Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
The best bookkeeper near you may not be in your city at all. Most bookkeeping runs on bank feeds, scanned receipts and shared files, so distance rarely matters. What does matter is that you stay answerable to the CRA for the books, wherever the person sits.
Does a bookkeeper need to be close to you?
Usually not. If your business is cash heavy, keeps paper invoices or needs someone to sort a shoebox, a short drive helps. If everything is digital, a remote person does the same work.
The one place location bites is the records themselves. The CRA wants them at your business or home in Canada, unless it agrees otherwise in writing. Electronic records held outside Canada may be allowed, but copies must be available here in a readable form. So ask where your files will sit.
We don’t list or recommend any firm on this page, and we haven’t confirmed what anyone charges. What follows is how to choose and check.
Do you need a bookkeeper at all?
Maybe not. A sole proprietor with a handful of invoices a month and one bank account can keep a spreadsheet and be fine. The point where help pays off is when the sorting starts eating your evenings, when you have staff, or when you’re registered for GST/HST and every period brings a return with a deadline.
Picture Priya, who runs a small cleaning business in Winnipeg. She did her own books for two years and then spent a whole long weekend hunting for one missing receipt. That’s a fair sign it’s time to hand the monthly loop to someone else.
What should you ask a bookkeeper first?
Start with what they’ll do, how often, and by which date each month. A vague answer now becomes a missed deadline later. Ask who files the GST/HST return, who sends payroll to the CRA, and who gets the phone call if a notice arrives.
Then ask about access. The CRA lets you authorize a representative through your account. On a personal account there are two levels, one for information only and one that also lets them request changes. Check the CRA page for the business version before you sign anything.
Which deadlines will they be watching?
Payroll and sales tax are the two that hurt. Here are the figures from the CRA’s pages, worth checking again before you rely on a date.
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Payroll, regular remitter (under $25,000 a month withheld) | By the 15th of the next month |
| Payroll, quarterly remitter | April 15, July 15, October 15, January 15 |
| Late payroll remittance | 3% for 1 to 3 days, 5% for 4 to 5, 7% for 6 to 7, 10% beyond that |
| GST/HST reporting period | Annual up to $1,500,000 of taxable sales, quarterly to $6,000,000, monthly above |
| GST/HST small supplier limit | $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters |
What does one payroll run look like?
Say you pay one employee $2,000 a month in Ontario. The payroll remittance calculator shows income tax of $110.29, CPP of $101.65 and EI of $32.60 held back. You add $101.65 of CPP and $45.64 of EI on top. The total to send the CRA is $391.82.
The full cost of that month is $2,147.29, not $2,000. Workers’ compensation and other levies aren’t in the tool, so your real cost is a bit higher. A good bookkeeper will tell you that before you hire.
If you’re the one being paid, the take-home pay calculator shows the other side of the same cheque.
What should a good month-end package include?
Three things, and none of them needs a fancy report. A list of what came in and what went out. A note of the sales tax you’ve collected so far this period. And a short line on anything odd, such as a payment with no receipt or a deposit nobody can explain.
If your bookkeeper sends you forty pages of tables with no commentary, ask for the one-page version. You’re paying for judgment, not volume.
How do you check someone is who they say?
Ask for proof of any credential they mention. We couldn’t confirm which provinces regulate the word bookkeeper, so don’t assume the title means anything on its own. If they say they’re a CPA, the title is limited to registered members in good standing, and CPA Ontario, for one, keeps a public directory of members, firms and licensees.
Ask for references from clients with a business like yours. Then look at one sample month of their work. If they can’t show one, that tells you something.
Where do people go wrong hiring one?
They pick on price alone, skip the written scope, or hand over every login without setting a limit. They also forget that the CRA counts the mistakes as theirs. Even when a bookkeeper keeps the books, you’re responsible for making sure they’re adequate.
Sales tax is another slip. For $25,000 of Ontario sales, the GST/HST calculator shows $3,250 of HST. That’s cash held for the CRA, so keep it apart from the money you spend.
The sources behind this page
Deadlines, penalties and record rules are from the Canada Revenue Agency‘s business pages as read in September 2026. Payroll amounts come from this site’s calculator using 2026 rates. This site isn’t connected to the CRA, and dates or rates can change, so confirm them on the official page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a bookkeeper who is local?
Not for digital records. Location matters more if you have paper receipts or need in person help, and the CRA still expects your records to be available in Canada.
What should a bookkeeper handle each month?
Bank matching, invoices and bills, and any GST/HST or payroll work you agree on in writing, plus a month end check that the books agree with the bank.
How do I check a bookkeeper's credentials?
Ask for proof and check it with the body that issued it. If they call themselves a CPA, look them up in the public directory of the provincial CPA body.
When is regular payroll remittance due?
By the 15th of the month after you pay your employees, for regular remitters. Quarterly remitters pay in April, July, October and January.
Am I still responsible if my bookkeeper errs?
Yes. The CRA says you remain responsible for keeping adequate records even when a bookkeeper keeps them for you.
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