Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
To use CRA resources for your business books, register for a CRA account, then add your business number to reach My Business Account. From there you can file GST/HST and payroll returns, view mail and authorize an accountant. Keep your records for six years, whichever tool you use.
How do you get into My Business Account?
You register for a personal CRA account first. You’ll need your date of birth, your Social Insurance Number, amounts from a tax return you filed in the last two years and at least one multi-factor sign-in option. Alberta and BC residents have a provincial sign-in that skips the return amounts.
Once you’re in, you add your business to the same login. A mailed security code takes up to 10 business days, so don’t wait for the week your GST/HST return is due.
What should you set up this week?
If you’re starting out, do these in order. Register your personal CRA account. Add your business number and request the security code. While you wait, gather your records into one folder. When the code arrives, sign in, check which program accounts show up and add a current email address.
It’s a boring afternoon. It also means that when a return is due, the only thing you’re doing is the return.
What can you do once you’re in?
The CRA lists services by program. For GST/HST you can file and adjust returns, claim rebates and check your balance. For payroll you can file returns, report nil remittances and transfer payments. Corporations can send their tax return and track its status.
Some features sit across every program: submitting documents, reading your mail, using the message centre and answering audit questions.
There’s also a CRA mobile web app for small businesses called BizApp. We couldn’t open its page to check what it offers, so read the CRA’s description before relying on it.
Which CRA resources help with business accounting?
Here’s what each one is for.
| Need | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Filing GST/HST or payroll returns | My Business Account |
| What records to keep | CRA pages on business records |
| Giving your accountant access | Represent a Client, approved in your account |
| Deadlines and payments | CRA pages by tax type, plus My Business Account |
Start with the record-keeping pages. For a sole proprietor, the CRA wants proof of income with a date, an amount and a source. Expenses need receipts showing the seller, the date and what you bought. The CRA doesn’t suggest any set of books, and says computer records just have to be clear and easy to read.
Can your accountant see your account?
Yes, but you control it. The route is Represent a Client, where you authorize your accountant or bookkeeper from inside your own account. Never share your own sign-in details instead. If the person leaves or you change firms, take the access away the same way. A quick look at who is authorized once a year is good housekeeping.
How long do you keep business records?
The CRA’s page on keeping records sets the general rule at six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to. A few things run longer, such as records about long-term property and share registers, and anything the CRA tells you to keep for longer.
If you’re in a dispute with the CRA, hold everything until it’s settled and the appeal time has passed.
What numbers should the books tell you?
Three, mostly. Your tax bill, your payroll remittances and your GST/HST position.
The self-employed tax calculator shows that $80,000 of net business income in Ontario costs $22,126.47 in 2026, made up of $13,233.57 in income tax and $8,892.90 in CPP. Nothing is withheld from that income, so the instalments calculator is worth a look. It uses a $3,000 threshold.
With staff, run the payroll remittance calculator. For one Ontario employee paid $3,000 every two weeks, the calculator shows $961.03 to remit each period, which is $732.62 held back from pay plus $228.41 from you as the employer. Its total cost of payroll for the period is $3,228.41. And for the sales side, a $100 sale in Ontario becomes $113.00 with 13% HST in the GST/HST calculator.
Registering for GST/HST is required once taxable sales pass $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters.
What goes wrong most often?
Setting up the CRA account late is a common one, because it feels like something for later. Then a return is due and you’re waiting on a mailed code. Mixing personal and business spending is another, since it turns every receipt into a question. And don’t send receipts in with the return. The CRA says to keep them and produce them if asked.
How we checked the figures
Account and record-keeping rules come from the Canada Revenue Agency‘s pages on CRA account registration, My Business Account services, business records and GST/HST registration. Tax figures use 2026 federal and Ontario data checked in September 2026. We’re an independent site, and no government body is behind it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get into My Business Account?
Register for a personal CRA account, then add your business number to it. You use the same sign-in for both.
What do I need to register for a CRA account?
Your date of birth, your SIN, amounts from a return filed in the last two years and a multi-factor sign-in option. Alberta and BC residents can use a provincial sign-in instead.
How long do I keep business records?
Generally six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to. Records for long-term property and share registers can need to be kept longer.
Can my accountant see my CRA account?
Yes, if you authorize them. They send a request through Represent a Client and you confirm it, and you can cancel access at any time.
Do I send receipts in with my return?
No. The CRA says to keep your records available in case it asks to see them.
- 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