--- title: "Accountant for Incorporated Professionals | EverStone CPA" url: https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-for-incorporated-professionals description: "CPA for incorporated consultants, engineers and IT professionals — salary vs dividends, PSB risk and tax planning for one-client corporations. Ask us." type: service-or-info updated: 2026-10-08 summary: "An incorporated professional, a doctor, dentist, lawyer, engineer or consultant operating through a professional corporation — files a T2 corporate return six months after fiscal year-end and decides each year how to draw income as salary, dividends, or a mix. EverStone handles that planning and the filings online." faq_count: 7 publisher: EverStone CPA Inc., a Chartered Professional Accountant firm registered with CPA British Columbia and CPA Alberta service_area: British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Manitoba language: en-CA contact: info@everstonecpa.com · https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online --- [Home](https://www.everstonecpa.com/) The Accountant for Incorporated Professionals For professional corporations [Home](https://www.everstonecpa.com/) [Services](https://www.everstonecpa.com/services) Incorporated Professionals # The Accountant for *Incorporated Professionals* Consultants, engineers, IT contractors and other professionals who work through a corporation face a specific set of tax issues — starting with whether CRA sees your company as a genuine business or a [personal services business](https://www.everstonecpa.com/glossary#psb). Related: [Accountant for engineers and architects in BC](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-for-engineers-architects-bc). We handle all of it. EverStone CPA advises incorporated professionals from its Abbotsford, BC base — fully remotely, wherever in Canada you practice. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online)[Ask a Free Question](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) **Quick answer:** An incorporated professional, a doctor, dentist, lawyer, engineer or consultant operating through a professional corporation — files a [T2 corporate return](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/corporations/corporation-income-tax-return.html) six months after fiscal year-end and decides each year how to draw income as salary, dividends, or a mix. EverStone handles that planning and the filings online. **Paying yourself from a professional corporation?** Enter your company’s profit in [our 2026 pay planner](https://www.everstonecpa.com/salary-vs-dividends-calculator): it works out corporate tax, CPP and personal tax at every salary level for 2026 and shows the split that leaves you the most. One client and their systems is where the risk concentrates. Ways we help professional firms ## Where professional and consulting firms usually start Three common needs, each a different kind of engagement. ### Owner compensation How much to take as salary or dividends, and when, reviewed each year before the year closes. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online?service=planning#enquiry-form) ### Cash and receivables Monthly books that show what clients owe, what is coming in, and what is safe to draw. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online?service=monthly-tax#enquiry-form) ### Corporate compliance The year-end, the T2 and the owners’ personal returns, prepared together. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online?service=corporate-tax#enquiry-form) If you’ve incorporated to bill clients as a professional — an IT or management consultant, an engineer, a contractor billing mostly one company — your corporation saves tax only when it’s set up and run correctly. The biggest risk is the [personal services business](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/forms-publications/publications/t4012.html) (PSB) trap, where CRA decides your corporation is really just you in disguise and strips away the deductions and low tax rate that made incorporating worthwhile. We work with incorporated professionals across BC to structure the corporation properly, plan how you draw income, and keep the whole thing defensible. The same three questions, worked through for one market: [incorporated professionals in Langley](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/langley-incorporated-professionals-psb-home-office-pay). For the wider picture — regulator share rules, associated corporations, [passive income](https://www.everstonecpa.com/glossary) and compensation planning. See the [For incorporated professionals](https://www.everstonecpa.com/incorporated-professionals-hub). ## What we handle for incorporated professionals - Assessing and managing personal services business (PSB) risk - Corporate tax (T2) returns and year-end financial statements - [Salary vs. dividend](https://www.everstonecpa.com/salary-vs-dividends-calculator) planning for a one- or few-client corporation - Home-office, equipment and legitimate professional expenses - GST/HST registration and filing on your professional fees - Personal T1 returns coordinated with your corporation The professional-corporation traps ## The issues that decide whether incorporating pays off Incorporating as a professional can save real tax — or save none at all if the structure fails CRA’s tests. These are the issues we focus on. Incorporated professionals in the Fraser Valley are a large part of the practice — see the [accountant in Langley BC](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-langley) and [Maple Ridge professionals](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-for-incorporated-professionals-maple-ridge) pages. ### Personal services business (PSB) risk If CRA decides your corporation is a personal services business — essentially you doing a job you’d otherwise do as an employee — you lose the [small-business deduction](https://www.everstonecpa.com/glossary#sbd) and most deductions, and the corporation is taxed at a punishing rate. It’s the single biggest risk for one-client professional corporations, and the one we assess first. Billing mostly one client, working their hours on their systems, no other customers — these are the factors that raise PSB risk. Dentists face the same question through associate agreements; see the guide to [dental practice incorporation](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/dental-practice-incorporation-canada). ### How you draw income Salary builds RRSP room and CPP; dividends are simpler and skip CPP. For a professional with variable engagements, the right mix — and the timing of draws — can smooth your personal tax across busy and quiet years. ### What you can actually deduct Home office, equipment, professional dues, software and training are legitimate when documented. We set up simple tracking so you capture every real deduction without straying into claims that invite a reassessment. ### GST/HST on your fees Professional fees are generally taxable supplies. Once you cross the registration threshold you must charge and [remit GST/HST](https://www.everstonecpa.com/gst-hst-filing-services) — but you also recover [input tax credits](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/forms-publications/publications/rc4022.html) on your costs. We handle registration and filing so it’s never a scramble. If the assessment puts you in the middle or high band, the next step is a written review of your actual arrangement. See [the paid PSB review](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/personal-services-business-psb-risk-canada). ### Keeping it defensible The difference between a structure that holds up and one that doesn’t is documentation and consistency. We help you run the corporation like the genuine business it should be, so its tax treatment is defensible if CRA looks. How it works ## Working with EverStone, start to finish 1 ### We assess your setup An initial review to review your contracts, clients and structure — starting with PSB risk — so we understand your actual exposure before anything else. 2 ### We structure and plan We tune how you draw income, what you deduct, and how the corporation operates, with a fixed quote before any work begins. 3 ### We keep you compliant T2, GST/HST, personal tax and year-end all handled through the year, so your corporation stays clean and your tax stays optimized. This work overlaps our [accounting for contractors](https://www.everstonecpa.com/contractor-accountant) and [corporate tax](https://www.everstonecpa.com/tax-services) services. If your professional corporation holds its interest in a practice through a partnership, that structure also needs a [T5013 partnership information return](https://www.everstonecpa.com/partnership-tax-return-canada) — having a corporation as a partner triggers the filing requirement on its own. Start with our guides on [personal services business risk](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/personal-services-business-psb-risk-canada) and [employee vs contractor classification](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/employee-vs-contractor-cra-worker-classification). Related: [Accountant for physiotherapists and physio clinics](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-for-physiotherapists-bc). Fees are published: monthly bookkeeping from $300, personal returns from $125, and the corporate year-end quoted in writing after we review your enquiry; see [our pricing](https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing). Questions ## Questions from incorporated professionals **What is a personal services business and why does it matter?** A personal services business (PSB) is a corporation that CRA views as an employee in disguise — typically someone incorporated to provide services to essentially one client, doing work they’d otherwise do as that client’s employee. A PSB loses the small-business deduction and most deductions and is taxed at a high rate, which can eliminate the benefit of incorporating. Assessing and managing this risk is the first thing we do. [Ask about your case →](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) **I mostly bill one client — is my corporation a PSB?** A one-client corporation might be at risk. Billing one main client is one factor, but CRA looks at the whole picture: whether you control your own work, use your own tools, take on business risk, and have other customers. We assess your specific situation and help structure things to reduce the risk where possible. **Should I pay myself salary or dividends?** Salary versus dividends depends on your income, whether you want RRSP room and CPP, and your cash needs. For professionals with uneven engagements, the mix and timing of draws can meaningfully smooth your personal tax. We model both and recommend what fits. **Do you work with professionals outside BC?** Yes. We work with incorporated professionals across BC entirely online — video calls, secure upload and e-signature — so your location doesn’t matter. **Was incorporating even worth it for me?** Sometimes yes, sometimes no — it depends on how much you earn versus spend personally, and whether your structure avoids PSB status. If you’ve already incorporated, we’ll make sure it’s working for you; if you’re considering it, we’ll give you an honest answer for your numbers. **What evidence supports that I am genuinely independent?** Build it as you go rather than assembling it after a CRA question. A contract framed around deliverables rather than hours, invoices issued by the corporation, your own equipment and software, insurance in the corporation’s name, and any second client however small all help. A file created during the engagement carries far more weight than one reconstructed two years later from memory. **Can I claim a home office if I mostly work at a client site?** A home-office claim is harder but not automatically lost. The test is whether the home space is your principal place of business or is used regularly and exclusively for the business, and heavy on-site time weakens the first branch. Administration, proposals and bookkeeping done at home still count toward the overall picture. Record where the work actually happens rather than assuming the client site decides it. **Fixed fees**Clear, fixed [pricing](https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing-and-margin-analysis). You approve the fee before any work begins. No surprise bills. **One day**We reply to every enquiry within one business day, usually the same day. **CPA-led**Every file is handled personally by a CPA, never passed to junior staff. **No obligation**Sending an enquiry is free, with zero pressure and no obligation. What clients say ## Why clients stay with EverStone 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 ★★★★★ “…We switched to him last year for both our personal and small-business taxes — responsive, knowledgeable and quick.” Heather Powers 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 [Read our Google reviews](https://www.everstonecpa.com/reviews) Information on this page was last reviewed in ** July 2026 **. See [our editorial standards](https://www.everstonecpa.com/editorial-policy). ## Related reading Guides that go deeper on what this page covers. [Starting and incorporating a business in Canada Starting and incorporating a business in Canada, an annotated hub of guides on structure, registration, first-year setup and the accounts you must open.](https://www.everstonecpa.com/starting-a-business-hub) [CPP for incorporated owners: salary vs dividends Salary creates CPP contributions toward retirement; dividends don't.](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/cpp-for-incorporated-business-owners-canada) [Accounting for realtors, PRECs and brokers Accounting for realtors, personal real estate corporations and brokers in Canada — commission timing, PREC rules, GST, instalments and deductions.](https://www.everstonecpa.com/real-estate-professionals-accounting) [Just incorporated? The 12-step setup checklist Just incorporated in BC? The 12-step setup checklist — CRA accounts, bank, year-end, GST, PST, payroll, WorkSafeBC and bookkeeping.](https://www.everstonecpa.com/incorporation-checklist) [Home-office expenses for incorporated business owners How incorporated business owners in Canada deduct home-office costs: accountable reimbursements vs T2200/T777 employment expenses, explained.](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/home-office-expenses-incorporated-business-canada) [Professional corporations in Langley](https://www.everstonecpa.com/professional-corporation-langley) [Proprietorship vs partnership](https://www.everstonecpa.com/sole-proprietor-vs-partnership) ## Professional corporations in Alberta Physicians, dentists, engineers and other incorporated professionals can see the [Calgary](https://www.everstonecpa.com/professional-corporation-accountant-calgary) and [St. Albert](https://www.everstonecpa.com/professional-corporation-accountant-st-albert) pages. ### Starting fees Every fee is fixed in writing before any work begins. - **Monthly bookkeeping, GST/PST filing included** from $325 a month - **Payroll, remittances, T4s and ROEs** included in monthly bookkeeping - **Books, payroll and the year-end T2 together** $500–$700 a month - **Corporate year-end and T2 return** fixed fee, quoted in writing - **Personal tax return (T1)** from $125; self-employed or rental $275–$500 - **Catch-up bookkeeping** from $2,200 per year of records - **Controller or CFO support** controller from $1,650, CFO from $2,750 a month - **One-off advice call with a CPA** $225 plus GST [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online) Working in the Fraser Valley? We have a page specifically for [incorporated professionals in Maple Ridge](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-for-incorporated-professionals-maple-ridge). Working from home rather than premises? See [home-based businesses in Mission](https://www.everstonecpa.com/home-business-accountant-mission). Counsellor, therapist or clinical social worker in BC? See [accounting for counselling and therapy practices](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-for-counsellors-bc). We work with [Maple Ridge professional corporations](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-maple-ridge) — same fixed-fee approach, entirely remote. ## Where we work The fee is the same wherever you are. We work with businesses in [Abbotsford](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-abbotsford), [Chilliwack](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-chilliwack), [Langley](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-langley) and [Mission](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-mission), across [the Fraser Valley](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-fraser-valley), and with owner-managed companies in [Vancouver](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-vancouver). ## Incorporated as a professional? One Chartered Professional Accountant, start to finish. Fixed fees, quoted in writing before any work begins, and no obligation from a first conversation. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online) [Ask a Free Question](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) Email info@everstonecpa.com ★★★★★ “Personal. Professional. Responsive. Plus he saved me a bundle!” Corrin Skalbeck · Google Local Guide --- Source: https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-for-incorporated-professionals Prices: https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing · Contact: info@everstonecpa.com · https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online