--- title: "Choosing an Accountant in Victoria BC: What to Ask First" url: https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/choosing-an-accountant-victoria-bc description: "How to choose an accountant in Victoria: contracting to the Province through a corporation, PSB risk, GST and PST, fixed fees in writing, and switching." type: guide updated: 2026-10-12 summary: "Victoria has an unusually high concentration of incorporated people doing contract work for one large institutional client: a ministry, a Crown corporation, a health authority or a university. That structure carries a specific risk, the personal services business rules, that a general practice may never mention." 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 Victoria Local # Choosing an accountant in Victoria, *and what to ask first* By EverStone CPA · Published September 2026 · 7 min read **Quick answer:** Victoria has an unusually high concentration of incorporated people doing contract work for one large institutional client: a ministry, a Crown corporation, a health authority or a university. That structure carries a specific risk, the personal services business rules, that a general practice may never mention. Choose an accountant who raises it unprompted, treats GST and PST as two taxes, fixes the fee in writing and stays on your file personally. ## Why Victoria is a different search A search for an accountant in Victoria returns a mix of long-established local firms and national offices, and most of them are perfectly capable. The question a Victoria owner needs to ask is narrower: does this firm understand what it means to invoice the Province through a corporation? The personal services business rules let the CRA treat a corporation with one main client as an incorporated employee, denying the small business deduction and most expenses. The public-sector contracting that defines much of Victoria’s incorporated economy sits squarely in that territory. The way to stay out of it is to be genuinely in business, and the way to know where you stand is an accountant who assesses the facts before the CRA does. Alongside that sit the usual BC items: GST and PST filed separately, the Employer Health Tax once payroll passes the exemption, and the trades, marine and tech businesses that make up the rest of the Capital Region. Working across the strait is not the issue it once was; every part of the process is electronic. ## 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 letters PSB are new to the person across the table, keep looking. 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? 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 one-person corporation and it has to be made before the year closes. Ask whether the firm plans it with you during the year and whether that conversation is included. ### 5. Do you treat GST and PST as two taxes? For a consultant billing the Province, GST is usually straightforward; for a trades or marine business, PST is where the trouble is. Ask how each is reconciled to the books and how often. ### 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 is visible first. **Comparing accountants in Victoria?** 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 Vancouver Island 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 Victoria quotes List what each includes: T2, year-end statements, GST and PST where they apply, the owner’s T1, payroll if you take a salary, and questions through the year. For a one-person corporation the salary-versus-dividend planning is the part worth paying for; check it is inside the fee. 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 corporation. - Salary versus dividends is decided after the year-end from the bank statements. - A fee described as an estimate, or tied to an hourly rate. - PST not mentioned for a trades or marine business. - You cannot get a name for the person who will do the work. ## 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 is a BC firm working online; nothing in the process needs a sailing. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online) [See the fixed fees](https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing) For Victoria specifically: [the Victoria accounting page](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-victoria), [contractors in Victoria](https://www.everstonecpa.com/contractor-accountant-victoria), [the personal services business risk check](https://www.everstonecpa.com/psb-risk-assessment), [the salary versus dividends calculator](https://www.everstonecpa.com/salary-vs-dividends-calculator) 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), [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), [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 Victoria 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 Victoria?** No. Filings, signatures and records are electronic. What matters is a BC firm that understands one-client corporations and both sales taxes. EverStone works with Victoria clients online. **I contract to a ministry 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-victoria-bc Prices: https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing · Contact: info@everstonecpa.com · https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online