Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
A reliable accounting resource names its source, shows a date and sends you back to an official page. Start with the CRA and the Government of Canada, use your provincial CPA body to check who is actually qualified, and treat everything else as a lead you still have to verify.
What makes an accounting resource reliable?
Three things. It says who wrote it and who answers for it. It gives a date. And when it states a rule, it tells you where the rule lives, such as a CRA page, a guide number or a section of an act.
A page missing all three may still be right, and you’d have no way to tell. Plenty of articles about Canadian tax are rewritten from other articles, and errors travel quietly that way. So test before you trust.
Here’s a 30-second version. Pick one number in the article, a deadline or a rate, and look it up on the official page. If it doesn’t match, close the tab. If it does, read on, but keep checking the next number too.
Where should you look first?
The CRA’s own business pages come first for anything about filing, payroll, GST/HST and records. They’re written for owners, they’re kept up by the people who apply the rules, and they cost nothing. Since the CRA now sends most business correspondence online, you’ll be in My Business Account anyway.
The Government of Canada also runs the Canada Business App, which gives access to programs and services from federal, provincial and municipal governments, with funding alerts you can switch on. It’s a good way to find grants and loans, but it isn’t an accounting manual. For that, go back to the CRA.
The Business Benefits Finder and the ISED supports page list financing programs and tax help, including CRA tools. Use them to learn what exists. Then read the program’s own terms before you apply.
How do you check that a bookkeeper or accountant is real?
A Chartered Professional Accountant belongs to a provincial or regional CPA body. Ask which one, then check with that body directly. Each province runs its own public register or lookup, so look on your own province’s CPA site for the method.
A bookkeeper doesn’t have to hold the CPA designation, so the professional body check doesn’t apply. Ask for references and a sample of their work instead, and ask who looks at the file when they’re away.
A quick reference table
| You need | Go to |
|---|---|
| Filing, payroll, GST/HST rules | CRA business pages |
| Your own notices and account | My Business Account |
| Grants, loans and programs | Canada Business App, Business Benefits Finder |
| Accounting standards | Accounting Standards Board website |
| Who is a qualified accountant | Your provincial CPA body |
What are the common traps?
The old article is the big one. A post from 2021 can sit at the top of a search and quote figures that moved long ago. The second is the friendly forum answer that sounds sure of itself. One person’s reading of a rule is not the rule.
The third is the sales pitch dressed up as a guide, where every page ends with a product you should buy. That doesn’t make the product bad, but it does mean you should read the guide with one eyebrow raised.
Reliable resources still need records of your own
No guide can replace your paperwork. The CRA’s page on where to keep records and for how long puts the general rule in one line:
Generally, you must keep all required records and supporting documents for a period of six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to.
CRA, Where to keep your records and for how long, canada.ca
Take the year ending December 31, 2025. The six years run out at the end of 2031, so you’d keep those records through December 31, 2031. Records about long-term property, the share registry and similar history have to be kept indefinitely.
Once your records and your sources are solid, use tools to test your numbers. The self-employed tax calculator gives an estimate for a sole proprietor, the corporate tax calculator does the same for a corporation and the profit margin calculator checks pricing. They’re estimates, so compare them with your accountant’s figures at tax time.
What this page doesn’t do
We don’t rank or rate any accounting firm, software product or training provider, and we can’t vouch for any price or service. The official pages named here were read in 2026, and the six-year example is simple date arithmetic. This is an independent site with no tie to the CRA or any government, so always check the date on the official page you rely on.
Frequently asked questions
Where should a Canadian business start for tax answers?
With the CRA business pages. They cover filing, payroll, GST/HST and record keeping, and the CRA is the body that applies the rules.
How do I check an accountant?
Ask which provincial or regional CPA body they belong to and confirm it with that body. Bookkeepers don't need the designation, so ask for references.
How can I test a blog article?
Look up one figure from it, such as a deadline or rate, on the official page. If it doesn't match, don't trust the rest.
How long do I keep business records?
The CRA general rule is six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to. Some records must be kept indefinitely.
Does the Canada Business App replace an accountant?
No. It helps you find government programs and set funding alerts. It isn't an accounting or tax guide.
All family and benefits calculators
- 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