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A tax CPA is a chartered professional accountant who prepares returns or advises on tax, and for a plain T4 return you probably don’t need one. For a business, rental income or a sale of shares, you might. A self-employed person with $80,000 of income in Ontario faces about $22,126 of income tax and CPP, according to our self-employed tax calculator, which is enough money to justify a proper conversation.
Do you need a tax CPA or just software?
Ask what could go wrong on your return. If the answer is nothing much, since you have a job, a T4 and a few receipts, software or a free clinic will do. The income tax calculator will tell you what to expect before you start.
The picture changes when the return has judgement in it. Should this expense be claimed? Is this a capital gain or business income? Can a spouse’s loss be used? Those are questions where a trained person earns the fee, and where getting it wrong means a reassessment.
Someone incorporating a business, winding one down or handling an estate has a stronger case still.
What is at stake in a real number?
Take a self-employed Ontario resident with $80,000 of income. The calculator shows $8,698.44 of federal tax and $4,535.12 of Ontario tax, so $13,233.57 of income tax in total. CPP for both halves adds $8,892.90. Together that’s $22,126.47, or 27.7% of income, and you keep $57,873.53.
The tool leaves out GST/HST, EI and business expenses, so treat it as a floor for planning. Expenses are exactly where an accountant earns a keep, and where our calculator can’t help you.
Or take the simpler case. A $5,000 RRSP deduction on $70,000 of employment income cuts income tax by $1,482.50. You can work that out yourself, and no accountant is needed for it.
How do you check that a CPA is real?
Look them up with the provincial CPA body. In Ontario, CPA Ontario runs public directories for members, firms, public accounting licences and certificates of authorization. The licence directory lists people entitled to practise public accounting in Ontario, and it also shows some who held one in the last five years but no longer do.
CPA Ontario adds a warning of its own: being listed doesn’t guarantee that someone holds a current licence or membership. So check that the status is current, and don’t stop at finding the name. Other provinces have their own CPA bodies, and we haven’t checked their directories, so search for yours.
| Question to ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Are you a current CPA member, and in which province? | You can confirm this with the provincial body |
| Do you hold a public accounting licence? | The directory lists people entitled to practise public accounting |
| What will this cost, and what changes it? | We found no official fee list, so get it in writing |
| Who signs the return, and who keeps copies? | You should get a full copy of everything filed |
What does a tax CPA cost?
We don’t know, and we won’t guess. Fee levels differ by city, firm and the mess in your file, and we found no official source for typical prices. Ask two or three offices for a quote based on your slips.
A fair question to put to any of them is how they charge for the extras: a rental schedule, a second province, a late-filed prior year. The answer tells you a lot about how the rest of the relationship will go.
Mistakes when hiring a tax accountant
- Handing over your CRA sign-in details. The CRA says anyone accessing an account for someone else must use its Represent a Client service, so ask how your accountant gets access.
- Paying for advice on a simple return that a free clinic would handle.
- Leaving it to the last week before the deadline, when offices tend to be busy.
- Not keeping your own records. An accountant can only work with what you give them.
For the 2025 return, the deadline was 30 April 2026, or 15 June 2026 for the self-employed, with any tax owing still due on 30 April. Dates for the 2026 return haven’t been published.
If you want a rough view of your own numbers first, try the take-home pay calculator.
Where the numbers come from
Tax figures come from our calculators, using 2026 federal, Ontario and CPP rates published by the Canada Revenue Agency. Directory details come from CPA Ontario’s public pages.
Frequently asked questions
What does a tax CPA do?
A tax CPA prepares returns and advises on tax questions that involve judgement, such as business expenses, capital gains or incorporation.
How do I check a CPA is licensed?
Search the provincial CPA body's public directories. In Ontario, CPA Ontario lists members, firms and public accounting licences.
Do I need a CPA for a simple return?
Usually not. Certified software or a free tax clinic can handle a return that is mostly a T4 and a few receipts.
How much does a tax CPA charge?
We couldn't confirm typical fees. Ask for a written quote based on your slips.
Can my accountant sign in to my CRA account?
The CRA says anyone acting for someone else must use its Represent a Client service instead of signing in as you.
- 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.