Corporate tax accountant for Oshawa corporations
An Oshawa corporation files one T2 that carries both the federal and the Ontario tax, then a separate registry return on a clock of its own. EverStone prepares both remotely for companies across Durham Region. See the Ontario tax reference or the Oshawa practice.
Quick answer: An Ontario corporation files its T2 within six months of year-end and pays any balance two months after year-end, or three for a Canadian-controlled private corporation claiming the small business deduction that meets the conditions. The same six-month window applies to the annual return through the Ontario Business Registry. EverStone prepares the T2, the year-end statements and the registry filing for Oshawa corporations at a fee quoted after a free consultation. For a one-owner trades corporation, bookkeeping, payroll and the year-end T2 together usually run $450–$650 a month.
One return, both layers of tax
Ontario has a tax collection agreement with the federal government, so the CRA assesses and collects Ontario corporate tax on the same T2. There is no separate provincial income tax return, and a single notice of assessment covers both. What Ontario adds sits inside the return: its own rate schedule, its own credits, and a small business rate that applies to active business income up to the business limit. The current rates, and how a year straddling the mid-2026 rate change is prorated, are on the Ontario tax facts page with their sources.
For a Durham contractor, carrier or shop, the practical question is how much income stays inside the small business rate, which comes down to how much the owner pays out and in what form.
The balance is due before the return
The T2 is due six months after year-end, but the tax owing is due two months after, or three for a CCPC that claimed the small business deduction and meets the conditions. Owners who treat the filing deadline as the payment deadline pay interest for the months in between. Once the corporation owes enough tax, it also pays instalments through the year, and the CRA charges interest on instalments that are short or late. Work out your T2 dates from your year-end, and see corporate instalments for how the schedule is set.
The Ontario annual return is a separate filing
Ontario corporations file an annual return through the Ontario Business Registry within six months of year-end. It is a corporate-law filing that confirms the company’s directors, officers and address, and it no longer travels with the tax return. The CRA does not remind you about it, so a corporation can be fully current on its T2 and still fall out of good standing with the province. That tends to surface at the worst moment: a lender, a bonding company or a buyer asks for a certificate of status. We put the registry deadline on the same calendar as the T2 and file it in the same pass.
Paying yourself out of a Durham company
Most owner-run corporations pay the owner through salary, dividends or a mix. Salary is deductible to the company, creates RRSP room and requires payroll remittances and a T4. Dividends are paid from after-tax profit and need no payroll account, but create no RRSP room or CPP. The right mix shifts with the owner’s personal income, family situation and how much profit the company keeps. We model it before year-end, when a bonus or dividend can still be declared, using the same numbers that go on the return. The salary vs dividends calculator shows the trade-off in rough terms.
The shareholder loan account needs the same attention. Money taken from the company that is neither salary nor dividend is a loan, and a balance not repaid within one year after the corporation’s year-end is generally taxed as the owner’s income.
Equipment, vehicles and capital cost allowance
Durham corporations tend to own things: excavators, tractors and trailers, CNC machines, pickups, kitchen lines. None of these is expensed on purchase. Each goes into a capital cost allowance class and is deducted over time at that class’s rate, and an asset has to be available for use before the year-end to be claimed at all. When equipment is sold or traded, the proceeds reduce the class, which can produce recapture if the class goes negative. We track each class across years so the schedule on the return matches the equipment in the yard. CCA classes covers the main categories.
Timing a purchase is a planning decision, not a year-end scramble. A machine delivered and running before the year closes can be claimed this year; one ordered but still on a truck cannot. We look at the equipment plan with you a month or two before year-end, alongside the pay decision, so the deduction and the owner’s draw are set together rather than one undoing the other.
Industry detail that shows up on the return
Different Durham industries put different schedules on the T2. Contractors who pay subcontractors file T5018 slips within six months of the reporting period, and their revenue depends on how holdbacks and unfinished work are treated at the cut-off (contractors). Manufacturers carry inventory and work in progress, and can claim SR&ED on Form T661 for qualifying process work, with CCPCs able to earn an enhanced refundable credit (manufacturers). Carriers carry heavy equipment and IFTA fuel records (trucking). Realtors working through a personal real estate corporation have a narrower structure again (realtors).
Remote, from Abbotsford
EverStone prepares Oshawa T2 returns from Abbotsford, British Columbia. You authorise us through your CRA business account, which lets us see filings, balances and notices directly. Year-end records come through a secure upload link, the engagement letter and filing authorisation are signed electronically, and the return is transmitted to the CRA electronically. If a notice of reassessment arrives, a notice of objection is due within 90 days, and we handle the correspondence. If you have not used a CPA outside Ontario, working with a CPA in another province explains the mechanics.
Prepared and reviewed by a Chartered Professional Accountant at EverStone CPA, an Abbotsford CPA firm working with small businesses and incorporated contractors across the Fraser Valley and Canada. Updated September 2026. About the firm · Book a free consult
Key T2 dates for an Oshawa corporation
| Obligation | When it is due |
|---|---|
| Balance of tax owing | Two months after year-end; three for a qualifying CCPC claiming the small business deduction |
| T2 corporate return | Six months after year-end |
| Ontario Business Registry annual return | Within six months of year-end |
| T4, T4A and T5 slips | By the last day of February |
| Sales tax where you operate | 13% HST, a single registration and a single return |
Source: The T2 corporate return. General information, not advice.
In Oshawa, EverStone also works with restaurants.
Oshawa corporate tax questions
Does an Oshawa corporation file a separate Ontario tax return?+
What does a T2 cost?+
When is the corporation’s tax actually due?+
Can you file a T2 that is already late?+
Do I need audited statements?+
Is there a Durham Region office?+
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Related services and local guides
Nearby cities, the rest of what we do for Oshawa businesses, and the reference pages behind this one.
Incorporated in Oshawa?
The T2, the year-end statements and the Ontario annual return handled by one CPA. Fixed fee, fully online.
Remote corporate tax for Oshawa from Abbotsford
Corporate tax for Oshawa and Durham Region companies is delivered remotely from Abbotsford, British Columbia. There is no Oshawa office and no local team. Meetings are virtual, documents are signed electronically, and the CPA who prepares the return is the one who answers your questions about it.
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One Chartered Professional Accountant, start to finish. Fixed fees, quoted in writing before any work begins, and no obligation from a first conversation.
