Guides · 22 and growing
Straight answers, in plain English
The questions Ontario business owners actually ask — HST, CRA deadlines, payroll, what things cost — answered without the jargon. Prefer something interactive? The free tools do the math for you.
01 · Costs & hiring
How much does a bookkeeper cost in Ontario?Hourly vs. flat monthly vs. per-transaction, what actually drives the price, what should be included — and our own published rate.How to choose a bookkeeper: a buyer’s checklistWhat to ask before you hire — software, credentials, HST handling, year-end hand-off, pricing — plus the red flags that mean walk away.Bookkeeper vs. accountant vs. CPAWho does what, who you actually need at each stage, and how the three work together without paying twice.What does a fractional CFO actually do?Forecasting, budgets, margins, and pricing decisions — the forward-looking work a bookkeeper doesn’t do, without the executive salary.Outsource bookkeeping or hire in-house?What each option really costs to run — salary plus payroll costs plus management time vs. one flat fee — and when in-house starts to make sense.
02 · HST & sales tax
Do I need to charge HST?The $30,000 small-supplier test in plain English: how the threshold works, what rate to charge by province, and when registering early pays off.The $30,000 HST threshold, explainedHow the small-supplier test is measured, the two ways to cross it, the 29-day registration window, and what changes once you’re registered.The HST quick method, explainedRemit 8.8% instead of tracking every input tax credit: who qualifies, who’s excluded, and when the quick method actually saves money.
03 · Tax & CRA deadlines
CRA tax deadlines 2026: the one-page calendarEvery deadline that matters to a Canadian small business in 2026 — T1, T2, HST, payroll remittances, T4/T5 slips, and instalments — in one table.June 15 isn’t the deadline you think it isSelf-employed filers get until June 15 to file — but the money was due April 30, and interest doesn’t wait. Who the rule covers and how to avoid the trap.CRA audit red flags for small businessThe CRA doesn’t publish its selection criteria. What practitioners commonly cite as scrutiny-attracting — and why clean books matter more than any single flag.The T2125, in plain EnglishWhat the Statement of Business or Professional Activities asks for, section by section, and the expense rules that decide what you can claim.
04 · Payroll & people
Hiring your first employee in OntarioPayroll accounts, remitter types and deadlines, 2026 CPP/EI rates, T4s, and the 10-day WSIB clock — the whole first-hire setup, step by step.WSIB registration for small businessWho must register (and the 10-day clock), how construction differs, how premiums are calculated, and where sub-contractors complicate things.Employer Health Tax: who actually paysA payroll tax most small employers never owe, thanks to the exemption — how EHT works and when it starts costing real money.
06 · Bookkeeping basics
Behind on your books? Here’s the fixA judgment-free guide to catch-up bookkeeping: how businesses fall behind, what getting current involves, what it costs, and the first step to take today.Cross-border bookkeeping: Canada & the U.S.One QuickBooks-based process for owners with operations on both sides of the border — Canadian scope in full, U.S. scope as bookkeeping only.Cash vs. accrual accountingThe difference explained with one invoice — and why the method changes how healthy your business looks on paper.
07 · Incorporation & structure
When should you incorporate in Ontario?The liability, admin, and tax tradeoffs that actually decide it — including the exact federal and Ontario small-business rates and what filing changes.Sole prop to corporation: what changesYou’ve decided to incorporate — the mechanical checklist: new accounts, new HST registration, T2 instead of T2125, payroll, and the transition-year gotcha.
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