Tax Days vs. Topia: a comparison for individual cross-border residents
Topia is enterprise mobility software for global employers. Tax Days is for individuals. Here's why the comparison matters and which is right for you.
Topia (formerly Equus and Polaris) is a global mobility platform built for HR and tax departments managing thousands of internationally-mobile employees. It's not really a comparable product to Tax Days, but the search keyword 'Topia alternative' suggests many individuals have arrived at it looking for a personal day-counter and bounced. Here's the honest comparison.
These are different products
- Topia: enterprise SaaS. Sold to corporate HR and global mobility teams. Manages relocation, immigration, payroll-tax, and compliance for international assignees.
- Tax Days: consumer iPhone app. For individuals tracking their own residency days.
If you're an individual, Topia is not for you. The license, integration, and pricing are designed for HR teams, not personal use.
If your employer uses Topia for you
Some global employers issue Topia accounts to employees on international assignments. The Topia app captures your travel days, integrates with your employer's payroll, and may auto-file local returns. If your employer pays for it and you're a beneficiary, use it.
But your day count is yours. Even if your employer's mobility team has a copy of your travel data, you should keep your own contemporaneous record. Employees move between employers; data exports from Topia can lag or be incomplete; and your personal residency strategy may differ from your employer's payroll-driven view.
Why your personal day count still matters
- Treaty tie-breakers apply at the individual level. Your residency, not your employer's allocation, decides where you owe tax on personal income.
- Future audits can reach back 3–7 years. If you've changed employers or your assignment ended, your old employer's Topia data is harder to access.
- Investment income, capital gains, and side activities are typically outside corporate mobility scope.
- Spousal income and trailing-spouse activities are usually not in the corporate system.
Use both, if applicable
If your employer uses Topia for your assignment, you can still use Tax Days for your own personal record, at $19.99/year, it's a rounding error against the audit risk it covers.
Summary
Topia is corporate software for HR teams. Tax Days is a personal app for individuals. They don't compete. But if you searched 'Topia alternative,' chances are you wanted a personal day-counter, and Tax Days is what you were looking for.
Frequently asked questions
Can individuals buy Topia for personal residency tracking?
Generally no. Topia is enterprise software sold to corporate HR and global mobility teams, and its licensing, integration, and pricing are designed for organizations rather than personal use. Individuals searching for a personal day counter typically want a consumer app like Tax Days instead.
What is the difference between Tax Days and Topia?
They are different categories of product. Topia (formerly Equus and Polaris) is an enterprise global mobility platform that manages relocation, immigration, payroll tax, and compliance for internationally mobile employees, while Tax Days is a consumer iPhone app for individuals tracking their own residency days. They don't really compete with each other.
Should I track my own travel days if my employer uses Topia?
Generally yes. Treaty tie-breakers apply at the individual level, future audits can reach back 3 to 7 years, and items like investment income, capital gains, side activities, and spousal income are typically outside the corporate mobility system. If you change employers, your old employer's Topia data also becomes harder to access.
Can I use Tax Days and Topia at the same time?
Yes. If your employer runs Topia for your assignment, you can still keep your own contemporaneous record in Tax Days at $19.99 per year. Your personal residency strategy may differ from your employer's payroll-driven view, so an independent personal log is worth keeping.