--- title: "Realtor Accountant in Vancouver | EverStone CPA" url: https://www.everstonecpa.com/realtor-accountant-vancouver description: "CPA for Vancouver realtors and personal real estate corporations — commission income, PREC structure, GST and corporate tax. See fixed fees, all online." type: service-in-a-city updated: 2026-10-08 summary: "Commission income arrives unevenly and is taxed on the full amount before expenses, which is what makes instalments and cash planning the two things realtors most often get wrong. Earning through a personal real estate corporation changes the picture again. For Vancouver businesses, EverStone handles the corporate return, GST, expense support and instalment planning at a fixed fee agreed up front." 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/) [Realtor accounting](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-for-realtors) Vancouver Realtors & PRECs · Vancouver # Realtor accountant in *Vancouver* Vancouver realtors earn irregular, commission-based income and increasingly earn it through a personal real estate corporation. Both facts change the accounting. EverStone is an [accountant for realtors](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-for-realtors) and a [Vancouver small business accountant](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-vancouver), 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:** Commission income arrives unevenly and is taxed on the full amount before expenses, which is what makes instalments and cash planning the two things realtors most often get wrong. Earning through a personal real estate corporation changes the picture again. For Vancouver businesses, EverStone handles the corporate return, GST, expense support and instalment planning at a fixed fee agreed up front. Published fees start at $325 a month for bookkeeping and $125 for a personal return. One-owner Vancouver realtor’s PREC clients: bookkeeping, payroll and the T2 from $500 a month. The year-end covers the T2 with Schedule 1 and Schedule 50, the CCA schedule, the small business deduction, T4 or T5 slips for the owner’s pay, and the instalments for the year ahead. For the national view, see the [accounting page for realtors](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-for-realtors). Rental property held alongside the licence is covered by [accounting for real estate investors](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-for-real-estate-investors). The [hub for realtors, PRECs and brokers](https://www.everstonecpa.com/real-estate-professionals-accounting) explains what makes commission income different and links to every related guide and calculator. ## Commission income is lumpy, and tax is not A strong quarter is not a strong year, but instalments set from one act as if it were. Commission also arrives gross: splits, desk fees, marketing and vehicle costs come out later, so the deposit is rarely the taxable figure. We plan instalments on your real pattern and keep expenses current, so the tax position reflects reality. ## Working through a personal real estate corporation A PREC changes where income lands. It is earned in the corporation and paid out deliberately, which opens the salary-versus-dividend decision and the option of leaving profit in the company. It also brings a corporate return, more formal bookkeeping and real record-keeping. Whether it pays turns less on gross commissions than on how much you draw. Our [salary-versus-dividends calculator](https://www.everstonecpa.com/salary-vs-dividends-calculator) is a starting point. ## The expenses realtors most often under-claim or over-claim Vehicle, home office, marketing, client meals, dues and technology are all live questions for a realtor. The two common failures are opposites: claiming a vehicle without a mileage log, and skipping a home office that really is your base. Decide the position up front and keep the records, rather than reconstructing in April. ## GST, and what the brokerage does not handle Commission generally brings GST obligations once you are registered, and the brokerage does not remove them. Registration timing, [filing frequency](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/forms-publications/publications/rc4022.html) and [input tax credits](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/forms-publications/publications/rc4022.html) on business costs are yours to manage. It is routine, but easy to leave until a return is due and then get only roughly right. ## Your first year in a PREC, month by month The first year in a personal real estate corporation holds most of the surprises, because the money takes a different route. Commission is earned by the corporation and is neither your income nor available to you until you pay it out. Realtors who keep spending from the business account learn the [shareholder loan](https://www.everstonecpa.com/glossary#shareholder-loan) rules the hard way: undeclared draws are a loan, and a loan left outstanding past the deadline is added to personal income. The rhythm that works is simple. Keep the corporate account separate from personal spending. Take a regular draw, not ad hoc amounts. Set the salary-and-dividend mix early in the year and revisit it if the year changes. Keep the mileage log from day one; it is the claim most often lost. And expect the first corporate year-end to need more documentation than a personal return. Our [shareholder loans guide](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/shareholder-loans-canada-taking-money-out-of-corporation) covers the trap in detail. ### Marketing spend, and what actually qualifies Marketing is often the largest discretionary cost for a Vancouver realtor, and where claims are most often overstated or abandoned. Listing photography, staging, signage, advertising, print and technology are ordinarily deductible when incurred to earn commission. Client entertainment is more restricted, and personal-branding spend that drifts into grooming or wardrobe is generally not deductible. Purpose and documentation matter more than category. A staging cost tied to a specific listing is easy to support; a general spend with no record is not, however genuine. Decide the treatment as you spend and keep the invoice with its listing, so the claim is demonstrable if the return is reviewed. ## What EverStone handles for you One CPA, one fixed fee agreed up front: - Corporate return and year-end financial statements for your PREC - Personal T1 coordinated with the corporate return - Instalments planned against real commission timing - Vehicle, home office and marketing claims supported properly - GST registration and filings - Salary-versus-dividend mix recalculated each year - CRA correspondence handled for you ## Fixed fees, fully online For a practice run between showings, not having to be somewhere at a set hour is usually the point. 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 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) ## What a realtor has to get right What a realtor has to get right The items that decide a realtor’s year-end — for a business operating in Vancouver, British Columbia | Item | Why it matters | | Commission income | Recognised on its own timing, which rarely matches when the cheque clears | | Personal real estate corporation | A PREC changes which return the income lands on | | Vehicle and promotion costs | Among the most commonly reviewed deductions in this industry | | GST/HST on commissions | Commission income is generally taxable, so registration thresholds arrive quickly | | Sales tax where you operate | 5% GST plus 7% BC PST: two registrations, two returns | Source: [Real estate professional accounting](https://www.everstonecpa.com/real-estate-professionals-accounting). General information, not advice. Other services for Vancouver businesses: [year-end statements](https://www.everstonecpa.com/financial-statements-vancouver) and [personal tax](https://www.everstonecpa.com/personal-tax-accountant-vancouver). ## Remote accounting for realtors EverStone works with Vancouver businesses virtually. **There is no premises in Vancouver, and nobody on the ground there.** Calls happen by video or phone and paperwork moves by secure email and e-signature. Commission income, the personal real estate corporation question and expense tracking are handled together, because in practice they are one decision. If you have incorporated, or are about to, the first year has a handful of decisions that are cheaper to make deliberately. See [accounting for a BC personal real estate corporation](https://www.everstonecpa.com/prec-accountant-bc). Common questions ## Vancouver accounting for realtors and personal real estate corporations FAQ **Should I incorporate as a PREC?** It depends far more on what you draw than what you gross. A PREC offers deferral when you consistently earn more than you spend, plus flexibility on how and when you pay yourself, but adds a corporate return, formal bookkeeping and record-keeping. If you spend nearly everything, the advantage narrows fast. We run your actual numbers. [Ask about your case →](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) **Why is my tax bill so much larger than I expected?** Usually instalments set against a strong prior period, plus commission arriving gross. The deposit is before splits, fees and costs, so the taxable and banked figures differ. Planning instalments on the real pattern and keeping expenses current fixes both. **Can I claim my vehicle?** Generally yes, for business use, but the claim rests on records. Without a mileage log supporting the business-use share, it is hard to defend. Keeping the log from the start is far cheaper than reconstructing it. **Do you work with realtors across Metro Vancouver?** Yes — realtors and personal real estate corporations in Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, the North Shore and across the region, and throughout BC and in Alberta, Ontario and Manitoba. Everything is handled online, which fits a schedule built around showings rather than office hours. **Do I charge GST on my Vancouver commissions?** Yes, real estate commission is a taxable supply, so GST is charged to the brokerage and remitted by you once you are registered, and registration is mandatory past $30,000 of taxable income over four rolling quarters. Registering early also recovers GST on advertising, staging and vehicle costs. The tax treatment of the property sale itself is a separate question entirely. **How should I plan for tax instalments on commission income?** Set money aside from each commission as it arrives rather than waiting for a CRA reminder. Instalments become required once your tax owing crosses CRA’s threshold in the current year and one of the two before it, which agents typically hit after a strong year. The reminder CRA sends is based on history, so a growing year can leave you short even if you pay it exactly. **Can I deduct home office costs if I also have a brokerage desk?** Only if the home space is your principal place of business or is used regularly and exclusively to meet clients. Having a desk available at the brokerage weakens the claim, though it does not automatically end it — what matters is where the work actually happens. Keep a record of how the space is used, because this is a claim CRA reviews often. ## Related services and local guides Nearby cities, the rest of what we do for Vancouver businesses, and the reference pages behind this one. [E-commerce accountant in Vancouver](https://www.everstonecpa.com/ecommerce-accountant-vancouver) [Trades accountant in Vancouver](https://www.everstonecpa.com/trades-accountant-vancouver) [Fractional CFO support for Vancouver companies with investors](https://www.everstonecpa.com/cfo-services-vancouver) [Real estate professional accounting](https://www.everstonecpa.com/real-estate-professionals-accounting) [Accounting & CPA services in Vancouver CPA services for Vancouver businesses](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-vancouver) [Bookkeeping in Vancouver](https://www.everstonecpa.com/bookkeeping-vancouver) [Corporate tax (T2) in Vancouver](https://www.everstonecpa.com/corporate-tax-accountant-vancouver) [GST/HST filing in Vancouver](https://www.everstonecpa.com/gst-hst-filing-vancouver) [Payroll in Vancouver](https://www.everstonecpa.com/payroll-services-vancouver) [Accountants across British Columbia](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-british-columbia) [British Columbia tax facts](https://www.everstonecpa.com/bc-tax-facts) [Realtor accounting in Surrey](https://www.everstonecpa.com/realtor-accountant-surrey) ### Starting fees Every fee is fixed in writing before any work begins. - **Monthly bookkeeping, GST/PST 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 - **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=monthly#enquiry-form) --- Source: https://www.everstonecpa.com/realtor-accountant-vancouver Prices: https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing · Contact: info@everstonecpa.com · https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online