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Remote CPA for Ontario

Online Accountant for Ontario Small Business

Ontario is Canada’s biggest market, and its 13% HST and corporate rules have their own quirks. We handle it all online for incorporated Ontario owners, with fixed fees and a named CPA.

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Quick answer: Ontario corporations file a single T2 return covering both federal and Ontario corporate tax, due six months after fiscal year-end, and charge 13% HST rather than separate GST and PST. EverStone works with Ontario owners entirely online, handling T2, HST and year-end statements for a fixed quoted fee. Published fees start at $125 for a personal return and $325 a month for bookkeeping.

Every engagement runs online, by email, video call and e-signature. See how working with a virtual CPA works.

For a one-owner Ontario corporation, our accounting fees for monthly bookkeeping, payroll and the year-end T2 with statements usually run from $500 to $700 a month all-in.

A bookkeeper for consultants in Ontario, or T2 tax filing for a consultant in Ontario, is one file at this desk: one incorporated professional, one HST registration, one return.

Ontario layers a surtax on top of the tax already calculated from its brackets, so the surtax is charged on tax payable rather than on income — which means an owner’s salary-and-dividend split changes both the bracket the income lands in and the surtax tier above it, and cannot be planned at the corporate level alone
A second layer charged on the tax bill itself, not on the income.
On this page
  1. Ontario’s single HST return, and the surtax most owners don’t plan for
  2. Who we serve across Ontario’s largest and most crowded market
  3. Everything an Ontario corporation needs, filed correctly
  4. Why Ontario owners are choosing a remote CPA over another downtown firm
  5. Ontario accounting FAQ
  6. Trusted by Canadian business owners
  7. Working with us in Toronto and Ottawa
  8. Cities we serve in Ontario
Ontario tax at a glance

Ontario’s single HST return, and the surtax most owners don’t plan for

Ontario is a harmonized (HST) province: you charge a single 13% HST that combines the federal and provincial portions, filed on one return. That’s simpler than BC’s GST-plus-PST split, but the place-of-supply rules still matter if you sell into other provinces.

Ontario’s small-business corporate rate is 11.2% combined (9% federal + 2.2% Ontario) for days after 30 June 2026 (12.2% before that date; a straddling year is prorated by days), with a general rate of 26.5%. Larger payrolls may also encounter the Employer Health Tax (EHT), which we factor into your planning.

What most owners miss is the personal side. Ontario is one of the few provinces that layers a personal surtax on top of its standard tax brackets once your Ontario tax payable clears certain thresholds. How you split owner pay between salary and dividends therefore affects not just your total bill, but which bracket and surtax tier that income lands in.

It’s a wrinkle that’s easy to miss if planning happens purely at the corporate level. On the payroll side, once an Ontario employer’s total payroll passes the province’s EHT exemption threshold, EHT applies alongside CPP and EI. Agencies and trades businesses that scale up hiring quickly are the ones most likely to cross it without noticing.

Ontario sales tax and corporate tax rates at a glance
Sales tax13% HST (one combined return)
Small-business corporate rate11.2% combined (9% federal + 2.2% Ontario) from 1 July 2026; 12.2% (9% + 3.2%) before that date
General corporate rate26.5% combined
Small-business limit$500,000

Rates current as of 2026 (source: Canada Revenue Agency). General information, not advice specific to your situation.

Need the full set rather than the summary? The Ontario tax facts tables set out the corporate rates, the sales tax position, the provincial payroll levies, the workers’ compensation authority and the registry filing, each with its government source and the date it was checked.

Who we help in Ontario

Who we serve across Ontario’s largest and most crowded market

Ontario is Canada’s biggest and most diverse provincial economy, which means the tax questions we field vary widely by sector — from multi-province HST tracking for online sellers to EHT thresholds for firms that are hiring fast:

Professional services & consulting

Toronto and Ottawa consultants, agencies and professional corporations optimizing owner pay around both the corporate small-business rate and Ontario’s personal surtax.

Tech & e-commerce

Startups and online sellers managing multi-province HST place-of-supply rules and inventory that moves across several provincial tax jurisdictions at once.

Skilled trades & construction

Incorporated trades managing holdbacks, T5018 subcontractor reporting, and the EHT exposure that shows up as crews and subcontractor headcount grow.

Manufacturing & wholesale

Small manufacturers and distributors needing tight books, margin visibility and HST input tax credits tracked cleanly across suppliers and customers.

The full scope

Everything an Ontario corporation needs, filed correctly

One CPA, one file, coordinated across every deadline:

  • T2 corporate tax returns & Ontario year-end statements
  • 13% HST filed on a single combined return
  • Bookkeeping & payroll on the cloud, EHT tracked as you scale
  • Personal T1 returns coordinated with your Ontario corporation
  • Salary-vs-dividend planning that accounts for Ontario’s surtax
  • CRA support and year-round advice
Why remote works here

Why Ontario owners are choosing a remote CPA over another downtown firm

Ontario has more accounting firms per capita than any other province, concentrated heavily around Toronto, Mississauga and Ottawa, which sounds like it should make finding a good one easy, and instead makes it hard to tell them apart. Many owner-run Ontario businesses end up choosing between a downtown firm with partner-level pricing and junior-level attention, or a generalist bookkeeper. The bookkeeper can produce a T2 but can’t explain what your HST input tax credits or your Employer Health Tax exposure actually mean for the business.

Being a CPA-led firm that works entirely online doesn’t change what the Income Tax Act says about your Ontario corporation. The T2, the 13% HST, and Ontario’s own corporate rate apply exactly the same way whether your accountant’s desk is in the Financial District or, as ours is, in the Fraser Valley. What it does change is overhead. Without a downtown lease to cover, a Chartered Professional Accountant is on every file personally, year-round, at a fixed fee agreed before any work begins. Your return is never routed through whichever associate has capacity that week.

For an Ontario owner comparing firms, that’s the real decision: not whether your accountant happens to be nearby, but whether the same person who quoted your fee is the one reviewing your return.

Go deeper on Ontario compliance

Keep exploring, or run your own numbers first.

Toronto accountantOttawa accountant
Common questions

Ontario accounting FAQ

How does Ontario’s personal surtax affect my salary-vs-dividend mix?+
Ontario layers a personal surtax on top of its standard tax brackets once your Ontario tax payable crosses certain thresholds, so a salary-heavy pay structure can push you into surtax territory faster than a dividend-heavy one would. We model both sides — corporate and personal — before recommending a split, not just the corporate tax bill. Ask about your case →
Does Ontario’s 13% HST really replace both GST and PST?+
Yes. HST combines the federal and provincial portions into one 13% rate and one return, so there’s no separate PST registration or filing the way BC or Saskatchewan require. Place-of-supply rules still matter if you sell into other provinces, and we track those for you.
When does the Employer Health Tax start applying to an Ontario employer?+
Once your Ontario payroll passes the province’s EHT exemption threshold, Employer Health Tax applies on top of CPP and EI. It’s a cost that catches growing agencies and trades firms off guard the fastest, since payroll can scale quickly once you start hiring.
What is Ontario’s small-business tax rate?+
11.2% combined (9% federal + 2.2% Ontario) for days after 30 June 2026 (12.2% before that date; a straddling year is prorated by days) on active business income up to the $500,000 limit, and 26.5% on income above that limit.
Why choose a CPA outside Toronto for an Ontario business?+
Corporate tax, HST and CRA correspondence are federal and provincial matters handled identically no matter where your accountant sits. Working with a CPA outside Toronto’s downtown core means a named Chartered Professional Accountant on your file at a fixed fee, without paying for office overhead you’ll never use.
Do I charge 13% HST when my customer is in another province?+
Not always. The rate follows where the supply is considered to be made, not where your office is, so an Ontario business invoicing an Alberta customer often charges GST rather than HST. The rules differ for goods, services and digital products. Getting the invoice template right at the start is far easier than correcting a year of returns. See the published fees.
What Ontario filings does a corporation have besides the T2?+
Ontario corporate tax is administered through the federal T2, so there is no separate provincial return for most corporations, but there is an annual information return, Employer Health Tax if payroll exceeds the exemption, and WSIB reporting where coverage applies. The annual return is easy to overlook because nothing is owing with it, and missing it still puts the corporation offside.
Which parts of Ontario do you serve?+
All of it. The work is done remotely, so a business in Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, St. Catharines, Windsor, Oshawa, Barrie and the rest of the province gets the same service, the same fixed fees and the same CPA.
Fixed feesClear, fixed pricing. You approve the fee before any work begins. No surprise bills.
One dayWe reply to every enquiry within one business day, usually the same day.
CPA-ledEvery file is handled personally by a CPA, never passed to junior staff.
No obligationSending an enquiry is free, with zero pressure and no obligation.
What clients say

Trusted by Canadian business owners

Rated 5.0 on Google across 21 client reviews.

★★★★★

“…He is very knowledgeable and has saved me tons in taxes by restructuring my group of companies — the best accountant I’ve worked with in the last 10 years, after switching from three different firms.”

Matt Hildebrandt
Verified Google Review
★★★★★

“…have been completing my bookkeeping, taxes and financials for the last 2 years and they have been amazing. Thank you!”

R. H.
Verified Google Review
★★★★★

“…We switched to him last year for both our personal and small-business taxes — responsive, knowledgeable and quick.”

Heather Powers
Verified Google Review
Read our Google reviews
City pages

Working with us in Toronto and Ottawa

If your business is in or around Toronto, the virtual accountant in Toronto page covers how a remote engagement works there, the local industries we see most, and the Ontario specifics that come up. You can also read about working with an accountant in Toronto if you have not worked with a CPA at a distance before. If your business is in or around Ottawa, the online accountant in Ottawa page covers how a remote engagement works there, the local industries we see most, and the Ontario specifics that come up. You can also read about working with an Ottawa small business accountant if you have not worked with a CPA at a distance before.

Within those two cities we publish industry-specific pages for the work we see most. In Toronto: restaurant and hospitality bookkeeping in Toronto and accounting for Toronto marketing and creative agencies. In Ottawa: tax help for Ottawa realtors and commission earners and how we handle personal services business risk for Ottawa consultants. Each covers the deductions, timing and CRA questions particular to that sector.

Cities we serve in Ontario

The work is remote, and the same everywhere in the province; what changes from city to city is the kind of business. Each city page below is written for the industries that city runs on.

Starting fees

Every fee is fixed in writing before any work begins.

  • Monthly bookkeeping, GST/PST filing includedfrom $325 a month
  • Payroll, remittances, T4s and ROEsincluded in monthly bookkeeping
  • Books, payroll and the year-end T2 together$500–$700 a month
  • Corporate year-end and T2 returnfixed fee, quoted in writing
  • Personal tax return (T1)from $125; self-employed or rental $275–$500
  • Catch-up bookkeepingfrom $2,200 per year of records
  • Controller or CFO supportcontroller from $1,650, CFO from $2,750 a month
  • One-off advice call with a CPA$225 plus GST
Get My Fixed Quote

Get a fixed quote for your Ontario business

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A reply from a CPA within one business day, usually sooner — and a fee fixed in writing after we review your enquiry. Rated 5.0 on Google from 21 reviews.

Ready for an Ontario CPA who picks up?

Send an enquiry — T2, HST and bookkeeping handled online at a fixed fee, anywhere in Ontario.

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★★★★★
“…He is very knowledgeable and has saved me tons in taxes by restructuring my group of companies — the best accountant I've worked with in the last 10 years, after switching from three different firms.”
Matt Hildebrandt · Google review

Most of our work in this province is with owners in its larger centres. See how it works for Toronto clients and Ottawa consultants working with a remote CPA.