Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
Finding bookkeeping companies near you takes about an hour of searching and a few good questions. Whoever you pick, the CRA still holds you responsible for your records, even when someone else keeps them. So choose a firm the way you’d choose anyone with the keys to your finances.
Do bookkeeping companies have to be local?
Not for the books themselves. Most of the work is sorting bank feeds, matching receipts and preparing reports, and that happens on a screen. A firm three provinces away can do it as long as it knows your provincial sales tax and payroll rules.
Local helps in a few cases. You have a shop full of paper receipts, or you want someone to come by once a month, or you like face to face. Decide which of these apply before you start calling. It cuts your list fast.
A word on what we left out. We can’t tell you who is best, what anyone charges or which firms are nearby. We couldn’t confirm fee levels or rank businesses from an official source, and search results are not a ranking of quality. This page covers how to compare, not who to pick.
What should you ask a bookkeeping firm?
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| What exactly is in the quote? | Payroll, GST/HST filing and year end work are often priced apart |
| Who will do my books? | A named person, not a queue |
| Which software do you use? | You should keep access to your own data |
| How do we share documents? | Ask how files are sent, stored and backed up |
| Who tracks my filing dates? | Missed dates cost interest and penalties |
| What happens if we part ways? | Ask how you get your files back |
Ask for two or three written quotes. The cheapest one often does the least, so line up what each includes before you compare the totals.
Say Marie runs a hair salon in Moncton and gets two quotes. One is a flat monthly fee covering payroll and HST returns. The other is lower, but payroll and the HST return cost extra each time. Add those up over a year and the “cheap” quote can come out on top. Put both on one page with the same list of jobs before you decide.
How do you check credentials?
This is where people get stuck. Accounting designations such as CPA are regulated by provincial bodies, and in Ontario CPA Ontario publishes public directories of members and licence holders. Bookkeeper is a different matter. We couldn’t confirm a single national licence for it, so ask what training or certificate the person holds and check it with the body that issued it.
Ask for references from a business your size. Then phone one. It takes five minutes and tells you more than a website.
What will the books need to cover?
Two jobs decide most of the price, and both are worth understanding before you get a quote from anyone, because a firm that treats them as routine will still expect you to supply clean inputs. The first is payroll. For one employee paid $3,000 every two weeks in Ontario, the payroll remittance calculator gives $961.03 to send each pay period and a full cost of $3,228.41. Firms that handle payroll are running numbers like these on every cycle.
The second is GST/HST. A $2,000 sale in Ontario carries $260 of HST at 13%, per the GST/HST calculator. A firm that keeps that tax in its own column, and files on time, saves you real headaches. Monthly and quarterly filers file and pay one month after the period ends. Annual filers have three months after year end.
And if you’re a sole proprietor, good books make the tax side easy to see. At $40,000 of net income in Ontario, the self-employed tax calculator shows $4,221.13 of income tax and $4,343.50 of CPP. You can also use the tax instalments calculator to plan payments. Those are standard estimates, and they leave out EI and any expenses you haven’t recorded.
How do you get ready before the first call?
Gather three things first: your last bank statements, a list of the tools you already use for invoicing or payroll, and your business number. Then write down what you want done, in plain words. “Enter sales and expenses monthly, file my HST, run payroll for two people” is a clear brief. “Do my books” isn’t.
The clearer your brief, the easier it is to compare quotes, and the less likely a firm is to fill the gaps with extras you didn’t ask for. Pass the same brief to every firm, and keep their replies side by side.
What red flags should you watch for?
Pressure to sign on the first call. A firm that won’t put the scope in writing. Anyone who wants your online banking password, since read-only access or bank feeds are the safer way. And a promise of a big refund or special deductions before they’ve seen a single receipt.
Also watch yourself. If you hand over a shoebox in April and expect a full set of books, you’ll pay more. Sending receipts every month costs less and gives you numbers you can use.
Keep your own copy of your records. The CRA says to keep them six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to, and a firm might close or change hands before then. The CRA’s page on where to keep records and for how long spells out the rule.
The sources behind this page
Record rules come from the Canada Revenue Agency‘s guide on keeping records (RC188). GST/HST filing dates come from its 2026 tax deadlines page. Payroll, sales tax and income tax figures come from our calculators using 2026 data. Directory information is from CPA Ontario’s public pages. This is an independent site and recommends no firm.
Frequently asked questions
Should I pick a bookkeeping company near me?
Only if you want in-person meetings or have paper records. Digital books can be kept by a firm anywhere that knows your province's rules.
Who checks a bookkeeper's credentials?
CPA bodies publish directories, but we couldn't confirm a single national licence for bookkeepers, so ask what they hold and verify it.
Am I still responsible for my records?
Yes. The CRA says you are responsible for making sure adequate records are kept, even when someone else keeps them.
What should a quote include?
Ask whether payroll, GST/HST filing and year end work are covered, and how often the books are updated.
How long should I keep my own copies?
Six years from the end of the last tax year the records relate to, unless the CRA permits earlier destruction.
- Self-employed taxes in Canada: income, CPP and GST
How tax works when you are self-employed in Canada: reporting income and expenses, paying both halves of CPP, instalments and when to register for GST