--- title: "Professional Corporation Accountant, Calgary | EverStone CPA" url: https://www.everstonecpa.com/professional-corporation-accountant-calgary description: "CPA for Calgary professional corporations — physicians, dentists, lawyers, engineers. Salary vs dividends, retained earnings, corporate tax. Ask for fees." type: service-in-a-city updated: 2026-10-02 summary: "A professional corporation is worth having when profit consistently exceeds what you draw — that gap is where deferral lives. It brings a corporate return, formal bookkeeping and real record-keeping obligations in exchange. For Calgary businesses, EverStone handles the return, the annual salary-versus-dividend decision and the retained-earnings question at a fixed fee agreed up front." 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/) [Incorporated professionals](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-for-incorporated-professionals) Calgary Professional corporations · Calgary # Professional corporation accountant in *Calgary* Regulated professionals who incorporate get a structure with real advantages and real obligations. EverStone works with [incorporated professionals](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-for-incorporated-professionals) and is a [Calgary small business accountant](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-calgary), at fixed fees, online. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online)[Ask a Free Question](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) **Quick answer:** A professional corporation is worth having when profit consistently exceeds what you draw — that gap is where deferral lives. It brings a corporate return, formal bookkeeping and real record-keeping obligations in exchange. For Calgary businesses, EverStone handles the return, the annual salary-versus-dividend decision and the [retained-earnings](https://www.everstonecpa.com/glossary#retained) question at a fixed fee agreed up front. Published fees start at $325 a month for bookkeeping and $125 for a personal return. The same structure questions come up for [incorporated professionals in BC, Alberta, Ontario and Manitoba](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-for-incorporated-professionals), and if your corporation bills into the resource sector, [Calgary energy-services accounting](https://www.everstonecpa.com/energy-services-accountant-calgary) covers the equipment and subcontractor side. The [Professional corporations explained](https://www.everstonecpa.com/incorporated-professionals-hub) covers the structuring, compensation and surplus questions that apply to any professional corporation. ## What a professional corporation actually gives you The advantage is timing. Corporate income is not yours until you take it out, so profit you do not need can stay in the company, untaxed in your hands this year. If earnings comfortably exceed spending, that deferral compounds. If you draw nearly everything, it does little, and the filings cost the same. The honest test is not what you bill. It is the gap between what you earn and what you spend. ## Salary, dividends, and why it is an annual decision Salary creates RRSP room and [CPP contributions](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/payroll/payroll-deductions-contributions/canada-pension-plan-cpp.html) and is deductible; dividends avoid CPP and are simpler. The right mix moves each year with income, RRSP room and needs. Where professionals go wrong is treating it as a setting rather than a decision — chosen once at incorporation and never revisited. We recalculate it annually against real numbers. ## Retained earnings and the passive income question Leaving profit in the corporation is the point, but that money is usually invested, and investment income inside a corporation is taxed differently from [active business income](https://www.everstonecpa.com/glossary#abi). At enough scale it can reduce access to the small business rate. That is no reason to avoid accumulating — just know where the thresholds sit. See our guide on [passive income and the small business deduction](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/small-business-deduction-passive-income-canada). ### Alberta specifics worth knowing Alberta levies no [provincial sales tax](https://www.everstonecpa.com/glossary#pst), so sales tax is GST only — a lighter calendar than in BC or Ontario. What remains is the corporate return, GST filings, and payroll for any staff, including family members. Payments to family must be reasonable for work actually performed, judged on substance rather than intention. ### What changes when you employ people Many professional corporations start as one person and add staff: an assistant, a hygienist, an associate. That brings [source deductions](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/payroll/remitting-source-deductions.html) on a remittance schedule, year-end slips and heavier bookkeeping. It also changes the salary-versus-dividend calculation, since a payroll now runs anyway. Review it in the year it happens. ## What the corporation actually needs from you each year A professional corporation is a separate legal entity. It needs annual filings to stay in good standing, minutes recording dividends, a bank account separate from personal spending, and books that stand on their own. Once running, none of it is onerous. The risk is drift: an undeclared dividend becomes a [shareholder loan](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/shareholder-loans-canada-taking-money-out-of-corporation), and one left past the deadline is taxed as personal income in an unplanned year. Steady income makes ad hoc drawing feel safe. The fix is a regular scheduled draw and resolutions recorded when dividends are declared rather than reconstructed afterwards. We handle the second part as a matter of course. ## If you are considering incorporating now First settle what you will actually draw, and model the corporation against that, not billings; the answer is usually clear in one conversation. If incorporating is right, we handle the first corporate year cleanly. See [incorporating versus staying unincorporated](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/incorporate-vs-sole-proprietor-bc). ## What EverStone handles for you One CPA, one fixed fee agreed up front: - T2 corporate return and year-end financial statements - Salary-versus-dividend mix recalculated every year - Retained earnings reviewed against the passive-income thresholds - Payroll and remittances where the corporation employs staff - Your personal T1 coordinated with the corporate return - GST filings and CRA correspondence handled ## Fixed fees, fully online Everything runs by video, phone and secure upload, which for a professional whose day is booked in appointments is usually the deciding factor. The fee is fixed and agreed before work starts. See [what it costs](https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing). About this article **EverStone CPA** Prepared and reviewed by a Chartered Professional Accountant at EverStone CPA, a CPA firm working with small businesses and incorporated contractors 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) ## What an incorporated professional has to get right What an incorporated professional has to get right Where professional rules and tax rules meet — for a business operating in Calgary, Alberta | Item | Why it matters | | Who may own shares | Professional corporations are restricted by the governing regulator, not just by tax rules | | Salary or dividends | The mix changes both the corporate return and your personal one | | Retained earnings | Income left in the corporation is taxed differently from income taken out | | Regulator filings | The corporate permit is separate from anything the CRA requires | | Sales tax where you operate | 5% GST only. Alberta levies no provincial sales tax | Source: [If you have incorporated your practice](https://www.everstonecpa.com/incorporated-professionals-hub). General information, not advice. ## Remote professional corporation accounting EverStone is a fully virtual, one-CPA firm serving Calgary online. **There is no Calgary office and no local staff.** Meetings are by video or phone, documents are exchanged securely and e-signed, and the corporation, compensation and personal return are one file. Common questions ## Calgary accounting for professional corporations FAQ **Is a professional corporation worth it for me?** It depends on the gap between earnings and spending, not billings. If profit consistently exceeds drawings, deferral compounds; if you draw nearly everything, the costs remain and the benefit is small. We model your actual drawings. [Ask about your case →](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) **Should I pay myself salary or dividends?** It is an annual decision. Salary builds RRSP room and CPP and is deductible to the corporation; dividends avoid CPP and are simpler. The mix moves with your income, RRSP room and living needs. Most professionals skip the yearly review. **Can I pay my spouse through the corporation?** Only for work genuinely performed, at an amount reasonable for it, judged on substance rather than the described arrangement. A spouse doing real work is ordinarily deductible; one who is not is not, and family dividends carry their own rules. Set it up properly. **Do you work with professionals across Calgary?** Yes — incorporated physicians, dentists, lawyers, engineers and other regulated professionals in Calgary and across Alberta. Everything is handled online by video, phone and secure upload, which fits a day booked in appointments. **What ongoing filings does an Alberta professional corporation have?** A T2 every year, GST returns if registered, payroll remittances and T4s for any salary, and an Alberta corporate registries annual return. Your regulator may require an annual corporate permit. The registry filing is most often missed, since nothing is owing. **What can I leave in the corporation instead of drawing out?** Retained earnings taxed at the small business rate can be invested inside the corporation, a real advantage. But investment income is taxed differently, and passive income above a threshold cuts access to the small business rate. Plan it. **Do I need a separate GST number for my professional corporation?** Yes, if the corporation is billing. GST registration attaches to whoever makes the supply, so your personal number does not carry over. Invoicing under it after incorporating creates a mismatch that surfaces on review. Register the corporation before its first invoice. **What does an accountant cost for a Calgary professional corporation business?** Calgary pays the same fees as everywhere. Bookkeeping starts from $325 a month and a personal return from $125; corporate returns are quoted after we review your enquiry. A 45-minute Advice Call is a flat $225 + GST. [See the published fees](https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing). ## Related services and local guides Nearby cities, the rest of what we do for Calgary businesses, and the reference pages behind this one. [Personal tax accountant in Calgary](https://www.everstonecpa.com/personal-tax-accountant-calgary) [Financial statements for Calgary energy services companies](https://www.everstonecpa.com/financial-statements-calgary) [Fractional CFO support for Calgary energy services companies](https://www.everstonecpa.com/cfo-services-calgary) [Professional dues and subscriptions: what is deductible](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/professional-dues-subscriptions-deductible) [Trades accountant in Calgary](https://www.everstonecpa.com/trades-accountant-calgary) [Dental practice incorporation: professional corporations, associates and equipment](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/dental-practice-incorporation-canada) [Direct deposit and CRA online mail: setting both up for your corporation](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/direct-deposit-and-cra-online-mail-business) [Charitable donations: giving personally versus giving through your corporation](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/charitable-donations-personal-vs-corporate) [For incorporated professionals](https://www.everstonecpa.com/incorporated-professionals-hub) [Accounting & CPA services in Calgary](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-calgary) [Bookkeeping in Calgary](https://www.everstonecpa.com/bookkeeping-calgary) [Corporate tax (T2) in Calgary](https://www.everstonecpa.com/corporate-tax-accountant-calgary) [GST/HST filing in Calgary](https://www.everstonecpa.com/gst-hst-filing-calgary) [Payroll in Calgary](https://www.everstonecpa.com/payroll-services-calgary) [Accountants across Alberta](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-alberta) [Alberta tax facts Current rates and thresholds for Alberta](https://www.everstonecpa.com/alberta-tax-facts) [Professional corporation accounting in Langley](https://www.everstonecpa.com/professional-corporation-langley) ### 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, GST 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/professional-corporation-accountant-calgary Prices: https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing · Contact: info@everstonecpa.com · https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online