--- title: "St. Catharines Personal Tax Accountant | T1 Returns from $125" url: https://www.everstonecpa.com/personal-tax-accountant-st-catharines description: "T1 returns for St. Catharines owners, landlords, retirees and the self-employed, prepared remotely by a CPA from $125. Send an enquiry today." type: service-in-a-city updated: 2026-10-02 summary: "Personal returns are due April 30. If you or your spouse are self-employed the filing date moves to June 15, but any balance is still due April 30. EverStone prepares T1 returns from $125 and a self-employed return with schedules commonly runs $275–$500 depending on the business. Everything is handled remotely by secure upload link, and the same firm answers questions after the return is filed." faq_count: 7 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/) [Accountant in St. Catharines](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-st-catharines) Personal tax Personal tax (T1) · St. Catharines # Personal tax accountant in *St. Catharines* A St. Catharines return often carries more than one T4: dividends from the family company, a weekend business, a basement apartment, a pension, or a share of a farm. EverStone prepares T1 returns for [St. Catharines owners and families](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-st-catharines) remotely, starting at $100 and fixed before work begins. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online?service=personal#enquiry-form)[Ask a Free Question](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) **Quick answer:** Personal returns are due April 30. If you or your spouse are self-employed the filing date moves to June 15, but any balance is still due April 30. EverStone prepares T1 returns from $125 and a self-employed return with schedules commonly runs $275–$500 depending on the business. Everything is handled remotely by secure upload link, and the same firm answers questions after the return is filed. ## Dividends and salary from the family company Many Niagara households are paid by their own corporation, such as a winery, contractor or shop. Salary comes on a T4 and dividends on a T5, both by the last day of February. We prepare the T1 and the [corporate return](https://www.everstonecpa.com/corporate-tax-accountant-st-catharines) together, because the salary-dividend mix, set before the corporate year closes, changes RRSP room, CPP, childcare deductions and the tax on each dollar. Where adult family members receive dividends, the rules on tax on split income decide whether those dividends are taxed at their rates or at the top rate. [Tax on split income](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/tosi-tax-on-split-income-canada) explains the exclusions that matter for a family business. ## Self-employed in the Niagara Region A sole proprietor reports the business on form T2125 in the personal return. In Niagara that ranges from a tradesperson working for local builders to a tour guide, a patio musician or a home-based consultant in Lincoln. The return must separate business from personal use of the vehicle, home and phone, with records kept six years. Once taxable sales pass $30,000 in four consecutive calendar quarters, HST registration becomes mandatory, and many sole proprietors cross it without noticing. We check that as part of the return. [The self-employed return](https://www.everstonecpa.com/self-employed-tax-return) sets out what we need from you. ## Rental units and tourist rentals A basement suite, a duplex or a cottage rented to visitors is reported on the personal return, with income and expenses on its own schedule. The line between repairs, which are deducted, and improvements, which are added to the cost and depreciated, is where most rental returns go wrong. [Current versus capital expenses](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/rental-property-current-vs-capital-expense) walks through it. Short-term rentals to tourists differ from long-term tenancies. A residential lease is HST-exempt, but short-term accommodation can be taxable, and registration is mandatory once those sales pass $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters. With summer crowds at the Falls and on the wine route, check before your second season. See [rental income returns](https://www.everstonecpa.com/rental-income-tax-return). ## Retirement income and splitting it Pension income, RRIF withdrawals, CPP and OAS arrive on slips; the planning is in how spouses share them. Splitting eligible pension income can lower combined tax and keep one spouse below the OAS clawback, and the election can change each year. [Pension income splitting](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/pension-income-splitting-canada) and [OAS clawback planning](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/oas-clawback-planning-canada) cover both. Owners selling a business or farm to retire have larger questions again: the lifetime capital gains exemption on qualifying shares or farm property, and how the proceeds are received. Those decisions belong well before the sale closes. ## Instalments and the reminder that arrives in February If your net tax owing is more than $3,000 in the current year and in either of the two previous years, the CRA expects quarterly instalments on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15. Retirees with pension income that has no tax withheld, landlords and self-employed people meet this most often. The CRA’s reminder offers a suggested amount, which is safe but not always the lowest. We compare it with a projection of this year and tell you which to follow. The [instalment calculator](https://www.everstonecpa.com/tax-instalment-calculator) shows the options. ## Farm families and the land they hold Around St. Catharines, Lincoln and Niagara-on-the-Lake, a good number of households own orchard land, a vineyard or a greenhouse operation directly rather than through a company. Farming income reported on a personal return can use the cash method, which gives real control over which year income and expenses land in. Farm losses follow their own rules where farming is not the main source of income, so a hobby vineyard beside a full-time job is treated differently from a working farm. Farm land is often the largest family asset. Qualified farm property can qualify for the lifetime capital gains exemption and pass to a child under the intergenerational rollover rules, both depending on years of use and ownership, so planning starts early. Farm accounting in St. Catharines covers the operating side. ## When the CRA asks a question Review letters, reassessments and requests for information are ordinary; most are settled with the right documents and a short note. We handle them through our CRA authorization, so you are not on hold. To dispute an assessment, file a notice of objection within 90 days of the notice of assessment. See [what a T1 review letter means](https://www.everstonecpa.com/cra-letter-t1-review) and [filing a notice of objection](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/cra-notice-of-objection-how-to-file). 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?service=personal#enquiry-form) ## What your return needs to report What your return needs to report The personal return, by the kind of income you have — for a business operating in St. Catharines, Ontario | If you have | Your return includes | | Employment income | Your T4, plus deductions such as RRSP contributions and childcare | | Income from your own corporation | T4 salary and T5 dividends, planned with the corporate return | | A sole proprietorship | Form T2125, with a June 15 filing date and April 30 payment date | | A rental property | Rental income and expenses, and capital cost allowance if claimed | | Pension or retirement income | Pension, RRIF, CPP and OAS slips, with any pension split elected | Source: [Personal tax deadlines](https://www.everstonecpa.com/cra-tax-deadlines#personal-tax-t1). General information, not advice. In St. Catharines, EverStone also works with [contractors](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-st-catharines), [manufacturers](https://www.everstonecpa.com/manufacturer-accountant-st-catharines) and restaurants. ## Remote personal tax EverStone is a fully virtual CPA firm serving St. Catharines online. **There is no St. Catharines office and no local staff.** Meetings run by video or phone, slips and receipts arrive by secure upload link, the return is signed electronically, and no visit is needed. Common questions ## St. Catharines personal tax FAQ **When is my personal return due?** April 30. If you or your spouse carried on a business, the filing date moves to June 15, but any balance owing is still due April 30, and interest runs from that date. [Ask about your case →](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) **What does a personal return cost?** From $125 for a straightforward return. A self-employed return with business schedules commonly runs $275–$500 depending on the business. The fee is fixed before work starts, and returns for an owner whose corporation we also handle are quoted together. **Do I need to pay instalments?** If your net tax owing exceeds $3,000 this year and in either of the two previous years, the CRA expects quarterly instalments. We compare the CRA’s suggested amounts with a projection of this year and recommend which to pay. **Can a CPA in BC prepare my Ontario return?** Yes. Your Ontario tax is calculated on the same federal T1 and filed electronically to the CRA, so where the preparer sits changes nothing. EverStone serves St. Catharines remotely. **How long should I keep my tax records?** Six years. That includes receipts, slips, logs and the working papers behind any claim, and it runs from the end of the tax year the records relate to. **I disagree with my assessment. What now?** Start by reading what changed and why; many differences are a missing slip or receipt that can be sent in. If the CRA’s position is wrong, a notice of objection must be filed within 90 days of the notice of assessment. **Do you work with businesses outside St. Catharines itself?** Yes. Returns for people in Niagara Falls, Welland, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Lincoln and the rest of the Niagara Region are prepared the same way as for St. Catharines: documents come in through a secure upload link, and the fee is the same. ## Related services and local guides Nearby cities, the rest of what we do for St. Catharines businesses, and the reference pages behind this one. [Corporate tax accountant in St. Catharines](https://www.everstonecpa.com/corporate-tax-accountant-st-catharines) [Bookkeeping for St. Catharines businesses](https://www.everstonecpa.com/bookkeeping-st-catharines) [Personal tax (T1) in Hamilton](https://www.everstonecpa.com/personal-tax-accountant-hamilton) [Personal tax (T1) in Kitchener-Waterloo](https://www.everstonecpa.com/personal-tax-accountant-kitchener-waterloo) [Payroll in St. Catharines](https://www.everstonecpa.com/payroll-services-st-catharines) [Salary vs dividends calculator Compare the two ways to pay yourself](https://www.everstonecpa.com/salary-vs-dividends-calculator) [Fixed pricing](https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing) [Accountants across Ontario](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-ontario) [Ontario tax facts Current rates and thresholds for Ontario](https://www.everstonecpa.com/ontario-tax-facts) ### What clients say Rated 5.0 on Google across 26 client reviews. [Read all reviews](https://www.everstonecpa.com/reviews) ★★★★★ “Personal. Professional. Responsive. Plus he saved me a bundle!” Corrin Skalbeck Verified Google Local Guide ★★★★★ “…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 ### Starting fees Every fee is fixed in writing before any work begins. - **Personal tax return (T1)** from $125; self-employed or rental $275–$500 *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 - **Corporate year-end and T2 return** fixed fee, quoted in writing - **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 applicable tax [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online?service=personal#enquiry-form) --- Source: https://www.everstonecpa.com/personal-tax-accountant-st-catharines Prices: https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing · Contact: info@everstonecpa.com · https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online