Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
When you’re interviewing a bookkeeper in Canada, ask what they’ll record each month, which deadlines they watch, and what they hand your accountant at year end. A good answer names real dates: payroll remittances, sales tax returns, T4 slips due by the last day of February, and records you must keep for six years.
That’s the short version. The rest of this page is a set of questions you can read out loud, plus what a decent answer sounds like. It isn’t tied to any firm or price, because what bookkeepers charge varies too much to quote.
Which questions show they know Canadian rules?
Start with the work they do every month. Ask which of your tax accounts they’ve handled before: GST/HST, payroll, or both. Ask how they’d treat a sale in another province, since the rate you charge depends on where the customer is. A vague reply here tells you more than any certificate on the wall.
Then ask about credentials. Don’t assume a title means the same thing everywhere, and don’t treat the word “bookkeeper” as a protected designation unless the body that issued it says so. Ask what training they have, who issued it, and if you can check it with that body. If they say they work under an accountant, ask for that accountant’s name and look them up in your provincial accounting body’s directory.
| Topic | What to ask | A useful answer includes |
|---|---|---|
| Sales tax | How do you set up GST/HST? | Your province’s rate and your filing period |
| Payroll | Who files and pays the remittances? | Who owns each due date, and who gets the notice |
| Records | How long do you keep my files? | Six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to |
| Year end | What do I get for my accountant? | Reconciled accounts, a list of open items, the source documents |
| Access | Do I own my books? | Yes, with an export you can open without them |
What does a good answer sound like?
Take Priya, who runs a small bakery in Halifax and asks, “Who files my HST return?” A weak answer is “Oh, we’ll sort that out.” A good one is “I prepare it, you approve it, and it goes in by the due date for your filing period. I’ll email you a week before.” The second answer names who does what and when. That’s what you’re listening for on every topic: a person, a task and a date.
What should I ask about software and my data?
Ask which software they use and if it’s yours or theirs. That one matters more than people think. If the file lives in the bookkeeper’s own account, leaving them can mean starting over from scratch, with a fresh set of accounts and a year of history you can no longer open. Ask to be added as an owner from day one.
The CRA expects records from computer systems, such as accounting software and point-of-sale systems, to be kept along with paper ones. So ask how they back up files and how you’d get a full export if you parted ways next month.
And who sees your bank login? Read-only bank feeds are a good sign. If someone wants full online banking access, decline and send statements instead.
How do I test how they’d handle my tax money?
Use a number. Say you’re self-employed in Ontario and net $60,000 this year. The self-employed tax calculator shows income tax of $7,879 and CPP of $6,724 on that, so $14,603 in all, or 24.3% of the income. Divide by twelve and you should set aside roughly $1,217 a month.
Now ask the bookkeeper what they’d do with that figure. Do they raise instalments? The CRA’s page on who has to pay instalments says you must pay by instalments for 2026 if your net tax owing is more than $3,000 ($1,800 for Quebec) and was also over that in 2025 or 2024. Its payment due dates for 2026 are March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15. The tax instalments calculator uses that $3,000 threshold. Someone who brings up those dates before you do has probably done this before.
That calculator leaves out GST/HST, EI and business expenses, so your real number shifts. A good bookkeeper will tell you which of those apply to you. If you also run payroll, try the payroll remittance calculator and ask whether their estimate matches your ballpark.
What red flags should I watch for?
Be wary of anyone who promises to lower your tax before seeing your books. Bookkeeping records what happened. Tax planning is a separate job, usually your accountant’s.
Another red flag is a bookkeeper who can’t say which deadlines are theirs. Filing dates differ by account: a self-employed person’s 2025 return was due June 15, 2026, but any tax owing was due April 30, 2026. Dates for the next return depend on the CRA’s calendar, so a person quoting them as fixed this far ahead is guessing.
Watch for pressure. If they won’t give a written scope of work, or won’t say what’s outside it, keep looking. You should also get the terms in writing, whatever the price turns out to be.
Ask for a small paid test, such as one month of books or a catch-up on one quarter. It costs little and shows how they communicate. Our note on talking with your accountant works just as well with a bookkeeper.
What should you do after the interview?
Compare answers side by side while they’re fresh. Did each person name tasks and dates? Did they ask about your business before they quoted anything? The one who asked good questions first is usually the one to trust with the books. Get the scope and fee in one written document before any work starts.
The sources behind this page
Deadlines and the six-year record rule come from the Canada Revenue Agency‘s pages on personal tax dates, instalments, information returns and record keeping, read on 11 October 2026. The calculator figures use 2026 federal and Ontario tax data and CPP rates held in our own tables. They’re estimates. This site isn’t connected to the CRA or to any bookkeeping firm.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a bookkeeper keep my records?
The CRA says six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to, unless it gives permission to destroy them sooner.
Should I own the accounting file?
Yes. Ask to be an admin on the account from the first day and check you can export everything.
Do I need a bookkeeper if I have an accountant?
Not always. Some owners keep their own books and pay an accountant to review them. A bookkeeper helps when the monthly work is taking too much of your time.
Which deadlines should a bookkeeper track for me?
Sales tax returns, payroll remittances, T4 slips due the last day of February, and instalment dates if you owe tax.
Is a bookkeeper licensed in Canada?
We couldn't confirm a single national rule. Ask what credential they hold and check it with whoever issued it.
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