Quick answer: Every question below links to the page where a CPA answers it in plain English — 72 of the most-asked, grouped by topic, out of the 2409+ answered across this site. If yours is not here, the search covers everything, and an enquiry covers what a page cannot.
And if it’s truly one-of-a-kind, ask a CPA directly — free, usually answered the same business day.
Ask about CRA letters & reviews
- Do you help with CRA reviews and audit letters?
- Will filing late returns trigger an audit?
- What does the CRA ask for if it reviews my business?
- What triggers a CRA audit for a small business?
- Does claiming a home office trigger an audit?
- Can I be audited if I did nothing wrong?
- How do I reduce my audit risk?
- How does CRA spot a mismatch between my GST filings and my tax return?
- Does reporting a business loss mean I will be audited?
- Do cash-heavy businesses get more scrutiny?
- Does filing an objection stop collection action?
- How long do I have to file a notice of objection?
Deadlines
- What does a farm or trades year-end cost?
- What does a corporate year-end cost for a Langley business?
- What does a year-end cost for a one-person corporation in Maple Ridge?
- What does a year-end cost for a Mission corporation?
- What does a corporate year-end cost for a Surrey contractor?
- Do I have to file T5018 slips?
- Do you prepare year-end financial statements?
- My year-end is weeks away and the firm just merged. What comes first?
- Is there a deadline for the GST/HST bad debt adjustment?
- When must a declared bonus actually be paid?
- Does a bonus create RRSP room?
- Is bonusing down to the small-business limit still worth it?
Paying yourself
- How should I pay myself from my Maple Ridge professional corporation?
- Should I pay myself salary or dividends?
- How does Ontario’s personal surtax affect my salary-vs-dividend mix?
- Can I declare a bonus to reduce this year’s corporate tax?
- What is the 180-day rule for accrued bonuses?
- Does the 180-day clock run from year end or from the declaration date?
- Is a payment on day 180 late?
- What happens if the bonus is paid after 180 days?
- Does the rule apply to amounts owed to a shareholder-employee?
- Are vacation pay and retiring allowances treated the same way?
- Do dividends paid to an owner count toward BC payroll for EHT?
- What is a capital dividend account?
GST/HST
- Does BC’s PST apply to the software and subscriptions my business uses?
- How does PST work on a construction contract where I supply both materials and labour?
- Do I need a BC PST number if I sell online to customers in BC?
- Alberta has no PST — does that mean sales tax is a non-issue for my business?
- Does Alberta’s lack of PST change anything for a construction business specifically?
- Do I still register for GST/HST if Amazon already collects it?
- Do I need a separate GST registration for my professional corporation?
- Do I charge GST/HST on rent?
Payroll & people
- I have one client and I am incorporated in Maple Ridge. Am I a personal services business?
- What payroll filings does a Manitoba employer have beyond CRA remittances?
- I am a consultant with one main client. Should I be worried?
- I work for mostly one client through my corporation — is that a problem?
- Do you handle T5018 subcontractor reporting for my construction business?
- I use subcontractors — could CRA reclassify them as employees?
- Could CRA treat my incorporated consulting income as if I were an employee?
- Are our freelancers contractors or employees?
- Is EHT the same as CPP and EI?
Starting & structuring
- When should an Aldergrove sole proprietor think about incorporating?
- When does BC’s Employer Health Tax start applying to a growing business?
- What provincial filings does a BC corporation have on top of its T2?
- When should an online seller incorporate?
- What actually happens if CRA decides my corporation is a PSB?
- Can I claim a home office if I spend most days at my client’s Vancouver site?
- Do you work with incorporated professionals across Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows?
- What can I leave in my corporation, and what happens if I do?
- What is a personal services business and why does it matter?
- I mostly bill one client — is my corporation a PSB?
- Do you work with professionals outside BC?
Your question, your numbers
Pages answer in general. An Advice Call answers about your corporation — 45 minutes with a CPA, $225 plus applicable tax, booked by email, paid by secure link.
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Common questions about asking a CPA
Does it cost anything to ask?+
No. A question sent from this page is answered free. You get an answer to the question as asked, not a records review; where a real answer needs your file, we say so and quote the cost. Ask us →
How quickly will I hear back?+
One business day. Questions that arrive in the evening are usually answered the next morning. If a question needs research before it can be answered properly, you get told that on the first reply rather than left waiting.
Can you answer for my specific situation?+
Up to a point. General questions about how a rule works are answered directly. A question that turns on your numbers — whether to incorporate this year, what a particular sale will cost in tax — needs the figures, and that is either a paid Advice Call or a proper engagement.
Who actually replies?+
A Chartered Professional Accountant. There is no intake queue: the CPA who answers the question is part of the firm that would do the work.