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Nobody publishes an official price list for startup accounting, so we won’t guess at one. Here’s what we can stand behind: what a new business has to file, the dates that drive the workload, and how to judge a quote. With those in hand, a quote for startup accounting services starts to make sense, and so does its cost.
What does a new business actually have to file?
Structure decides. A sole proprietor reports business income on a personal return. A corporation files its own T2 return, even in the first quiet year, and the CRA says it’s due six months after the tax year ends.
Corporations also face a payment date that arrives sooner. The balance for the year is generally due two months after year end. A Canadian-controlled private corporation that claimed the small business deduction gets three months, if it meets the CRA’s other conditions.
Add GST/HST. Most businesses can stay unregistered while they remain a small supplier, meaning $30,000 or less over four consecutive calendar quarters. Go over and you have to register, with the timing set by how you crossed the line. Some founders register early to claim input tax credits on start-up costs, which is a fair question for your accountant.
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Corporate T2 filing | Six months after the tax year ends |
| Corporate balance due | Two months after year end, three for eligible CCPCs |
| GST/HST small supplier limit | $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters |
| Federal small business rate | 9% on the first $500,000 of active business income |
| Payroll remittance, small employer | Quarterly if average monthly withholding is under $3,000 |
| Record keeping | Six years after the end of the year |
What does year one look like on the calendar?
Picture Mei, who incorporates a small design studio in Toronto and picks 31 December as her year end. Her first T2 is due 30 June, six months later. If her company qualifies as an eligible CCPC, the tax balance isn’t due until 31 March, and if it doesn’t, it’s due 28 February. The tax comes due well before the paperwork does, which catches a lot of founders out. Put both dates in your phone on day one.
Those dates follow the rules in the table above, and we’ve applied them to an invented year end. Your own dates depend on your year end and on how the CRA classifies the company, so confirm them on your CRA account.
How much does incorporating change the tax?
A lot, for profit you leave inside the company. Take $100,000 of active business income in an Ontario corporation for calendar 2026. Our corporate tax calculator shows $11,696 in combined tax, or 11.696%. Treated as ordinary income at the general rates, the same amount shows $26,500.
Hedge that first number. Ontario’s small business rate falls on 1 July 2026, so a calendar-year company gets a blend, and we derived it by days. The CRA doesn’t publish it. Quebec’s rate stays at 3.2% for a calendar 2026 year, with 2.2% for years starting after 29 April 2026.
Also, money paid out to you is taxed again. The dividend tax calculator shows that second layer, and the self-employed tax calculator shows the alternative of staying unincorporated. Comparing the two, not the corporate rate alone, is where good advice earns its fee.
Is a cheaper startup accountant a better deal?
Sometimes. Not always.
Ask for a fixed scope and a written quote, and check whether it covers the first-year extras: setting up the books, sorting out personal and business spending, the opening corporate filings, and a call to plan your instalments. The price mostly follows the work, and startups generate more of it in year one than in year five.
Ask who will actually do the work, and how fast they answer during the two weeks before a deadline. Ask what happens if the CRA writes to you. And ask whether the same firm can handle payroll and GST/HST, or if you’ll be stitching together three providers.
Credentials are worth a look. Canadian accountants hold designations from provincial bodies, and you can check a name with the body in your province. We didn’t verify anyone’s fees or standing, and we don’t rank providers.
Can you start with just a bookkeeper or software?
Often, yes. A founder with one bank account, a handful of invoices a month and no staff can keep tidy books in an app and bring in an accountant for the year-end filing. That’s a ballpark of the lightest setup, not a promise that it suits you. The moment you add employees, several provinces’ sales or investors, the case for a full accountant gets stronger.
Where do new founders lose money?
Late filing is the expensive one, and the cure is a calendar. Put the T2, the GST/HST return and any payroll remittance dates in it before the first sale.
Mixed bank accounts come next, then a missing paper trail for start-up costs, then forgetting that collected sales tax isn’t yours. A startup that does these four things quietly pays less in accounting time, whoever it hires. The CRA’s circular on books and records says to keep them for a minimum of six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to.
If you hire your first employee, the payroll remittance calculator shows what goes to the CRA each period.
The sources behind this page
The filing and balance due dates, small supplier limit, federal small business rate and remitter rules come from CRA pages, read in September 2026. The corporate tax figures come from our calculator, which uses 2026 provincial data. The Ontario blended rate is derived, and Quebec’s dates come from the published changes. Professional fee levels couldn’t be confirmed, so none appear here. This site has no tie to the CRA or any firm.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official price for startup accounting in Canada?
No, and we found no verified fee survey. Compare written quotes that cover the same scope.
When is a corporation's T2 due?
Six months after the tax year ends. The balance of tax is due two months after year end, or three for an eligible CCPC.
When must a startup register for GST/HST?
When taxable sales pass $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters. You can register earlier by choice.
How much tax does $100,000 of profit attract in an Ontario corporation?
Our calculator shows $11,696 for calendar 2026 at the small business rate. The Ontario blend is derived, so treat it as an estimate.
Do I need an accountant in the first year?
The law doesn't require one. The filings are still yours to make, and a mistake on a T2 or a sales tax return costs more than the advice.
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