--- title: "Small Business Accountant Vancouver | GST Filing, T2, Books" url: https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-vancouver description: "Small business accountant in Vancouver, online: GST and PST filing services, corporate tax (T2) and bookkeeping, at a fee fixed in writing. Get a quote." type: location updated: 2026-10-08 summary: "Vancouver owners rarely need an accountant downtown — they need one who answers. EverStone works with incorporated Vancouver businesses entirely online: corporate tax, bookkeeping, GST and PST, and salary-versus-dividend planning, all at a fixed fee agreed before any work starts. Published fees start at $125 for a personal return and $325 a month for bookkeeping." faq_count: 12 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/) Accountant in Vancouver Vancouver, BC · CPA for Trades, Film & Tech Businesses # Online Accountant for *Vancouver*’s Trades, Film & Tech Businesses EverStone CPA is a British Columbia accounting firm serving incorporated businesses across the Vancouver area entirely online — corporate tax, bookkeeping and clear advice from a Chartered Professional Accountant, at a fixed fee agreed before any work begins. Businesses in Burnaby, Richmond and North Vancouver are served the same way. **Who we help here:** Trades and construction subcontractors, film and production crew companies, and tech and e-commerce founders. They need someone who already understands BC’s two-tax GST/PST system and won’t make them chase down an office to get it filed. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online) [Ask a Free Question](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) Nearby, EverStone also serves [Surrey](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-surrey) and [Burnaby](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-burnaby), including GST and PST filing for Burnaby small businesses. **Quick answer:** Vancouver owners rarely need an accountant downtown — they need one who answers. EverStone works with incorporated Vancouver businesses entirely online: corporate tax, bookkeeping, GST and PST, and salary-versus-dividend planning, all at a fixed fee agreed before any work starts. Published fees start at $125 for a personal return and $325 a month for bookkeeping. For GST/HST and PST returns on their own, see [GST filing services for Vancouver small businesses](https://www.everstonecpa.com/gst-hst-filing-vancouver). Updated September 2026 . The engagement is the same for a Burnaby, Richmond or North Vancouver business as for one downtown; the service is the same either way. GST filing services for Vancouver small businesses run on the same fixed fee as the rest of the file, on whichever reporting period the CRA has assigned you. Why EverStone ## A CPA who works entirely online We’re a British Columbia firm, so PST, GST and BC’s [Employer Health Tax](https://www.everstonecpa.com/glossary#eht) aren’t abstractions to us — they’re rules we apply every [filing period](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/forms-publications/publications/rc4022.html). What’s different from a traditional Vancouver accounting relationship is that none of it requires an in-person meeting. Your file is handled the same way whether you’re downtown, in a studio in Burnaby, or on a job site in North Vancouver. Every client works with one Chartered Professional Accountant who knows their numbers year-round, not a rotating team. Meetings happen by video or phone, documents move by secure email and e-signature, and your fee is fixed and confirmed before any work starts. Having one CPA tax accountant on the file means the person who prepares your return is the person who answers your emails. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online) ### What Vancouver-area clients get One CPA for tax, books & advice - Corporate tax (T2) & year-end statements - Personal tax (T1) for owners & families - Monthly bookkeeping & payroll - GST and BC PST filed separately - Subcontractor & crew-payment tracking - Fixed fees, confirmed up front ## Which return applies to you Which return applies to you The structure you trade under decides the return — for a business operating in Vancouver, British Columbia | If you are | You file | | A sole proprietor | A T1 personal return with form T2125 for the business | | An incorporated business | A T2 corporate return, with financial statement schedules | | A partnership | A T5013 partnership return where required, plus each partner’s own return | | Employed with a side business | A T1 that reports both the T4 income and the T2125 business | | Sales tax where you operate | 5% GST plus 7% BC PST: two registrations, two returns | Source: [Should you incorporate?](https://www.everstonecpa.com/incorporation-advice) General information, not advice. British Columbia tax, in practice ## Why BC’s two-tax system needs closer tracking than most provinces GST and PST are charged, registered and filed separately in BC, and PST catches more service businesses than owners expect. ### Two separate taxes BC charges **5% GST and 7% PST** as two distinct taxes with two different registrations. Unlike Ontario or the Atlantic provinces’ single HST, a Vancouver-area business has to track and file each one correctly — miss a PST registration and the province can assess penalties independently of any GST issue. ### PST on services, not just goods Owners assume PST is only about goods on a shelf, but BC also applies PST to certain software, telecommunication and related services. Tech and production companies that buy software licences or contract services often owe PST they didn’t register to collect or remit. ### Corporate tax rate BC taxes active small-business income at 2% provincially, on top of the 9% federal small-business rate — one of the lower combined small-business rates in Canada, provided the GST/PST filings behind it are clean. Services ## Accounting & tax services for Vancouver-area businesses Everything an incorporated Vancouver-area business needs, under one roof — delivered online. ### [Corporate Tax (T2)](https://www.everstonecpa.com/tax-services) [T2 corporate returns](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/corporations/corporation-income-tax-return.html) and year-end statements for incorporated trades, production and tech businesses in the Vancouver area, with GST/PST and CRA correspondence handled as part of the file. ### [Personal Tax (T1)](https://www.everstonecpa.com/personal-taxes) Personal and self-employed T1 returns built around a tax-efficient salary-and-dividend split, for owners balancing project-based or seasonal income. ### [Bookkeeping & Payroll](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accounting-services) Monthly bookkeeping and payroll that tracks crew payments, subcontractor invoices and job costs, so a trades or production business always knows its real margin. ### [GST / PST](https://www.everstonecpa.com/tax-services) BC’s two-tax system — 5% GST plus 7% PST — registered, filed and reconciled separately and correctly, including the service categories PST catches that owners often miss. ### [Business Advisory](https://www.everstonecpa.com/advisory-services) Practical advice on cash flow, equipment financing and structure for Vancouver-area owners, from a CPA who understands seasonal and project-based revenue. ### [Fractional CFO](https://www.everstonecpa.com/contract-cfo) Fractional CFO support for growing production, trades or tech companies that need real forecasting and financing conversations, not just monthly bookkeeping. The Vancouver-area economy we work in ## Built for project-based, seasonal and crew-driven businesses Many Vancouver-area businesses don’t have predictable monthly revenue. Construction and trades subcontractors bill by project, film and production companies staff up and down by production, and tech founders often run lean between funding rounds. That rhythm makes generic monthly bookkeeping templates a poor fit. We build your books, GST/PST filing and payroll around how the money actually moves: job costing for trades, crew and per-diem tracking for production, and burn-rate visibility for tech. Your T2 and year-end statements then reflect the business you actually run. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online) ### Serving the Vancouver area, entirely online 🖥️ 100% online — video and phone meetings, secure email and e-signature. We work with incorporated trades, production and tech businesses throughout the Vancouver area and across British Columbia. ### Prefer to reach out directly? ✉️ info@everstonecpa.com · reply within one business day 📞 (604) 832-1743 · Mon–Fri 9–5:30 The issue we see most often Only need the sales tax side? Our [GST filing services for Vancouver small business](https://www.everstonecpa.com/gst-hst-filing-vancouver) cover GST/HST and B.C. PST returns, place of supply and zero-rated exports, for Burnaby businesses as well as Vancouver ones. ## PST registration gaps that surface at the worst possible time The most common problem we see with Vancouver-area businesses isn’t GST — it’s PST. BC’s [provincial sales tax](https://www.everstonecpa.com/glossary#pst) applies to a wider range of transactions than most owners assume. Because GST and PST are separate registrations with separate rules, it’s entirely possible to be fully compliant on the federal side while quietly under-registered on the provincial one. It shows up differently depending on the business. A construction subcontractor who starts selling materials as well as labour may trigger a PST obligation on the goods portion of a contract that didn’t exist when they were purely a labour subcontractor. A film or production services company that leases equipment, or a tech company that resells software licences to clients, can owe PST on transactions that look, on the surface, like straightforward service billing. None of this is exotic. PST’s rules for what counts as a taxable sale or lease are simply broader than most owners expect. BC will assess penalties and interest on unremitted PST going back multiple years if it’s caught in an audit rather than by your accountant first. We review what you actually sell, not just what industry you’re in, against BC’s PST rules before it becomes a problem. We register you correctly the first time and build PST collection into your invoicing and bookkeeping alongside GST, so a two-tax province stays a manageable filing routine instead of an audit risk. That is the standard for GST filing services Vancouver small business owners rely on: GST and BC PST registered, filed and reconciled as two separate taxes. How it works ## Getting set up, without a trip downtown No trip downtown — the whole engagement runs online. 1 ### Send an enquiry An email enquiry about your project-based or seasonal business. You get a fixed, written quote before anything begins. 2 ### Send your records securely Send your records securely; we bring the books current and reconcile GST and BC PST against your contracts. 3 ### Stay compliant all year We keep both filings on schedule, watch your PST registration exposure, and stay reachable all year. How it works remotely ## Working with a virtual small business accountant in Vancouver A Vancouver client and an Abbotsford client run through exactly the same process, because the whole engagement is built to work at a distance. You send records by secure upload link rather than dropping off a banker’s box, we meet by video at a time that fits between your own client calls, and returns are approved by e-signature. The difference for a Vancouver business is usually the mix of work rather than the mechanics: more e-commerce and marketplace GST questions, more contractor-versus-employee classification, and more owners weighing when to stop drawing everything as salary. Because BC is our home province, the provincial layer — PST registration, the BC small business rate, the [Employer Health Tax](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/taxes/employer-health-tax) once payroll grows — is the layer we work in every day rather than one we look up. The same remote model runs for owners across BC. There is a full walk-through of a remote CPA engagement, and a province-wide view for [BC small businesses](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-british-columbia). Run the numbers for your Vancouver business [Quick Method vs regular GST calculator](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-method-vs-regular-calculator) · [compare salary against dividends](https://www.everstonecpa.com/salary-vs-dividends-calculator) · [our T2 deadline tool](https://www.everstonecpa.com/t2-deadline-calculator) · [work out the GST on an amount](https://www.everstonecpa.com/gst-hst-calculator) Free tools for Vancouver owners: [free CRA deadline reminders](https://www.everstonecpa.com/deadline-reminders). Common questions ## Common questions from Vancouver-area owners **How much does an accountant cost in Vancouver?** We charge fixed fees, quoted up front after we review your enquiry, so there are no hourly surprises. Corporate tax returns and year-end financial statements are quoted individually after we review your enquiry; bookkeeping and personal tax are quoted based on your needs. [Published fees](https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing) show where each service starts, and working with us from Vancouver costs the same as it does locally. **Can an accountant outside Vancouver file my corporate taxes?** Yes. The filings that matter — T2, T1, GST/HST, payroll — are federal systems, so a CPA anywhere in Canada can prepare and file them. BC corporate tax is collected with the federal return, so one T2 covers both. **How do we exchange documents securely?** Through a secure upload link. Most Vancouver owners photograph receipts on their phone as they go and upload bank exports monthly, which keeps the books current instead of producing a shoebox in March. Returns come back for e-signature approval. Nothing sensitive moves as an email attachment, and you keep permanent access to your own files. **Do you understand British Columbia tax rules?** Yes, including PST registration, which is separate from GST, and the Employer Health Tax once BC payroll passes the exemption threshold. Provincial specifics are part of the standard engagement, not an add-on. **Do I need to meet my accountant in person if I’m based in Vancouver?** No — everything runs online, by video call, phone and secure email with e-signature for documents. Corporate tax, GST/PST and CRA filings work the same way regardless of where your accountant’s desk is, and most Vancouver-area clients find it faster than the old model of driving downtown for a meeting. [Ask about your case →](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) **Why does BC charge two sales taxes instead of one?** BC opted out of the harmonized HST system that provinces like Ontario use, so GST (federal) and PST (provincial) stay separate — two registrations, two returns, two sets of rules. It’s more filing than a single-tax province, but it’s manageable once your bookkeeping is built to track both correctly. **Does PST apply to my software or production-services business, or just retailers selling goods?** PST can apply to both. BC’s PST extends to certain software, telecommunication and related services, not just physical goods on a shelf, a detail that catches tech and production companies who assumed PST was someone else’s problem. **I do both labour and materials on construction jobs — does that change my PST obligations?** Mixed labour-and-materials contracts can: a subcontractor who supplies materials alongside labour may owe PST on the materials portion of a contract even if the labour portion is untaxed. We review your contract structure to determine exactly what’s taxable. **I am in Vancouver — how do meetings actually work?** Consultations run by video or phone rather than in person, which means no drive and no parking either way. Documents go through a secure upload rather than a courier. In practice most Vancouver clients never need to travel, and nothing about the filing or the deadlines changes. Also serving: **Doing business across British Columbia?** See how corporate tax and sales tax work province-wide in our [British Columbia accounting guide](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-british-columbia) — provincial rates, GST/HST/PST and filing for British Columbia businesses. **Fixed fees**Clear, fixed pricing. 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 ## Real reviews from real clients 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) ## Vancouver industries we work with most Vancouver’s owner-managed base skews toward professional services, e-commerce, design and consulting studios, and trades serving a dense residential market. Those businesses share a pattern: revenue that arrives unevenly, contractors rather than employees, and an inventory or platform layer that complicates GST and PST. We work with a lot of them, and the questions repeat — when to incorporate, how to treat a contractor, whether PST applies to a service bundled with a product. Our [e-commerce accounting page](https://www.everstonecpa.com/ecommerce-accountant-vancouver) covers the platform-seller case specifically. Realtors and personal real estate corporations are a distinct group again. See [realtor accounting in Vancouver](https://www.everstonecpa.com/realtor-accountant-vancouver). ## How working with a Vancouver business actually runs Everything is remote, and deliberately so: you get a CPA who replies, not one who is close by. A first consultation runs by video or phone. Documents move through a secure upload rather than a courier or a drop-in, and signatures are electronic. Through the year you can email or call with a question and no bill follows it, because the fee is fixed and agreed before any work begins. That is the point: the questions worth asking usually arrive before a decision, not after. The same CPA handles your file from start to finish, so the person who prepares your return is the person who answers your emails. For Vancouver owners that removes the two things that make an accountant hard to use: travel, and the hesitation to ask. ## What a Vancouver client’s year looks like Most Vancouver clients have a December year-end, which puts the corporate return six months later and the [balance owing](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/corporations/corporation-payments.html) earlier than that. The work is spread deliberately: bookkeeping kept current through the year, a planning conversation before year-end while decisions can still change the outcome, then the return itself as a confirmation rather than a scramble. GST filings land on their own frequency in between. Nothing about that schedule depends on which city your accountant sits in. We work with owner-managed businesses across British Columbia. See [accounting in British Columbia](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-british-columbia) for the provincial picture, or how a virtual CPA engagement works. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online) Where the immediate need is a year end, [Vancouver financial statements](https://www.everstonecpa.com/financial-statements-vancouver) covers share capital by class, related-party disclosure and what an outside shareholder looks for. For part-time senior finance support rather than compliance work, see [fractional CFO support for Vancouver companies with investors](https://www.everstonecpa.com/cfo-services-vancouver). Services in Vancouver [Vancouver corporate tax (T2)](https://www.everstonecpa.com/corporate-tax-accountant-vancouver) [Vancouver](https://www.everstonecpa.com/bookkeeping-vancouver) Two service pages go deeper for Vancouver: [personal tax (T1) for incorporated owners in Vancouver](https://www.everstonecpa.com/personal-tax-accountant-vancouver), and [accounting for Vancouver trades and construction businesses](https://www.everstonecpa.com/trades-accountant-vancouver). Both are handled remotely. Two obligations come up often enough with Vancouver businesses to have pages of their own. If you employ anyone, [payroll services in Vancouver](https://www.everstonecpa.com/payroll-services-vancouver) covers employees in more than one province. If you charge sales tax, [GST/HST filing in Vancouver](https://www.everstonecpa.com/gst-hst-filing-vancouver) covers place of supply when you sell across Canada. Written for particular industries: [tech startups in Vancouver](https://www.everstonecpa.com/tech-startup-accountant-vancouver) and [restaurants and hospitality in Vancouver](https://www.everstonecpa.com/restaurant-accountant-vancouver). ## Related services and local guides Nearby cities, the rest of what we do for Vancouver businesses, and the reference pages behind this one. [Accountant in Victoria Corporate tax, bookkeeping, GST and PST for incorporated businesses in Victoria and the Capital Region, handled online.](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-victoria) [Monthly Bookkeeping Checklist A free one-page monthly bookkeeping routine: reconcile, categorize, review, file.](https://www.everstonecpa.com/monthly-bookkeeping-checklist) [In-house or outsourced bookkeeping? Hiring a bookkeeper or outsourcing the work: the real cost of each, what changes at which size, and how to tell which one your business needs now.](https://www.everstonecpa.com/in-house-vs-outsourced-bookkeeping) [Bookkeeping health check Score your books out of 100 across reconciliation, receipts, payroll, GST/HST and year-end readiness.](https://www.everstonecpa.com/bookkeeping-health-check) [Bookkeeping in Vancouver Bookkeeping for Vancouver businesses](https://www.everstonecpa.com/bookkeeping-vancouver) [Personal tax (T1) in Vancouver Personal tax for Vancouver businesses](https://www.everstonecpa.com/personal-tax-accountant-vancouver) [Corporate tax (T2) in Vancouver Corporate tax for Vancouver businesses](https://www.everstonecpa.com/corporate-tax-accountant-vancouver) [Accounting & bookkeeping services What a full-service engagement covers](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accounting-services) [Fixed monthly pricing What an engagement costs, published up front](https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing) [Get a second opinion A CPA review of a return already filed](https://www.everstonecpa.com/second-opinion) [Accountants across British Columbia Remote CPA service throughout British Columbia](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-british-columbia) [British Columbia tax facts Current rates and thresholds for British Columbia](https://www.everstonecpa.com/bc-tax-facts) ### 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) ## Ready to get your GST and PST filings sorted? Get GST and BC PST handled properly by a CPA who tracks both taxes against your actual contracts. Email enquiry, fixed quote, no trip downtown. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online)[Ask a Free Question](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) Specialized accounting [Vancouver e-commerce accounting](https://www.everstonecpa.com/ecommerce-accountant-vancouver) ## Remote accounting EverStone works with Vancouver businesses virtually. **There is no premises in Vancouver, and nobody on the ground there.** Calls happen by video or phone and paperwork moves by secure email and e-signature. The person who answers your question in March is the one who prepared the return in June, which is the part a larger office structure tends to lose. ## How a remote engagement works in British Columbia You are in the same province we are, so nothing here is unusual, but the engagement still runs entirely remotely, because that is how the practice is built rather than a concession to distance. - **Authorisation, not paperwork.** You authorize us on CRA’s Represent a Client through your CRA My Business Account, a few clicks on your side, no forms in the mail. That is what lets us see your filings, balances and notices directly rather than asking you to forward them. - **Documents move by secure upload link.** Bank statements, payroll records and year-end files are sent by secure upload link, never as email attachments. You can send from a phone. - **Signatures are electronic.** Your T183 and engagement letter are signed in a browser. Nothing is printed, scanned or couriered. - **Meetings are video or phone.** Year-end review, planning conversations and first enquiries all run this way, on your schedule rather than during a drive. - **Filing is electronic to the same place it always was.** Returns are transmitted to CRA electronically; where a provincial return is administered separately, it is filed to that provincial authority the same way. ### What is specific to British Columbia BC corporations deal with two provincial layers alongside the federal ones: [BC PST](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/bc-pst-small-business-guide), administered by the province separately from GST, and the employer health tax once payroll passes the provincial exemption. Both are provincial registrations with their own filing calendars, and both are handled as part of the engagement rather than referred elsewhere. WorkSafeBC registration is a third, separate account that new employers routinely discover late. If you are comparing firms first, [what to ask an accountant in Vancouver before you sign](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/choosing-an-accountant-vancouver-bc) is written for exactly that. Current British Columbia rates and thresholds live on the [British Columbia tax facts page](https://www.everstonecpa.com/bc-tax-facts). Each figure there carries its source and the date it was checked, kept in one place rather than repeated across the site where it would go stale. ### British Columbia questions we get **Do I need a BC accountant to file a BC corporate return?** No, and the CPA designation is provincially regulated but the work is not geographically restricted. What matters is that whoever files understands the provincial layers, not their postal code. **Is PST handled as part of the engagement?** Yes, where you are registered for it. PST is administered provincially and separately from GST/HST, which is precisely why it is the most commonly missed registration in BC. **Do you work with businesses outside Vancouver itself?** Yes. EverStone works remotely, so businesses in Burnaby, Richmond, North Vancouver and the rest of Metro Vancouver are served exactly as Vancouver ones are: video, phone, email and a secure upload link, at the same fixed fees. ## Talk to a CPA about this 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-vancouver Prices: https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing · Contact: info@everstonecpa.com · https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online