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To communicate with your accountant well, send information early, in one place, with a plain note on what changed and what you want decided. Most accountant problems start with a missing fact, not a wrong answer. A five line email with the right attachments beats a long call where half the paperwork turns up afterwards.
Nobody teaches this, and it shows. Owners often assume the accountant will ask. Accountants often assume the client will volunteer. Meanwhile a deadline goes by.
What should I tell my accountant without being asked?
Anything that changes your tax picture. A new job, quitting a job, starting a side business, moving provinces, buying or selling property, getting married or separated, or a big one-off payment in either direction. If you’re unsure whether it counts, it probably does.
Here’s why it matters. Say you earn $70,000 from a job in Ontario and add $15,000 of side income. The income tax calculator puts your federal and Ontario tax at $11,134 before the side income and $15,386 after. So the extra $15,000 costs $4,252 in income tax, about 28 cents on the dollar, and that’s before the CPP on self-employment earnings.
Your accountant can plan for that in September. If they find out in April, all they can do is calculate.
Use the self-employed tax calculator to see the CPP piece. It leaves out EI, GST/HST and business expenses, so it’s a ballpark guide only.
| What to send | How to send it | When |
|---|---|---|
| Tax slips (T4 and others) | One folder, files named by slip and year | As they arrive |
| Last year’s return and assessment | Once, at the start | Before the first meeting |
| Receipts for claims | Photos are fine if they’re readable | Monthly for a business |
| Life changes | A short written note | When it happens |
| Questions | A numbered list in one email | Before each meeting |
How do I ask questions that get useful answers?
Give the number and the decision. “Should I put $5,000 into my RRSP or pay down the line of credit?” gets a real answer. “Any tax tips?” gets a shrug.
Put questions in writing, numbered, and one topic each. A numbered list lets the accountant answer in order, and it leaves you with a record. If you talk by phone, send a two line summary afterwards: “We agreed I’d send the December statements by the 15th and you’d confirm the instalment amount.”
Ask why, too. When the answer is “because the rule says so”, ask which rule. A good accountant can point you to the form or the CRA page. If they can’t, that’s worth noting.
And if you don’t follow something, say so. Nobody’s impressed by silent confusion, least of all the person who’ll be signing your return. Our list of questions for a bookkeeper works nearly as well for an accountant.
How fast should they answer?
There’s no standard reply time, and it varies by firm and by season. So ask at the start: how do you like to be contacted, how long do replies usually take, and who covers when you’re away? Put the answer in your notes.
Then help them keep to it. Send documents before the deadline crunch, not during it. Payroll and sales tax dates don’t move for anyone’s workload. T4 slips are due the last day of February, and the CRA’s 2026 dates for a business include instalments on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15. The tax instalments calculator can show what a $6,000 expected bill looks like as four payments of $1,500.
What’s the best way to send documents?
Pick one channel and stick with it. A shared folder or the firm’s secure portal beats a trail of attachments in twelve email threads. Name files so they sort by themselves, such as “2026-03 bank statement” or “T4 Acme Corp 2025”. Scan flat and readable, because a blurry photo of a receipt on a kitchen counter wastes everyone’s time.
Be careful with sensitive details. Your SIN and bank numbers shouldn’t travel in plain email if the firm offers a secure option. Ask what they use before you hit send.
What should you check before your accountant files?
Ask to see the return before it goes in. The CRA’s page on choosing a tax preparer says a preparer who files for you electronically uses Form T183, that you sign Part F to authorize it, and that the information on the form must be the same as the information in the electronic return. Read both, compare the totals with your slips, and keep the signed form with your records. The CRA says to keep your slips, receipts and the completed T183 for at least six years.
A short email helps: “Please send me the draft return and the T183 by Thursday. I will confirm by Friday.” Our guide on the red flags when hiring an accountant covers what to do if you are asked to sign something blank, and the page on how accountants charge helps you ask what review time is included.
What communication mistakes cost people money?
Holding back a bad number is the worst. Unreported income, a missed remittance or a personal expense in the books doesn’t shrink with time.
Sending everything at the last minute is next. You pay in stress, and possibly in a rushed job.
Then there’s assuming. The 2025 return date was April 30, 2026 for most people, with June 15, 2026 for the self-employed, and tax owing was due April 30 either way. The CRA’s own wording is that self-employed people have until June 15 to file but the balance is still due by April 30. Dates for the 2026 return aren’t posted yet, so if someone quotes them as fixed, ask where they read that.
Keep copies of what you sent, since the CRA asks you to hold records for six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to. Our guide on a bookkeeping schedule sets out who sends what and when.
What this page is based on
Dates and the six year rule come from the CRA 2026 tax deadlines material and the guides on keeping records (RC188) and where to keep your records. The T183 points come from the CRA page on using a professional tax preparer, read in November 2026. Calculator results use our 2026 federal and Ontario tables, so they show the year now running, and they are estimates. This site has no tie to the CRA.
Frequently asked questions
What should I tell my accountant during the year?
Anything that changes your tax picture: a new job, quitting a job, a side business, a move to another province, buying or selling property, marriage or separation, and any large one-off payment in either direction. If you are unsure whether it counts, it probably does. A short written note when it happens is enough.
How often should I contact my accountant?
A short quarterly call and a longer meeting before year end suit many owners. Ask your accountant what rhythm they prefer, how long replies usually take and who covers when they are away. Put the answer in your notes, and send documents before the deadline crunch, not during it.
What is the best way to send documents?
One folder, readable files, named by document and year, such as “2026-03 bank statement”. Use the firm’s secure portal when it offers one, and do not send your SIN or bank numbers in plain email. Send slips as they arrive instead of all at once in March, and keep copies of what you sent.
How long should I keep what I send?
Six years from the end of the last tax year the records relate to, unless the CRA permits earlier destruction. The CRA also says to keep the slips, receipts and the completed Form T183 for at least six years. This duty stays with you and not with your accountant, so keep your own copies.
Should I read my return before my accountant files it?
Yes. You are accountable for the information on your return even when someone else prepares it. Ask for the draft, compare the totals with your slips, and confirm that the electronic return matches the Form T183 you sign. A five minute check can catch an expense you never had or an income slip that went missing.
- How to choose a tax preparer in Canada
Do you need a tax preparer in Canada? How to decide, what a preparer does, the questions to ask before you hire one and where to find free help