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An accounting and income tax firm can prepare and file your return, but the return is still yours. You sign the declaration, and the CRA holds you to what’s in it. So pick a firm you can question, and be wary of any that only wants your slips and a signature.
A note on the name in this page’s title. We took “Miaccounting & Income Tax Inc” to be a Canadian accounting and tax preparation company, and we couldn’t confirm anything about it: its services, its fees, where it operates. What follows applies to any firm, and we make no claim about that one.
What are you responsible for when a firm files for you?
Quite a lot. For a return filed electronically through a preparer, the CRA says you authorize the filing by signing Part F, the declaration on Form T183. The CRA says the details on that form must match the electronic return, which is your cue to read the return before you sign anything.
Check the direct deposit details too. A refund goes to the account on file, so make sure it’s yours and current. And keep your slips, receipts and the completed T183 for at least six years.
How does a firm get into your CRA account?
Since 15 July 2025, the CRA takes authorization requests for individuals only through its Represent a Client service. There are two routes. You can add the firm as your representative in your CRA account, or confirm the request they send. Or you can hand over details from a notice of assessment you received at least six months ago, and they use those to ask for access.
The CRA says access now comes through straight away, without the old five-day wait. Whoever you authorize can see your account, so know who has access and what they can do with it, and don’t hand it out on a first phone call just because the quote sounded friendly.
What should you ask an accounting firm before you hire it?
We couldn’t verify fee levels or service claims for any firm, so fees are missing on purpose. Ask instead:
- Who prepares the return, and who reviews it before it’s filed?
- Do you file electronically, and will I get a copy of what was filed?
- How do you charge, and can I have that in writing?
- What happens if the CRA writes to me later about this return?
- Do you also handle GST/HST, payroll or a corporation’s return, if I need those?
A firm that answers all five plainly is doing better than most.
What can you check yourself before the meeting?
A rough number gives you something to compare against. Our engine puts income tax on $60,000 of net self-employment income in New Brunswick at $9,051.06, with $6,723.50 of CPP on top. The tool leaves EI out. An employee on the same $60,000 pays $9,612.63 of tax and $4,339.75 of CPP and EI.
Run your own figures in the self-employed tax calculator or the income tax calculator. The self-employed tool has a quirk: deductions lower the income tax but not the CPP. If the firm’s number is far from ours, ask why. There may be a good reason, such as expenses we can’t see.
Owners of a corporation can compare with the corporate tax calculator. The tax installments calculator is useful when tax isn’t withheld at source.
What about dates?
For the 2025 return, the due date was 30 April 2026. People with self-employment income, and generally their spouses, had until 15 June 2026 to file, though any balance was still due on 30 April. The CRA hasn’t published the 2026 return dates that we could find, so ask the firm to confirm them against a CRA page.
Where do these numbers come from?
The filing steps, the T183 rules and the Represent a Client details are from the Canada Revenue Agency’s pages for tax preparers and its 2026 tax tips. Filing dates are from the CRA’s page on who should file. The dollar figures come from our own calculators, using 2026 federal and provincial rates. This website has no connection with the CRA or any other government body.
Frequently asked questions
Do I still answer to the CRA if a firm files my return?
Yes. You authorize the filing by signing the declaration on Form T183, and the details must match the electronic return.
How does a tax preparer get access to my CRA account?
Through Represent a Client. You confirm their request in your CRA account, or give them details from a notice of assessment you received at least six months ago.
How long should I keep my tax records?
The CRA says to keep your slips, receipts and the completed Form T183 for at least six years.
What does an accounting firm charge?
We couldn't verify fee levels for any firm, so ask for a written quote before you hire one.
Is Miaccounting & Income Tax Inc a firm I can rely on?
We assumed it is a Canadian accounting and tax preparation business and couldn't confirm anything about it. Check any firm's details with the CRA and in writing.
- 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
Information only. This page is general information, not tax, legal or accounting advice. Tax-Services.ca is an independent publisher: we don't prepare or file tax returns or offer tax services, and we have no connection with the CRA, Revenu Québec, any government or any company named on this page. Check the figures that matter with an official source or a qualified professional.