-deriving.
The cross-border traps are built in
PFIC flags on Canadian funds, TFSA and FHSA reporting, RRSP and RRIF deferral, Totalization for CPP and self-employment, FEIE against credit, AMT, and the carryback rule.
Catch-up filing, packaged
Clients who never filed: Streamlined Foreign Offshore screening, three returns, six FBAR worksheets, the Form 14653 worksheet and a mailing checklist.
Tested against IRS numbers
Tax math is checked against the official Tax Table rows and the form worksheets. Rules cite IRS and CRA primary sources.
Nothing is sent anywhere.
Reading, OCR, math and PDF filling all happen inside your browser. There is no Lou account, no upload, no cloud text recognition, no AI API and no analytics on tax data. Once loaded, Lou can run offline as an installed app.
Why that matters to a firm
- IRC 7216 and the FTC Safeguards Rule put the duty to protect client data on you. When data never reaches a third party, there is no new vendor to vet and no new disclosure to consent to.
- Client files are saved on your device. You can keep each household as an encrypted .lou backup file (AES-256) in your own storage.
- You can check this yourself: open the browser network panel and watch nothing leave.
Confirm with your own compliance counsel how this fits your engagement letters and policies. Lou is not legal advice.
Built for
- U.S. citizens, dual citizens and green card holders resident in Canada for the full year
- Salary, pension, CPP and OAS, RRSP, RRIF, TFSA, dividends, interest, sales, self-employment, rental basics
- Tax years 2023, 2024 and 2025, plus FBAR worksheets 2019 to 2025
Not yet
- Quebec returns, 1040-NR, dual-status years, Form 8840 snowbirds
- Amended returns (Form 1040-X) and e-filing
- Multi-client dashboards: Lou holds one household at a time, with a backup file per client
Founding firm rate.
We are opening Lou to a small group of cross-border practices first. Founding firms get a personal firm code that cuts every client key from $49 to $25 CAD, locked in for life.
- One code per firm, one key per client, all in CAD
- Try Lou on real files before you pay anything, with a 15-day refund window
- Direct line to the builder, and a say in what gets built next
Founding firm rate, plus applicable tax. One key covers a client's 2023, 2024 and 2025 returns. Limited to the first 10 firms.
Tell us about your firm →Prefer email? Write to info@bigtimedesign.ca.
Or use the free tool right now. Pay only if you need the filled PDFs.
Does Lou sign or file the return?
No. Lou prepares a draft and the forms. You review, sign as preparer and file. The FBAR goes through FinCEN BSA E-Filing, and Lou gives you a worksheet to copy from.
How do I know the numbers are right?
Tax math is tested against IRS Tax Table rows and form worksheets, and every rule cites a primary source kept in the project. Each amount in the review package shows how it was read (exact form field, PDF text, photo, or typed) so you can spend your time on the weak reads. You remain responsible for the return.
What happens with something uncertain, like a PFIC or a treaty position?
Lou flags it with the reason and the IRS reference rather than choosing silently. Canadian mutual funds and ETFs are treated as PFICs and prepared on Form 8621. Known limits are listed on the results screen.
Can I handle several clients?
Lou works on one household at a time. Save each client as a .lou file (optionally password protected) and restore it when you need it. A multi-client workspace is on the list and early firms will help decide it.
Where is client data stored?
In your browser on your computer, and in backup files you choose to save. Lou has no server that receives tax data. The only server Lou runs handles payment keys and support messages, and it never sees tax data.
How is this different from Drake, UltraTax or Lacerte?
Those are general tax engines where you key everything. Lou starts from the Canadian documents and does the cross-border conversion and credit work first. Many firms will use both: Lou for the heavy first pass, their usual software for final review or e-file.
What does it cost?
Each client household needs one key, which covers tax years 2023 to 2025. Individuals pay $49 CAD plus tax. Founding firms pay $25 CAD plus tax per client key with a firm code, locked in for life. We are taking the first 10 firms. Email us to ask for a code.
Lou is a tax-preparation tool, not a substitute for professional judgment. The preparer is responsible for reviewing every return. Not affiliated with the IRS or the CRA.
info@bigtimedesign.ca© 2026 Big Time Design and Communication Inc. · Form LOU (Preparer copy)