--- title: "Choosing an Accountant in Surrey BC: What to Ask First" url: https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/choosing-an-accountant-surrey-bc description: "How to choose an accountant in Surrey: subcontractor and T5018 experience, trucking and realtor files, fixed fees in writing, and what switching involves." type: guide updated: 2026-10-12 summary: "Surrey is several markets in one: construction and trades across Newton and Cloverdale, trucking and logistics along the corridor, realtors on a commission cycle, and thousands of small corporations in between. It also has more accounting firms than any city in the Fraser Valley, from volume tax shops to national offices." 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 Surrey Local # Choosing an accountant in Surrey, *and what to ask first* By EverStone CPA · Published September 2026 · 7 min read **Quick answer:** Surrey is several markets in one: construction and trades across Newton and Cloverdale, trucking and logistics along the corridor, realtors on a commission cycle, and thousands of small corporations in between. It also has more accounting firms than any city in the Fraser Valley, from volume tax shops to national offices. Choose on who does the work, whether the fee is fixed in writing, whether the firm has handled your kind of file, and whether you can reach them outside tax season. ## Why Surrey is a different search Surrey has too many firms. Searches return storefront preparers to national offices, and the cheapest and priciest can fail alike: nobody experienced in your business does the work. Surrey businesses have specific needs. Construction needs correct subcontractor status, T5018 slips, WorkSafeBC clearances and holdbacks. Trucking needs equipment financing, fuel and per diems. A realtor’s lumpy income makes the personal real estate corporation decision depend on numbers few preparers ask for. Underneath all of it, BC charges GST and PST separately, and payroll above the exemption threshold attracts the Employer Health Tax. Surrey files get reviewed. The firm you choose should already be doing the work that survives a review. ## The questions that separate firms ### 1. How do you handle subcontractors and T5018 slips? If you use subcontractors, ask how the firm classifies workers, tracks T5018 payments year-round instead of in February, and handles holdbacks. Construction-savvy firms answer instantly. Start with the credential. CPA members and public accounting firms in British Columbia are listed in [CPABC’s member and firm directories](https://www.bccpa.ca/protecting-the-public/cpabc-member-firm-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? In a high-volume practice the person you meet is a salesperson for the engagement. Ask who prepares, who reviews and who signs, and whether that changes from year to year. The answer you want is one name, and the same name next year. ### 3. Is the fee fixed, in writing, before work starts? Ask for the number before anything begins, in an engagement letter, and ask what would change it. Transaction volume, the state of the books, the number of filings and payroll are fair answers. An hourly rate is not. ### 4. Can I reach you between year-ends? Tax savings come from in-year decisions: pay, bonus accruals, equipment timing. Ask whether July calls are included and whether the person answering knows your file. ### 5. Do you keep GST and PST tied out separately? They are separate taxes with separate rules, and PST is where trades, equipment rental and retail businesses get caught. Ask how PST is reconciled to your sales records and how often the two returns are checked against the books. ### 6. What does switching involve? [Authorisation with the CRA](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/representative-authorization/overview.html), 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 so the cost of clearing it is visible before you commit. **Comparing accountants in Surrey?** 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 Surrey contractors, trucking firms and professionals, 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 Surrey quotes Compare inclusions: T2, statements, GST and PST, payroll and T4s, T5018s, the owner’s T1 and year-round questions. Low Surrey quotes often omit slips and questions, the real work. Then ask what would make the fee change and whether you would hear about it before or after. A fixed fee that grows quietly is not fixed. ## Red flags worth walking away from - A quote given before anyone has asked how many subcontractors you pay or how many transactions you run. - T5018 slips and clearance letters treated as an add-on, or not mentioned for a construction business. - A fee described as an estimate, or tied to an hourly rate. - PST folded into GST, or not mentioned for a business that sells goods or rents equipment. - Nobody will name the person who prepares and reviews your file. ## Where to start A free thirty-minute conversation about what the business does and what is filed now ends with a fixed fee in writing. The work runs online, and Surrey owners rarely need to visit. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online) [See the fixed fees](https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing) For Surrey specifically: [the Surrey accounting page](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-surrey), [accounting for Surrey contractors](https://www.everstonecpa.com/contractor-accountant-surrey), [Surrey realtors](https://www.everstonecpa.com/realtor-accountant-surrey), [T5018s, holdbacks and WorkSafeBC at year-end](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/surrey-construction-t5018-holdbacks-worksafebc-year-end) and [how switching works](https://www.everstonecpa.com/switching-accountants). 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), [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), [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 Surrey 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 Surrey?** No. Filings, signatures and records are electronic. What matters is experience with your kind of business and with BC’s two sales taxes. EverStone works with Surrey clients online. **What should a construction company ask first?** How subcontractors are classified, how T5018 payments are tracked through the year, how holdbacks are treated at year-end and how WorkSafeBC clearance letters are collected. A firm that does this work will answer without hesitation. **Can I switch in the middle of the 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 for a Surrey business set?** By transaction volume, the condition of the books, the number of filings and payroll, quoted as a fixed fee in writing after we review your enquiry. Starting points are published on the pricing page. ## Have a question about this? Ask free through [the quick-question form](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question); a CPA replies within one business day. Need more? A 45-minute **Advice Call** is $225 plus GST, credited to your first invoice if you become a client within 60 days. Want us to take it on? [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-surrey-bc Prices: https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing · Contact: info@everstonecpa.com · https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online