--- title: "Hamilton, ON Corporate Tax Accountant for T2 Returns" url: https://www.everstonecpa.com/corporate-tax-accountant-hamilton description: "T2 corporate tax for Hamilton companies: Ontario rates, CCA on equipment, SR&ED and the registry annual return, fixed-fee. Send an enquiry to a CPA." type: service-in-a-city updated: 2026-10-02 summary: "A Hamilton corporation files one T2 that carries both federal and Ontario tax, at a combined 11.2% on active business income under the $500,000 business limit for days after 30 June 2026 and 26.5% above it. The balance is due two or three months after year end, the return six months after, and the Ontario Business Registry annual return has its own six-month deadline." faq_count: 8 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/) [Corporate tax](https://www.everstonecpa.com/tax-services) Hamilton Corporate tax · Hamilton # Corporate tax accountant for *Hamilton* corporations Hamilton companies tend to own things: presses, trucks, excavators, kitchens. That makes the T2 as much about equipment and timing as about rates. EverStone prepares the corporate return and the Ontario registry filing for [Hamilton businesses](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-hamilton) remotely, at a fee fixed before work starts. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online)[Ask a Free Question](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) **Quick answer:** A Hamilton corporation files one T2 that carries both federal and Ontario tax, at a combined 11.2% on active business income under the $500,000 business limit for days after 30 June 2026 and 26.5% above it. The balance is due two or three months after year end, the return six months after, and the Ontario Business Registry annual return has its own six-month deadline. EverStone quotes the T2 after we review your enquiry. ## One T2, carrying both layers Ontario has a tax collection agreement with Ottawa, so a Hamilton corporation does not file a separate provincial income tax return. The Ontario schedules ride inside the federal T2 and the CRA collects both. On active business income eligible for the small business deduction, the combined rate is 11.2% for days after 30 June 2026, when Ontario cut its small-business rate. A year that straddles that date is prorated by days. General income is taxed at 26.5% combined. The line between the two is the $500,000 business limit, shared across associated corporations. The full table, with its sources, is on the [Ontario tax facts page](https://www.everstonecpa.com/ontario-tax-facts). ## The registry filing the T2 does not cover Every Ontario corporation also files an annual return with the Ontario Business Registry within six months of year end — a corporate-law filing, not a tax one. A company with a perfect T2 can still lose good standing, usually found when a bank or buyer asks for a certificate of status. We file both, diarised to your year end. ## Equipment, CCA and the year-end purchase A press brake, a tractor or a new loader is a capital asset, recovered through capital cost allowance at its class rate, and it must be available for use before year end to be claimed. Timing a purchase is real planning only if that year’s income can absorb the deduction; a truck bought late in a thin year may waste it. [CCA classes](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/capital-cost-allowance-cca-classes-canada) sets out the rates. ## SR&ED on the shop floor Hamilton’s manufacturers improve processes constantly: a new weld sequence, a change to a line to cut scrap, a food-processing step reworked for shelf life. Where that work resolves a real technological uncertainty through systematic trial, it may qualify for scientific research and experimental development credits, claimed on Form T661 with the T2. A Canadian-controlled private corporation can earn an enhanced refundable credit, which means cash even in a year without taxable income. The claim lives or dies on contemporaneous records, so the time to start documenting is when the trial starts, not at year end. [The SR&ED expenditure limit](https://www.everstonecpa.com/tax-update/sred-expenditure-limit) covers the recent change. ## Paying yourself out of the company Salary gives RRSP room and CPP and is deductible to the company; dividends skip payroll but are not deductible. Most Hamilton owners use a mix. The trap is money taken without a decision, sitting in the shareholder loan: if not repaid within one year after the corporation’s year end, it is generally taxed as the owner’s income. We review it before year end, while salary, dividend or repayment can clear it. [The salary vs dividends calculator](https://www.everstonecpa.com/salary-vs-dividends-calculator) runs the comparison. ## The balance is due before the return The T2 is due six months after year end, but the tax is due in two, or three for a Canadian-controlled private corporation claiming the small business deduction that meets the conditions. Interest runs from the payment date, so an on-time return can still carry interest. Instalments usually follow a taxable year. We set the dates up front so the cash is ready. [The T2 deadline calculator](https://www.everstonecpa.com/t2-deadline-calculator) works out yours. ## Remote, and no Hamilton office EverStone is a one-CPA firm and Hamilton corporations are served entirely remotely. There is no Hamilton office. The T2 is transmitted electronically to the CRA wherever the preparer sits, and the registry return is filed online. You authorize us through your CRA business account, send records through a secure upload link, and sign the return electronically. About this article **EverStone CPA** Prepared and reviewed by a CPA at EverStone CPA, serving businesses in BC, Alberta, Ontario and Manitoba. Updated September 2026 . [About the firm](https://www.everstonecpa.com/about) · [Send an enquiry](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online) ## Key T2 dates for a Hamilton corporation Key T2 dates for a Hamilton corporation Counted from the corporation’s fiscal year end — for a business operating in Hamilton, Ontario | What | When | | Balance of tax owing | Two months after year end; three for a qualifying CCPC | | T2 corporate return | Six months after year end | | Ontario annual return | Within six months of year end, through the Ontario Business Registry | | Shareholder loan repayment | Within one year after the year end in which it arose | | Sales tax where you operate | 13% HST, a single registration and a single return | Source: [T2 deadlines](https://www.everstonecpa.com/t2-deadline). General information, not advice. In Hamilton, EverStone also works with [realtors](https://www.everstonecpa.com/realtor-accountant-hamilton) and [restaurants](https://www.everstonecpa.com/restaurant-accountant-hamilton). ## Who this is for, and who it is not This fits an incorporated Hamilton business wanting one CPA, a fee in writing before work starts, and a predictable year end. It does not fit if lowest price matters most or you need someone on site weekly. We work by video, secure upload and e-signature, and [the fee is the same](https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing) wherever you are. ## What happens when you get in touch A Hamilton corporation is onboarded the same way as one next door, and on the same fixed fee. - **A free thirty-minute conversation.** What the company does, what has been filed, and what is overdue. You leave with a fixed fee in writing and no obligation to take it. - **Authorization, in the first week.** We are [authorized with the CRA](https://www.everstonecpa.com/forms/aut-01), so balances and notices are looked up rather than requested from you. If you are [switching firms](https://www.everstonecpa.com/switching-accountants), your file is requested the same week. - **Current, then ahead.** Books brought to a closing position, anything overdue scheduled oldest year first, and the next twelve months of T2, registry and instalment dates set before they arrive. [Send an enquiry](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online), or [ask one question first](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) — both reach a CPA, not a queue. Common questions ## Hamilton corporate tax questions **Does a Hamilton corporation file a separate Ontario tax return?** No. Ontario corporate income tax is calculated on schedules inside the federal T2 and collected by the CRA. The only separate provincial filing is the annual return through the Ontario Business Registry, which is a registry filing rather than a tax one. [Ask about your case →](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) **What is the combined small-business rate in Ontario?** 11.2% on active business income under the $500,000 business limit for days after 30 June 2026, and 12.2% for days before that. A year straddling the change is prorated by days. General income is taxed at 26.5% combined. **Should I buy equipment before my year end?** Only if the asset is available for use before the year end and the year’s income can use the deduction. A purchase that just shifts CCA into a low-income year does little. We look at the projected result before you commit. **Can my shop claim SR&ED?** Possibly, if the work resolved a genuine technological uncertainty through systematic investigation. Routine production and ordinary quality control do not qualify. The claim is filed on Form T661 and depends on records made at the time. **When is the corporate tax actually due?** Two months after year end, or three for a qualifying Canadian-controlled private corporation. The return itself is due six months after year end, so the payment comes first. **Is there a Hamilton office?** No. EverStone works online, and prepares Hamilton corporate returns remotely. The filing is electronic, so where the preparer sits changes nothing. **What does a corporate tax return cost in Hamilton?** Hamilton businesses pay the same published fees as everyone else. A T2 on its own is quoted after we review your enquiry, once the books have been seen. For a one-owner trades corporation, bookkeeping, payroll and the year-end T2 with statements together usually run $500 to $700 a month all-in. [See the published fees](https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing). **Do you work with businesses outside Hamilton itself?** Yes. Corporations based in Stoney Creek, Ancaster, Dundas, Burlington and Grimsby have their T2 prepared exactly as Hamilton ones do, remotely and at the same fixed fee. ## Related services and local guides Nearby cities, the rest of what we do for Hamilton businesses, and the reference pages behind this one. [Manufacturer accountant in Hamilton](https://www.everstonecpa.com/manufacturer-accountant-hamilton) [Contractor accountant in Hamilton](https://www.everstonecpa.com/contractor-accountant-hamilton) [Personal tax accountant in Hamilton](https://www.everstonecpa.com/personal-tax-accountant-hamilton) [Corporate tax (T2) in St. Catharines](https://www.everstonecpa.com/corporate-tax-accountant-st-catharines) [Corporate tax (T2) in Toronto](https://www.everstonecpa.com/corporate-tax-accountant-toronto) [Corporate tax (T2) in London](https://www.everstonecpa.com/corporate-tax-accountant-london-ontario) [Bookkeeping in Hamilton](https://www.everstonecpa.com/bookkeeping-hamilton) [Trucking accountant in Hamilton](https://www.everstonecpa.com/trucking-accountant-hamilton) [The T2 corporate return](https://www.everstonecpa.com/corporate-tax-return-t2) [Corporate tax hub Guides for incorporated owners](https://www.everstonecpa.com/corporate-tax-hub) [Accountants across Ontario](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-ontario) ### What clients say Rated 5.0 on Google across 21 client reviews. [Read all reviews](https://www.everstonecpa.com/reviews) ★★★★★ “…We switched to him last year for both our personal and small-business taxes — responsive, knowledgeable and quick.” Heather Powers Verified Google review ★★★★★ “Personal. Professional. Responsive. Plus he saved me a bundle!” Corrin Skalbeck Verified Google Local Guide ### Starting fees Every fee is fixed in writing before any work begins. - **Corporate year-end and T2 return** fixed fee, quoted in writing *This page* - **Monthly bookkeeping, HST 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 - **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?service=corporate-tax#enquiry-form) --- Source: https://www.everstonecpa.com/corporate-tax-accountant-hamilton Prices: https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing · Contact: info@everstonecpa.com · https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online