--- title: "Payroll Services in Hamilton, ON: EHT, WSIB and T4s" url: https://www.everstonecpa.com/payroll-services-hamilton description: "Payroll for Hamilton employers: CRA remittances, Ontario employer health tax, WSIB, tips and T4 slips, run by a CPA at a fixed fee. Send an enquiry." type: service-in-a-city updated: 2026-10-02 summary: "A Hamilton employer withholds income tax, CPP and EI and remits them to the CRA, pays Ontario employer health tax once Ontario payroll passes the exemption, and reports to WSIB separately. Tips, shift premiums and driver classification add their own rules. EverStone handles all of it remotely, and T4 and T4A slips are filed by the last day of February. Payroll is included in monthly bookkeeping from $325 a month." 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/) [Payroll services](https://www.everstonecpa.com/payroll-services-canada) Hamilton Payroll & source deductions · Hamilton # Payroll services in *Hamilton* A Hamilton payroll often has a plant shift, a site crew and a kitchen in it, and each one pulls in a different rule. EverStone runs payroll for [Hamilton employers](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-hamilton) remotely: CRA remittances, Ontario employer health tax, WSIB reporting and year-end slips, on a scope fixed in writing. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online)[Ask a Free Question](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) **Quick answer:** A Hamilton employer withholds income tax, CPP and EI and remits them to the CRA, pays Ontario employer health tax once Ontario payroll passes the exemption, and reports to WSIB separately. Tips, shift premiums and driver classification add their own rules. EverStone handles all of it remotely, and T4 and T4A slips are filed by the last day of February. Payroll is included in monthly bookkeeping from $325 a month. Payroll covers the source deductions for CPP, EI premiums and income tax, the remittances to the CRA, the year-end T4 and T4A slips, and access through My Business Account. ## Three payroll layers, three different bodies Every pay run in Hamilton answers to three places. The CRA takes the federal layer: income tax, CPP and EI withheld from each employee, plus the employer’s share, remitted on the schedule assigned to your payroll account. The Ontario Ministry of Finance takes employer health tax. The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board takes premiums for workplace coverage. None of the three talks to the others, and each has its own account, deadlines and penalties. A payroll that only watches the CRA side can look fine for years before the other two surface. [Payroll remittances and the RP account](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/payroll-remittances-canada-rp-account) covers the federal schedule in detail. ## Employer health tax: the band comes first Ontario’s employer health tax is graduated. You pick the rate from the band table using total Ontario remuneration *before* the exemption, and only then subtract the $1,000,000 exemption and apply that rate to the rest. Doing it the other way round puts a growing Hamilton employer in a lower band than it belongs in. Associated corporations share one exemption and have to agree how to split it, which matters for a group that runs a fabrication company and a separate trucking company under one owner. The bands and the exemption are tabled with their source on the [Ontario tax facts page](https://www.everstonecpa.com/ontario-tax-facts). ## WSIB on a shop floor and a job site WSIB premiums depend on how your business is classified, and Hamilton’s mix of steel, fabrication and construction sits in the classes where classification matters most. A shop that also installs on site can end up with work in more than one class. A general contractor hiring subcontractors has a second concern: checking each sub’s WSIB clearance before paying them, because an uncovered sub can become the hiring contractor’s problem. We run the payroll figures that feed your WSIB reporting and keep clearance records alongside the sub’s invoices. ## Shift work, overtime and a plant payroll Manufacturing payrolls are rarely a flat salary. Shift premiums, overtime, statutory holiday pay and vacation pay all run through each cheque, and Ontario’s employment standards decide how each is worked out. A premium paid for an afternoon shift is taxable earnings like any other. Holiday pay in Ontario is based on recent wages and vacation pay, not on a flat day’s rate, so a policy copied from another province produces the wrong amount. We set up pay types once, so each run follows the rules rather than someone’s memory. [Statutory holiday pay](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/statutory-holiday-pay-canada-employers) sets out the method. ## Tips in a Hamilton restaurant pay run From James Street North to Locke Street, restaurant payrolls turn on one question: who controls the tips. Where the employer collects and allocates them, through a pool or a formula, they are controlled tips and run through payroll with source deductions. Where a customer hands a tip straight to a server and the employer plays no part, they are direct tips and the employee reports them on their own return. The two sit side by side in most dining rooms, so the POS set-up and the payroll set-up have to agree. [Tip reporting](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/restaurant-tip-reporting-payroll-canada) covers the distinction. ## Drivers: on the payroll or on contract Carriers running out of the QEW and 403 corridor use both company drivers and owner-operators, and the line between them is a payroll question before it is a tax one. An owner-operator with their own tractor, their own authority and several customers is usually a contractor. A driver in your truck, on your schedule, hauling only for you usually is not. If the CRA reclassifies a contractor as an employee, the unpaid CPP and EI come back to the carrier with interest. We look at each arrangement before the first cheque rather than after a ruling. ### Slips, departures and the year end T4 and T4A slips and their summaries are due by the last day of February. When an employee leaves, a record of employment has to be issued so they can claim EI, and Hamilton’s seasonal construction and patio hiring make that a regular task rather than a rare one. We issue ROEs as people leave, reconcile the year’s remittances to the T4 totals, and file the slips before the deadline. [Records of employment](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/roe-record-of-employment-canada) covers when one is required. ## Remote EverStone is a one-CPA firm that works online. There is no Hamilton office and no staff in Ontario. Hamilton employers are served by video call, secure upload link and e-signature, and payroll suits that well: timesheets go in, pay stubs and remittances come out, and none of it needs a visit. About this article **EverStone CPA** Prepared and reviewed by a Chartered Professional Accountant at EverStone CPA, a CPA firm working with small and midsized 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) ## Payroll obligations for a Hamilton employer Payroll obligations for a Hamilton employer Federal obligations plus what Ontario adds — for a business operating in Hamilton, Ontario | Obligation | What it involves | | Source deductions | CPP, EI and income tax withheld from each pay | | Remittance | Due on the schedule the CRA assigns to your payroll account | | T4 slips and summary | Filed by the last day of February | | Provincial payroll tax (Ontario) | Employer health tax, once Ontario payroll exceeds the exemption | | Workplace coverage | WSIB registration, classification and premium reporting | Source: [Ontario tax facts](https://www.everstonecpa.com/ontario-tax-facts). General information, not advice. In Hamilton, EverStone also works with [realtors](https://www.everstonecpa.com/realtor-accountant-hamilton). Free tools for Hamilton businesses: [remittance calculator](https://www.everstonecpa.com/payroll-remittance-calculator). Common questions ## Hamilton payroll questions **How is the Ontario employer health tax rate chosen?** From total Ontario remuneration before the exemption is deducted. Once the band is set, the exemption is subtracted and the chosen rate applies to what is left. Subtracting the exemption first puts you in too low a band. [Ask about your case →](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) **Do associated companies each get their own exemption?** No. Associated employers share one exemption and file an agreement allocating it between them. A group that runs a manufacturing company and a trucking company under common control has to calculate at group level first. **Are restaurant tips part of payroll?** Controlled tips, where the employer collects and allocates them, run through payroll with source deductions. Direct tips, handed straight from customer to server with no employer involvement, are reported by the employee on their own return. **Do I need a WSIB clearance from my subcontractors?** For construction work in Ontario, checking a subcontractor’s clearance before you pay them protects you from their unpaid premiums. We keep the clearance on file with each invoice. **When are T4 slips due?** By the last day of February for the previous calendar year, along with the T4 summary. T4A slips for contractors and other payments follow the same deadline. **Is there a Hamilton office?** No. EverStone works online. Hamilton payroll is run entirely remotely by video call, e-signature and secure upload link. **What does payroll cost for a Hamilton business?** Nothing about a Hamilton address changes the fee. Payroll is included in monthly bookkeeping from $325 a month; a payroll-only engagement is quoted by headcount and pay frequency, in writing, after we review your enquiry. [See the published fees](https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing). **Do you work with businesses outside Hamilton itself?** Yes. Employers in Stoney Creek, Ancaster, Dundas, Burlington and Grimsby are set up the same way as those in Hamilton: payroll runs remotely, remittances are scheduled, and the fee does not change with the address. ## 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 Job costing, inventory, CCA on equipment and SR&ED for Hamilton plants and fabricators.](https://www.everstonecpa.com/manufacturer-accountant-hamilton) [Restaurant accountant in Hamilton Tips, POS reconciliation, food cost and HST on meals for Hamilton restaurants.](https://www.everstonecpa.com/restaurant-accountant-hamilton) [Trucking accountant in Hamilton Drivers and owner-operators, IFTA and IRP, and CCA on tractors and trailers.](https://www.everstonecpa.com/trucking-accountant-hamilton) [Payroll in St. Catharines The same payroll engagement, serving St. Catharines](https://www.everstonecpa.com/payroll-services-st-catharines) [Payroll in Toronto The same payroll engagement, serving Toronto](https://www.everstonecpa.com/payroll-services-toronto) [Payroll in London The same payroll engagement, serving London](https://www.everstonecpa.com/payroll-services-london-ontario) [Contractor accountant in Hamilton Accounting for Hamilton construction contractors](https://www.everstonecpa.com/contractor-accountant-hamilton) [Bookkeeping in Hamilton Bookkeeping for Hamilton businesses](https://www.everstonecpa.com/bookkeeping-hamilton) [Payroll services in BC, AB, ON and MB Remittances, T4s and year-end filing](https://www.everstonecpa.com/payroll-services-canada) [Payroll hub Remittances, deductions and T4 filing](https://www.everstonecpa.com/payroll-hub) [Payroll deduction calculator CPP, EI and tax on a pay period](https://www.everstonecpa.com/payroll-deduction-calculator) [Accountants across Ontario Remote CPA service throughout 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) ★★★★★ “…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 ★★★★★ “…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 ### Starting fees Every fee is fixed in writing before any work begins. - **Payroll, remittances, T4s and ROEs** included in monthly bookkeeping *This page* - **Monthly bookkeeping, GST/PST filing included** from $325 a month - **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?service=payroll#enquiry-form) ## Who this is for, and who it is not This fits a Hamilton employer with a crew, a shop floor or a dining room. It suits one who wants remittances made on time, the [PD7A](https://www.everstonecpa.com/forms/pd7a) reconciled, employer health tax and WSIB kept in step, and T4s that agree with the year when February comes. It is not the right fit for a large hourly workforce with union scheduling rules and shift bidding: that needs a dedicated payroll platform, and we will say so. For everything inside that line, [what it costs](https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing) is settled before any work starts. ## What happens when you get in touch Payroll in Hamilton runs on the same federal rules and the same fixed fee as anywhere else we work. - **A free thirty-minute conversation.** How many people, how they are paid, and what the CRA, the Ministry of Finance and WSIB already expect from you. - **The accounts and the calendar, before the first run.** Your remitter type sets the CRA due dates, and those go on the calendar with the employer health tax and WSIB dates at the start. - **Every run, then the year end.** Deductions calculated and remitted on schedule, then T4s and the T4 Summary filed by the end of February. [Send an enquiry](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online) to get set up, or [ask a payroll question](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) before you commit to anything. ## Hamilton payroll, run properly CRA remittances, employer health tax and WSIB handled by a CPA, remotely. Send an enquiry. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online)[Ask a Free Question](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) --- Source: https://www.everstonecpa.com/payroll-services-hamilton Prices: https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing · Contact: info@everstonecpa.com · https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online