Guides and answers, minus the jargon
Written the way we talk on the phone: plain, specific, and about your situation. Start with the tax calendar; it is the one everyone needs.
Guides
The deadlines and checklists Canadian owners actually ask us about.
For every incorporated business
The Canadian small business tax calendar
Every deadline that can cost you money: slips, HST, payroll taxes, instalments, and the ones that move with your fiscal year-end.
Read the calendarTrades & contractors
The contractor edition
The general calendar plus T5018s, WSIB rhythm, and the receipts-and-ITCs habit that pays for itself.
Read the trades guideMarketing & creative firms
The agency edition
The calendar plus T4As for freelancers, USD-client wrinkles, and keeping pass-through ad spend out of your revenue.
Read the agency guideProfessional firms
The professional edition
The calendar plus owner-pay dates, T5s on dividends, and the instalment schedule that keeps CRA letters boring.
Read the professional guideArticles
Longer answers to the questions that come up on discovery calls.
Comparison · 2026
Best accounting software for Canadian corporations
QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks, Wave, and Sage compared honestly — and the question none of them answer: who files your T2?
Read the comparisonComparison · 2026
Accountant vs bookkeeper vs AI accounting
What each one actually does, what each costs, who is liable when it goes wrong, and a decision guide for incorporated businesses.
Read the guideComparison · 2026
QuickBooks vs taxifi
DIY software or done-for-you accounting: real Canadian pricing, the hidden cost of the full stack, and who each option is right for.
Read the head-to-headTrades · Draft, pending accountant review
T5018s: the contractor slip CRA actually checks
Who has to file, what counts as construction, and the records that make it painless.
Read the draftProfessional firms · Draft, pending accountant review
Salary or dividends? The honest answer is a calculation
The trade-offs that actually move the number, and why a rule of thumb is usually wrong.
Read the draftCreative firms · Draft, pending accountant review
Agency margins: why your P&L is lying to you
Pass-through ad spend, freelancer costs, and retainer timing, and how to see your real margin.
Read the draftAccounting fundamentals
The forms and documents every incorporated owner runs into, explained once, properly.
Record of Employment (ROE)
When an interruption of earnings happens, the five-day deadline, and what each Block 16 reason code means.
Read the ROE guideCRA Notice of Assessment
What the notice actually says, how it differs from a reassessment or an audit, and the 90-day objection window.
Read the guideGST/HST Post-Assessment Review
CRA wants documents for your input tax credits. What to send, and the receipt rules that decide the outcome.
Read the guideChart of Accounts
How to structure one for a Canadian corporation, and why mapping it to GIFI codes makes your T2 straightforward.
Read the guideOntario guides
The provincial rules that apply on top of the federal ones, for incorporated Ontario businesses.
HST for Ontario Small Business
When to register, how to file, and how the quick method can save you money.
Read the HST guideOntario Corporate Tax Rates
The combined federal and provincial rates, and where the thresholds change.
See the ratesOntario Small Business Tax Deadlines
Every provincial and federal date in one place, by filing type.
View the deadlinesEmployer Health Tax (EHT)
The exemption threshold, the rates above it, and who has to register.
Read the EHT guideWSIB for Ontario Employers
Which industries need coverage, how premium rates are set, and what to report.
Read the WSIB guideIncorporating a Business in Ontario
Provincial versus federal incorporation, the costs, and what changes after.
Read the guideSalary vs. Dividends in Ontario
The Ontario-specific arithmetic on how to pay yourself from your corporation.
Compare the optionsSwitching Accountants in Ontario
What the handoff involves, what your old firm must give you, and the timing.
Read the guideMore answers
Every question, one page
All the FAQs from across the site, grouped and searchable with your browser. Pricing, switching, security, and each industry we serve.
Browse the FAQCRA deadline reminders
Get the tax calendar as a PDF plus a reminder before each deadline that applies to your business. A utility, not a newsletter.
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One discovery call gets you a flat monthly price for your actual business.
Get StartedTax questions, answered
Straight answers to the questions Canadian owners actually ask — penalties, thresholds, deadlines, and what to do about them.
- How do I register for an HST number?
- What is the small business tax rate in Canada?
- What happens if I’m late on a payroll remittance?
- What happens if I file my HST return late?
- What happens if I file my corporate tax return late?
- Do I need to charge HST on what I sell?
- When does my corporation have to pay tax instalments?
- What’s the difference between a T4 and a T4A?
- How long do I have to keep my business records?
- Can my corporation pay for my vehicle?
- What is a shareholder loan, and why does it matter?
- What if I can’t pay CRA on time?
- What do I need to do when I hire my first employee?
- Should I incorporate or stay a sole proprietor?
- What triggers a CRA audit for a small business?
- What is the GST/HST quick method, and should I use it?
- Can my corporation pay for my home office?
- Can I pay my spouse or kids through my business?
- How do I close my corporation properly?
- What is CRA My Business Account, and do I need it?
- Do I need a bookkeeper or an accountant?
- How much of meals and entertainment can I deduct?