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Most employees with a T4 and a few receipts don’t need a personal income tax accountant. Someone with self-employment income, rental property, a sold investment or a move between provinces often does. The line is about how many places your income comes from, not how much of it there is.
Do you need a personal income tax accountant?
Try a quick test. If your return comes down to slips you can read and deductions you can name, tax software will handle it. If you’re guessing which expenses count, or a form has a line you can’t explain, pay for help.
| Your situation | Usually fine on your own? |
|---|---|
| One T4, RRSP receipt, donations | Yes |
| Self-employed with expenses | Often better with help |
| Rental income | Often better with help |
| Sold shares or a property | Check the reporting first |
| Moved abroad or arrived in Canada | Get help |
What can a good accountant save you?
Less than the ads suggest, and more in a few specific spots. Take an Ontario employee earning $85,000 in 2026. The income tax calculator shows $15,551 of federal and Ontario tax. Add a $5,000 RRSP deduction and it drops to $14,069, a saving of about $1,483. You can claim that yourself in ten minutes, provided you have the receipt and the room, and you’ve already checked both.
Where an accountant earns the fee is in what you’d miss. A self-employed person with $60,000 of net business income in Ontario owes $7,879 of income tax and $6,724 of CPP, $14,603 in all, according to the self-employed tax calculator. That tool takes deductions off income tax but not CPP, and it leaves out EI, so treat it as a starting figure. An accountant will tell you which expenses stand up and whether instalments apply. You can preview those with the tax instalments calculator.
How do you check an accountant before you hire?
Ask whether they file through the CRA’s EFILE service. The CRA says to confirm your preparer is certified for it, and it keeps a directory. If the person won’t sign the return or asks you to leave the preparer line blank, walk away.
Ask for the fee before you start, in writing. We can’t give you a typical price, because we couldn’t confirm fee levels from a source we trust. And be cautious with anyone who bases the fee on the size of your refund.
Credentials vary by province, so look up the provincial accounting body’s directory if the person says they’re a CPA.
What should you bring to the first meeting?
The CRA lists your tax slips, receipts for credits and deductions, and anything else that backs up a claim. Add last year’s notice of assessment, so the accountant can see what the CRA accepted before. And bring your questions on paper, because you’ll forget half of them once the meeting starts and the accountant is already asking about your address history.
What stays your job?
The return is still yours. Before it’s sent, the CRA expects you to review it and the information on Form T183, then sign Part F to authorize filing. Read it, all of it, line by line, because a mistake on a return with your name and your social insurance number on it is your mistake, whoever typed it in. You know about the side income the accountant doesn’t.
Keep the slips, receipts and your signed T183 for at least six years. The same page says so.
When is a personal return due?
For the 2025 tax year, the balance was due April 30, 2026, and self-employed people had until June 15, 2026 to file (though any tax owing was still due April 30). We haven’t seen the dates for the 2026 tax year published yet. Expect the same pattern, but check the CRA’s deadline page in the new year before you rely on it.
Where the numbers come from
The advice on preparers, T183 and record keeping comes from a Canada Revenue Agency page on using a tax preparer. Tax figures come from this site’s calculators, which use the 2026 federal and Ontario rates published by the CRA and the Ontario government. This site isn’t linked to any government.
Frequently asked questions
Can I file my own return if I only have a T4?
Yes, in most cases. Software handles slips, RRSP receipts and donations well.
How do I check a tax preparer?
The CRA says to confirm they're certified to file through its EFILE service, which it lists in a directory.
What do I sign when a preparer files for me?
Part F of Form T183, which authorizes them to send the return. Review it first.
How long do I keep my tax records?
At least six years, including your slips, receipts and the completed T183.
Is a fee based on my refund a good sign?
We wouldn't trust it. Ask for a written fee before any work starts.
- How to choose a tax preparer in Canada
How to decide if you need a tax preparer, what a preparer does, the questions to ask before you hire one and where to find free help in Canada
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.