--- title: "Personal Tax Accountant, Toronto | EverStone CPA" url: https://www.everstonecpa.com/personal-tax-accountant-toronto description: "T1 preparation for Toronto incorporated owners: the Ontario surtax on provincial tax, the health premium and how dividends amplify both. Book remotely." type: service-in-a-city updated: 2026-10-02 summary: "An incorporated owner filing in Toronto, Ontario meets two provincial features absent elsewhere: a surtax calculated on provincial tax payable rather than on income, and a separate health premium. Both change how a dividend behaves. EverStone prepares the personal and corporate returns together, entirely remotely. A basic T1 starts at $125." 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/) [Personal tax](https://www.everstonecpa.com/personal-taxes) Toronto Personal tax (T1) · Toronto # Personal tax accountant in *Toronto* Ontario adds two things to a personal return that most provinces do not, and both are calculated in ways that make an incorporated owner’s remuneration choice behave differently here. See [personal tax services](https://www.everstonecpa.com/personal-taxes) and the [Toronto CPA page](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-toronto). [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online)[Ask a Free Question](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) **Quick answer:** An incorporated owner filing in Toronto, Ontario meets two provincial features absent elsewhere: a surtax calculated on provincial tax payable rather than on income, and a separate health premium. Both change how a dividend behaves. EverStone prepares the personal and corporate returns together, entirely remotely. A basic T1 starts at $125. A personal return covers the T1 with slips such as the T4 and T5, RRSP and TFSA room, rental income on the T776 and business income on the T2125. A tax calculated on a tax behaves differently from one on income. ## A tax calculated on a tax Most provinces tax income at set rates, less credits. Ontario then adds a tiered surtax calculated on basic provincial tax above set levels: a tax on tax, which matters more than it sounds. Because the surtax multiplies provincial tax rather than income, anything that increases provincial tax increases the surtax with it, and anything that reduces provincial tax, including non-refundable credits applied before the surtax is computed — reduces the surtax as well. A credit in Ontario is therefore worth more than its face rate suggests, and an additional dollar of provincial tax costs more than the marginal rate implies. ## Why this matters more for dividends A dividend is grossed up, then reduced by a dividend tax credit. With a simple rate-times-income structure, the two steps offset predictably. In Ontario, the gross-up raises taxable income, basic provincial tax and the surtax; the dividend tax credit then reduces provincial tax and the surtax together. The effects do not cancel neatly, so the salary-dividend crossover sits elsewhere in Ontario than in a province without a surtax. An owner who relocates with the same remuneration policy does not keep the same outcome. ## The health premium is a separate line Ontario also charges a health premium through personal income tax, set in steps by taxable income. It is not reducible by credits in the ordinary sense and not part of the surtax. It responds to taxable income, including the grossed-up amount of a dividend rather than the cash received, so it reacts to the mix of income, not only its size. The gross-up differs for [eligible and non-eligible dividends](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/eligible-vs-non-eligible-dividends-canada). ## The federal half is the same everywhere None of this touches the federal return, which is identical for every resident of Canada. Federal law is national and the provincial layer is a defined schedule on top, so what must be right is that schedule and its credits. See [Ontario tax facts](https://www.everstonecpa.com/ontario-tax-facts) and [salary versus dividends](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/salary-vs-dividends-2026). ## Getting the sequence right All of this is decided before the return is prepared. The amount and form of remuneration is set around the corporate year-end, and by filing season the surtax, the premium and the credits are simply consequences. The useful work therefore happens in the autumn for a December year-end, or in the month before the corporate year-end for anyone else. That is also why one preparer for both returns matters more in Ontario than in a province with a flatter provincial structure. ## What is covered One Chartered Professional Accountant handles the whole file: - T1 preparation with the full Ontario provincial schedule - Surtax and health premium effects modelled before remuneration is set - Salary and dividend mix reviewed against the provincial structure - Corporate return prepared on the same file - Instalment review and CRA correspondence ## Remote, and there is no Toronto office EverStone has no Toronto location. Engagements run entirely online — video meetings, e-signature and secure document upload, and personal income tax is federal legislation with a provincial schedule on top, so preparation is not tied to a local address. The moment there are employees, [payroll in Toronto](https://www.everstonecpa.com/payroll-services-toronto) becomes the recurring obligation. 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 personal tax dates Key personal tax dates The self-employed get longer to file, but not longer to pay — for a business operating in Toronto, Ontario | Obligation | When it is due | | Filing — most individuals | April 30 | | Filing — self-employed | June 15 | | Payment — everyone, including the self-employed | April 30 | | Sales tax where you operate | 13% HST, a single registration and a single return | Source: [Personal tax deadlines in detail](https://www.everstonecpa.com/cra-tax-deadlines#personal-tax-t1). General information, not advice. In Toronto, EverStone also works with [realtors](https://www.everstonecpa.com/realtor-accountant-toronto) and [tech startups](https://www.everstonecpa.com/tech-startup-accountant-toronto). Free tools for Toronto businesses: [instalment calculator](https://www.everstonecpa.com/tax-instalment-calculator). ## Who this is for, and who it is not For a Toronto owner whose Ontario return involves more than wages: corporate dividends, self-employment, rental or investment income, or a move or sale. A single T4 suits free software, and we will say so. Other returns follow the [published fixed fees](https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing). ## What happens when you get in touch Toronto files are handled remotely in three steps, with the fee confirmed before any preparation. - **A thirty-minute call at no cost.** We cover the dividends and salary you took, any changes in the year, and what the CRA has on record. A written fee follows. - **Slips obtained directly.** As your [authorized CRA representative](https://www.everstonecpa.com/forms/aut-01), we download the slips filed under your SIN. You only provide what never reaches the CRA. - **Reviewed with you, then filed.** Before submission you see the Ontario surtax and health premium lines and what next year's pay mix could change. [Send an enquiry](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online), or [send us one question](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) for a CPA's reply. Common questions ## Toronto personal tax FAQ **What is the Ontario surtax?** A tiered percentage of basic Ontario tax payable above set levels. Because it is computed on tax, anything that raises or lowers provincial tax, including credits, moves the surtax with it. [Ask about your case →](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) **Are non-refundable credits worth more in Ontario?** In effect, yes. Because credits reduce basic provincial tax before the surtax is applied, reducing provincial tax also reduces the surtax computed on it. The combined benefit of a credit is therefore larger than its stated provincial rate implies, which makes credit placement across a household worth more attention here. **Why does Ontario change the salary-versus-dividend answer?** The gross-up raises taxable income, basic provincial tax and the surtax, while the dividend tax credit reduces provincial tax and the surtax together. The effects do not offset neatly, so the salary-dividend crossover moves compared with provinces without a surtax. **What is the Ontario Health Premium?** A separate amount paid through the personal income tax system, calculated by reference to taxable income in steps rather than proportionally. It responds to taxable income, which for an owner means the grossed-up amount of a dividend rather than the cash received — so it reacts to the composition of income, not just the total. **Can a CPA outside Ontario prepare an Ontario return?** Yes. Federal tax is identical for every resident, with a defined provincial schedule on top. What matters is getting that schedule and its credits right, and preparing the corporate and personal returns from one set of facts. **When should the remuneration decision be made?** Before the corporate year-end, not at filing time. By the time the personal return is being prepared, the surtax, the premium and every credit are simply consequences of choices already made. For a December year-end that means the useful conversation happens in the autumn. **What does a personal tax return cost in Toronto?** Nothing about a Toronto address changes the fee. In Toronto, a basic T1 is from $125 and a self-employed return with schedules is commonly $275 to $500. The fee is fixed in writing before we start. [See the published fees](https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing). **Do you work with businesses outside Toronto itself?** Yes. Owners in Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham and elsewhere in the GTA are served remotely like Toronto clients, with video, phone, email and a secure upload link, at the same fixed fees. ## Related services and local guides Nearby cities, the rest of what we do for Toronto businesses, and the reference pages behind this one. [Personal services business risk assessment](https://www.everstonecpa.com/psb-risk-assessment) [Bookkeeping for Toronto businesses](https://www.everstonecpa.com/bookkeeping-toronto) [Fractional CFO support for Toronto agencies and consultancies](https://www.everstonecpa.com/cfo-services-toronto) [Accountant for Toronto agencies and studios](https://www.everstonecpa.com/agency-accountant-toronto) [Trades accountant in Toronto](https://www.everstonecpa.com/trades-accountant-toronto) [Restaurant accountant in Toronto](https://www.everstonecpa.com/restaurant-accountant-toronto) [Personal tax (T1) in Ottawa](https://www.everstonecpa.com/personal-tax-accountant-ottawa) [Personal tax (T1) in Chilliwack](https://www.everstonecpa.com/personal-tax-accountant-chilliwack) [Personal tax (T1) in Abbotsford](https://www.everstonecpa.com/personal-tax-accountant-abbotsford) [Corporate tax (T2) in Toronto](https://www.everstonecpa.com/corporate-tax-accountant-toronto) [Financial statements in Toronto](https://www.everstonecpa.com/financial-statements-toronto) [GST/HST filing in Toronto](https://www.everstonecpa.com/gst-hst-filing-toronto) [Personal tax deadlines](https://www.everstonecpa.com/cra-tax-deadlines#personal-tax-t1) [Salary vs dividends calculator Compare the two ways to pay yourself](https://www.everstonecpa.com/salary-vs-dividends-calculator) [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) ### 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 GST [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online?service=personal#enquiry-form) --- Source: https://www.everstonecpa.com/personal-tax-accountant-toronto Prices: https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing · Contact: info@everstonecpa.com · https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online