--- title: "Choosing an Accountant in Ottawa: What to Ask First" url: https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/choosing-an-accountant-ottawa description: "How to choose an accountant in Ottawa: contracting to government through a corporation, PSB risk, realtors and trades, Ontario HST, and fixed fees." type: guide updated: 2026-10-12 summary: "Ottawa has more incorporated consultants contracting to one large client than almost any city in the country, and that structure carries the personal services business question that a general preparer may never raise. Alongside them sit realtors on a commission cycle and the trades that build the suburbs." faq_count: 4 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/) [Blog](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog) Choosing an accountant in Ottawa Local # Choosing an accountant in Ottawa, *and what to ask first* By EverStone CPA · Published September 2026 · 7 min read **Quick answer:** Ottawa has more incorporated consultants contracting to one large client than almost any city in the country, and that structure carries the personal services business question that a general preparer may never raise. Alongside them sit realtors on a commission cycle and the trades that build the suburbs. Choose an accountant who raises PSB unprompted, fixes the fee in writing, stays on your file personally and can be reached between year-ends. ## Why Ottawa is a different search The defining Ottawa business is the incorporated consultant: one main client, often a department or an agency, a corporation of one, and an income that looks a great deal like a salary. The personal services business rules let the CRA treat that corporation as an incorporated employee, denying the small business deduction and most expenses. The way to stay clear is to be genuinely in business, and the way to know where you stand is an accountant who looks at the facts before the CRA does. The rest of Ottawa’s owner-managed economy has its own specifics. Realtors earn in lumps and face the question of incorporating through a personal real estate corporation. Trades and builders have subcontractors, T5018 slips and WSIB clearance. All of them file Ontario’s single HST, which is simpler than the two-tax provinces but still has to be reconciled to the books every period. Ontario also has an employer health tax once payroll passes the exemption, which is the kind of thing that only matters until the year it does. ## The questions that separate firms ### 1. Will you tell me if my corporation looks like a personal services business? Ask this first. The signs are one main client, work that resembles employment, and few of the marks of an independent business. Ask what the firm does to assess it and what it would tell you to change. If the answer is vague, keep looking. Start with the credential. CPA members and public accounting firms in Ontario are listed in [CPA Ontario’s member, firm and licensee directories](https://www.cpaontario.ca/protecting-the-public/directories); a minute there confirms that the person and the firm you are talking to are who they say they are. ### 2. Who does the work, and who signs it? Ask who prepares, who reviews and who signs, and whether that changes. A one-client corporation is a small file, and small files move around large practices. One CPA from first email to filed return keeps the judgement consistent. ### 3. Is the fee fixed and in writing before the work starts? Ask for the number before anything begins and what would move it. Transaction volume, the condition of the books, the number of filings and payroll are fair answers. An hourly rate is not. ### 4. How should I pay myself, and when do we decide? Salary against dividends is the decision that matters most for a corporation of one and it has to be made before the year closes. Ask whether the firm plans it with you during the year and whether that is included. ### 5. For a realtor or a trades business: the specifics? A realtor should ask about the personal real estate corporation decision and commission timing. A builder should ask about subcontractor classification, T5018 slips and WSIB clearance. A firm that does the work answers specifically. ### 6. What does switching involve? Authorisation with the CRA, a file request to your previous firm, and work continues from the last filed year-end. Mid-year is fine, and a backlog is quoted separately. **Comparing accountants in Ottawa?** Put these same questions to us. One CPA handles your file from quote to filing, the fee is fixed in writing before work starts, and we work with Ottawa owner-managed businesses entirely online. You can [read about EverStone CPA](https://www.everstonecpa.com/about) before you decide, or [get a fixed quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online?service=monthly-tax#enquiry-form). [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online?service=monthly-tax#enquiry-form) ## How to compare two Ottawa quotes List what each includes: T2, year-end statements, HST, the owner’s T1, payroll if you take a salary, and questions through the year. For a corporation of one the salary-versus-dividend planning is the part worth paying for. Then compare the answers to the PSB question. The firm that engaged with it is the one thinking about your tax rather than your return. ## Red flags worth walking away from - The personal services business rules never come up for a one-client consultant. - Salary versus dividends decided after the year-end from the bank statements. - A fee described as an estimate, or tied to an hourly rate. - HST reconciled once a year rather than every period. - Nobody will name the person who prepares and reviews the file. ## Where to start A free thirty-minute conversation covers the client structure, what is filed now and how you are paid, and ends with a fixed fee in writing. EverStone works with Ottawa clients entirely online. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online) [See the fixed fees](https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing) For Ottawa specifically: [the Ottawa accounting page](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-ottawa), [Ottawa consultants](https://www.everstonecpa.com/consultant-accountant-ottawa), [Ottawa realtors](https://www.everstonecpa.com/realtor-accountant-ottawa), [the personal services business risk check](https://www.everstonecpa.com/psb-risk-assessment) and [Ontario tax facts](https://www.everstonecpa.com/ontario-tax-facts). Choosing somewhere else? The same questions, with the local specifics, for [Abbotsford](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/choosing-an-accountant-abbotsford-bc), [Chilliwack](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/choosing-an-accountant-chilliwack-bc), [Langley](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/choosing-an-accountant-langley-bc), [Surrey](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/choosing-an-accountant-surrey-bc), [Maple Ridge](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/choosing-an-accountant-maple-ridge-bc), [Aldergrove](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/choosing-an-accountant-aldergrove-bc), [Vancouver](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/choosing-an-accountant-vancouver-bc), [Victoria](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/choosing-an-accountant-victoria-bc), [Calgary](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/choosing-an-accountant-calgary), [Edmonton](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/choosing-an-accountant-edmonton), [Winnipeg](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/choosing-an-accountant-winnipeg), [Toronto](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/choosing-an-accountant-toronto), [Mission](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/choosing-an-accountant-mission-bc) and [the Fraser Valley](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/choosing-accountant-fraser-valley). Common questions ## Frequently asked questions about choosing an accountant in Ottawa These are the questions particular to this search. [The full FAQ](https://www.everstonecpa.com/faq) covers fees, timing and what the first year looks like. **Does my accountant need to be in Ottawa?** No. Filings, signatures and records are electronic. What matters is that the firm understands one-client corporations and Ontario’s HST. EverStone works with Ottawa clients online. **I contract to a federal department through my corporation. Is that a personal services business?** It can be, depending on the facts: one main client, work that looks like employment, few marks of an independent business. The consequences are the loss of the small business deduction and most expenses. A good accountant assesses this early. **Can I switch mid-year?** Yes. Authorise the new firm with the CRA, the new firm requests your file, and work continues from the last filed year-end. Catch-up is quoted separately. **How is the fee set?** By transaction volume, the state of the books, the number of filings and whether you take a salary, as a fixed fee in writing after we review your enquiry. Starting points are on the pricing page. ## Have a question about this? Ask it free through [the quick-question form](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) and a CPA replies by email within one business day. For something that needs a proper look, a one-off **Advice Call** is a paid 45-minute session with a Chartered Professional Accountant: $225 plus GST, booked by email or phone with a secure payment link. It is credited against your first invoice if you become a client within 60 days. Looking for an accountant to take this on rather than an answer? [Send an enquiry](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online). [Ask a Free Question](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) [Book a Paid Advice Call](https://www.everstonecpa.com/advice-call) Email info@everstonecpa.com ★★★★★ “…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 --- Source: https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/choosing-an-accountant-ottawa Prices: https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing · Contact: info@everstonecpa.com · https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online