Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
A remote bookkeeper can do everything an in-person one does, as long as you can see the books, get monthly reports and trust how your data is handled. Federal tax rules don’t change with the bookkeeper’s postal code. What changes is how you hand over documents, so that’s where to focus when you choose.
What can a remote bookkeeper handle for you?
Most of the routine work: recording transactions, matching them to bank statements, tracking GST/HST, preparing payroll figures and producing monthly reports. Filing and tax advice are often separate, so ask.
We couldn’t confirm typical fees or rank any bookkeeper, so we don’t quote prices. What we can give you is a way to check the work yourself.
Take an invoice of $1,500 in Ontario. The GST/HST calculator shows $195 of HST and a $1,695 total. Ask any candidate how their process would record it, and where the $195 would show up in the reports. A good answer takes a minute. A vague one tells you something.
How do you choose a remote bookkeeper?
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Which software do they use, and who owns the file? | You should hold the login and be able to export everything |
| How do you send documents? | Email attachments are a poor way to send bank statements |
| What is the monthly deadline? | Reports should arrive on a fixed day |
| Who handles GST/HST and payroll? | Both have due dates, and both cost money when late |
| Who deals with the CRA? | Someone acting for you needs your authorization first |
| What’s not covered? | Catch-up work and tax returns are often extra |
Ask for two references, and phone them. Ask a plain question: did the reports arrive on time?
What does the CRA say about records kept elsewhere?
It’s your responsibility, not the bookkeeper’s. You must keep records for six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to. Electronic records must remain readable for that time. If they sit on servers outside Canada, you or your staff must be able to access them and give the CRA what it requests.
That means you can’t leave everything in a bookkeeper’s private system. Get a copy of the ledger at year end, and store it yourself.
How do you check that the numbers make sense?
You don’t need to be an accountant. Look at three things each month: does the bank balance in the reports match your statement, is the tax collected in the ballpark of what you invoiced, and did payroll come out right?
Payroll is easy to test. For one employee paid $3,000 per pay period in Ontario, the payroll remittance calculator shows $961.03 to remit, with $228.41 as your own share. If your bookkeeper’s figure is far off, ask for the working.
Then look at the year as a whole. Say you’re self-employed with $80,000 of net income in Ontario. The self-employed tax calculator shows $22,126 of income tax plus CPP, so you’d want roughly that sitting aside. It leaves out GST/HST and EI.
Should you meet them first?
Yes, on a video call. Spend twenty minutes on it. Ask them to walk you through a monthly report from a past client with the names removed, and see if you can follow it. If you can’t read the report, you won’t spot a problem in it either. Then ask how quickly they answer questions outside the month-end rush, and what happens if they’re ill or leave. A single person working alone is fine, provided there’s a plan for the days they aren’t there.
What mistakes cost the most?
Sending records late, for a start. A remote bookkeeper can only work with what arrives, so a quarterly shoebox of receipts means quarterly books. Mixing personal and business spending is next. After that comes trusting one person with your only copy of the file.
A fourth is assuming that “handles the taxes” means filing. It may only mean tracking. Ask who submits each return and who signs it.
Where the numbers come from
The record-keeping rules come from Canada Revenue Agency pages on keeping records and electronic records, read in September 2026. The tax examples use the 2026 rates built into our calculators. We have no link with the CRA, any government body or any bookkeeping firm.
Frequently asked questions
Can a remote bookkeeper handle GST/HST and payroll?
Yes, many do. Ask who prepares each return, who files it and who is responsible if it is late.
Does the CRA accept records held online?
Yes, if they stay readable for six years and you can give the CRA access when it asks.
How do I test a bookkeeper's work?
Check that the bank balance matches your statement, sales tax matches your invoices and payroll matches a calculator. A $1,500 invoice in Ontario carries $195 of HST.
Should I keep my own copy of the books?
Yes. Ask for a full export at each year end and store it yourself.
What does a remote bookkeeper cost?
We couldn't confirm typical fees from an official source. Get written quotes and compare what each one covers.
- 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.