Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
Nobody can give you an honest price gap between a bookkeeper and a CPA in Canada, because no official source publishes one and the figures on other sites are unsourced. What you can compare is the work each one does for you, what the fee includes, and how much your own numbers are worth. This page is short on prices on purpose.
Why won’t this page quote hourly rates?
Fee guides for bookkeepers and CPAs are everywhere, and most read as if copied from each other. We looked for a government or professional body survey of fees and didn’t find one. Prices also vary with the city, the size of your business and how tidy your records are. A number we made up would only give you a wrong idea of what to expect.
So the useful move is to ask three or four people for a written quote for the same job. Then compare like with like.
Bookkeeper or CPA, who does what?
Roughly, a bookkeeper keeps the records: entering sales and expenses, matching the bank account, and preparing the tax and payroll filings that come out of them. An accountant looks at the results, prepares financial statements and tax returns, and gives advice on structure. Plenty of people do both, so read the quote and not the job title.
In Quebec, a firm can use CPA in its name only if practising CPAs control it. Provincial CPA bodies keep public registers you can check. Bookkeeper isn’t a regulated title in the same way as far as we could confirm, so ask about training and references.
What deadlines does the work have to hit?
A quote matters less than whether the person meets these dates. They come from the CRA.
| Filing | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Corporation tax return (T2) | Six months after the tax year ends |
| Corporation balance owing | Generally two months after year end, three for some small corporations |
| GST/HST, monthly or quarterly filers | One month after the reporting period ends |
| GST/HST, annual filers | Three months after the fiscal year ends |
| T4 slips | Last day of February after the calendar year |
| Sole proprietor return, December year end | June 15 to file, April 30 to pay |
A weekend or holiday moves any of these to the next business day. Ask each candidate who owns each date, and what they charge if one is missed. The GST/HST and sole proprietor dates match the CRA’s reporting requirements page.
What does your own payroll cost?
Take an Ontario employee paid $3,000 every two weeks, which is $78,000 a year. Our payroll remittance calculator puts the employer’s share at about $5,939 a year, made of $4,366 in CPP and $1,572 in EI. That’s on top of the wage. It also shows why you want the person handling payroll to be careful: those amounts go to the CRA on a schedule, and an error repeats every pay period.
The take-home pay calculator shows the employee’s side for the same pay, so you can check a pay stub yourself.
When does a more expensive person pay off?
When the tax bill is large enough that a small change shows up. An Ontario corporation with $300,000 of active business income owes about $35,088 for calendar 2026 in the corporate tax calculator, an average rate of 11.7%. A one percent change in that income, $3,000, moves the tax by about $351. On $50,000 of income the tax is about $5,848, and there isn’t much room to save.
So the rule of thumb is plain. A small business with simple sales may need a bookkeeper and one annual review. A company paying owners, staff and dividends probably needs an accountant in the loop all year. The dividend tax calculator shows the owner’s side of that.
Can one person do both jobs?
Often, yes, especially in a small firm. Many accountants have bookkeepers on staff, and many bookkeepers can prepare a basic return. The real question is who is accountable for what. Say Kaitlyn owns a physiotherapy clinic in Victoria and pays a bookkeeper to keep the books each month, then an accountant once a year for the corporate return. Two people, two scopes, and each one knows where the handoff is. That setup can cost less than one accountant doing everything, though we can’t promise it will for you.
Whichever route you pick, make sure someone checks the other’s work at least once a year. A bookkeeper’s mistake that reaches the tax return becomes the owner’s problem at tax time.
Common mistakes
- Comparing hourly rates when one quote is a flat monthly fee and another isn’t.
- Skipping a written list of what’s included, such as amended returns or letters from the CRA.
- Assuming the bookkeeper will file your GST/HST. Confirm who signs and submits.
- Keeping no copies of your own records. The CRA says six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to.
Sources, and how we checked them
The deadlines and record rule come from the CRA‘s 2026 tax deadlines page, its corporation and GST/HST pages and its record keeping guide, read in September 2026. The Quebec title rule comes from a law firm’s summary of the Quebec statute. Amounts come from this site’s calculators, which use 2026 data. We aren’t connected to the CRA or any accounting body.
Frequently asked questions
Is a CPA always more expensive than a bookkeeper?
We couldn't confirm typical fees for either. Compare written quotes for the same list of tasks.
Can a bookkeeper file my corporate tax return?
That depends on the person and the return. Ask who prepares it and who signs, and get the answer in writing.
Do I need both a bookkeeper and a CPA?
Many small businesses use a bookkeeper through the year and an accountant once a year. A company with staff and owner pay may want the accountant involved sooner.
When is a corporation tax return due?
Six months after the end of the tax year. Any balance owing is generally due two months after year end, or three for some small corporations.
How long should I keep my books?
The CRA says six years from the end of the last tax year the records relate to, unless it gives permission to destroy them earlier.
- 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