--- title: "Restaurant Accountant in Vancouver: Tips, GST and BC PST" url: https://www.everstonecpa.com/restaurant-accountant-vancouver description: "Vancouver restaurants: card tips through payroll, nightly POS and cash reconciliation, food cost, GST on meals and BC PST on liquor. Send an enquiry." type: service-in-a-city updated: 2026-10-08 summary: "Vancouver restaurants charge 5% GST on meals and generally collect BC PST on liquor, so the point-of-sale must split them correctly. Tips paid through the employer run through payroll, and the POS, cash and card deposits need reconciling daily. EverStone handles bookkeeping, payroll, GST and PST returns and the corporate year-end at a fixed fee." 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 Vancouver](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-vancouver) Restaurants Restaurants & hospitality · Vancouver # Restaurant accountant in *Vancouver* A Vancouver restaurant files GST on almost everything it sells and BC PST on the drinks, runs payroll through a card-tip economy, and closes the till every night against a POS that is only as good as its set-up. EverStone keeps those three straight. EverStone is a [restaurant and hospitality accountant](https://www.everstonecpa.com/restaurant-hospitality-accounting) 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:** Vancouver restaurants charge 5% GST on meals and generally collect BC PST on liquor, so the point-of-sale must split them correctly. Tips paid through the employer run through payroll, and the POS, cash and card deposits need reconciling daily. EverStone handles bookkeeping, payroll, GST and PST returns and the corporate year-end at a fixed fee. Published fees start at $325 a month for bookkeeping and $125 for a personal return. For a one-owner Vancouver restaurant, monthly bookkeeping, payroll and the year-end T2 with statements usually cost from $500 to $700 a month all-in. 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 picture on tips, food cost and leaseholds, see the [restaurant and hospitality accounting hub](https://www.everstonecpa.com/restaurant-hospitality-accounting). Operators in Ontario can compare the where one harmonized tax replaces the two BC taxes. ## GST on the meal, PST on the wine In BC the tax on a restaurant bill is split. [GST at 5%](https://www.everstonecpa.com/bc-tax-facts) applies to prepared food and drinks. BC PST generally does not apply to the food, but it does apply to liquor, so a table that orders dinner and a bottle carries two taxes on one receipt. The POS has to know which menu item is which. A cocktail coded as food under-collects PST; a dessert coded as liquor over-charges the guest. So, do restaurants charge PST in BC? Generally on liquor but not on the food, which is why every menu item needs the right tax code. Each tax is reported on its own return to its own government. GST goes to the CRA, and PST goes to the BC Ministry of Finance. Both need to agree with the POS sales report for the same period. Check menu categories after every menu change, not once a year. See the [BC PST guide](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/bc-pst-small-business-guide). The tax on restaurant food in BC is GST at 5%, reported to the CRA, while the PST on liquor goes to the BC Ministry of Finance. ## Card tips and the payroll that follows Most Vancouver guests tip on a card, so the tip passes through the restaurant’s bank account before it reaches the server. How it is shared then decides the payroll treatment. Where the employer controls the tips, setting the pool or deciding who gets what, they are generally treated as employment income run through payroll with the withholdings that follow. Where tips pass directly from guest to server, the treatment differs. The [tip reporting guide](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/restaurant-tip-reporting-payroll-canada) explains the line. Getting it wrong leaves source deductions unremitted, and penalties attach to the deduction itself. BC payroll adds WorkSafeBC premiums and, above the exemption, the Employer Health Tax. Turnover multiplies the records of employment and T4s due by the last day of February. See [payroll services in Vancouver](https://www.everstonecpa.com/payroll-services-vancouver). ## The nightly close: POS, cash and card deposits A restaurant’s books are built from one report a day. The POS closing report shows sales by category, taxes, tips, comps and payment type. Card settlements arrive a day or two later, net of processor fees. Cash goes to a drawer, a safe and eventually a bank. If those three do not tie to each other every week, the monthly books are guesses. EverStone sets up the bookkeeping so each day’s POS summary is posted as one entry, card deposits are matched to it with fees recorded gross, and cash variances show up by shift. Delivery platforms need the same treatment: record the gross sale and the commission, not the net payout. See [bookkeeping in Vancouver](https://www.everstonecpa.com/bookkeeping-vancouver). ## Food cost in a city with high rent Vancouver rents leave little room for waste. Food and beverage cost is the number an operator can actually move week to week, through purchasing, portioning and menu pricing. It only helps if purchases are coded to the right category and inventory is counted on a schedule, monthly at least. A cost figure that first appears at year-end cannot change a single order. The [job and product margin work](https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing-and-margin-analysis) page shows how menu pricing and cost fit together. High fixed costs also make cash timing tight. Rent, payroll and supplier terms each run on their own cycle, and a wet, quiet February lands on a cost base that does not shrink. GST, PST and source deductions collected during a busy month are held for government, not working capital. Moving them to a separate account as they are collected is the simplest protection there is. The [payroll remittance calendar](https://www.everstonecpa.com/payroll-remittance-calendar) shows when each deduction is due. ## Fit-outs, equipment and the lease Kitchen equipment and the dining-room build-out are capital, not expenses. Equipment is claimed through capital cost allowance by class. Leasehold improvements in a space you rent follow their own rules, spread over the lease. A renovation timed just before or just after year-end changes the first year’s claim, so talk to your accountant before signing the contractor. The [CCA classes guide](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/capital-cost-allowance-cca-classes-canada) covers the basics. If you are changing accountants partway through a lease or a renovation, the asset schedules move with the file. EverStone requests the prior working papers and the last filed return so the opening balances are right. See [switching accountants](https://www.everstonecpa.com/switching-accountants). ## What EverStone handles for you One CPA, one fixed fee agreed up front: - Daily POS, card and cash reconciliation - GST and BC PST returns tied to the POS - Payroll with tip treatment, WorkSafeBC and year-end slips - Food and beverage cost reported monthly - Equipment and leasehold improvement schedules - T2 corporate return and year-end statements ## Fixed fees, fully online Questions sent after close are usually answered before the next lunch service. Monthly bookkeeping starts from $325 a month with GST filing included; payroll and the year-end are added to a fixed monthly fee. 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 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) ## What a restaurant has to get right What a restaurant has to get right The items that decide a hospitality year-end — for a business operating in Vancouver, British Columbia | Item | Why it matters | | Tips | Card tips shared by the employer generally run through payroll | | Liquor sales | BC PST generally applies to liquor, not to the food | | Nightly close | POS, card deposits and cash must tie out | | Food and beverage cost | The margin figure the operation is managed against | | Sales tax where you operate | 5% GST plus 7% BC PST: two registrations, two returns | Source: [Restaurant and hospitality accounting](https://www.everstonecpa.com/restaurant-hospitality-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). Common questions ## Vancouver accounting for restaurants and hospitality businesses FAQ **Do Vancouver restaurants charge PST on food?** Generally not on prepared food, but BC PST does generally apply to liquor. GST applies to both. The POS must split menu items so each tax is collected correctly. [Ask about your case →](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) **How should card tips be handled?** It depends on who controls them. Tips the employer pools or distributes are generally employment income through payroll. Tips passed directly from guest to server are treated differently. Set the policy in writing and match the payroll to it. **Why don’t our card deposits match sales?** Usually because processor fees come off before the deposit, settlements lag a day or two and tips are mixed in. Record the gross sale and the fee separately and the difference disappears. **How often should we count inventory?** At least monthly, with high-value items such as liquor and proteins more often. Food cost is only useful when it is current. **Are delivery app commissions deductible?** Yes. Record the full sale and the commission as an expense rather than just the net payout, or the cost is lost and sales are understated. **Do you work with restaurants outside Vancouver?** Yes. EverStone serves operators in Burnaby, Richmond, North Vancouver and across BC and in Alberta, Ontario and Manitoba, entirely online. **Do you work with businesses outside Vancouver itself?** Yes. Restaurants in Burnaby, Richmond, North Vancouver and the rest of Metro Vancouver are served the same way as those in Vancouver, remotely and at the same fixed fees. ## Related services and local guides Nearby cities, the rest of what we do for Vancouver businesses, and the reference pages behind this one. [Fractional CFO support in Vancouver Cash planning, reporting and the numbers a lender asks for.](https://www.everstonecpa.com/cfo-services-vancouver) [Accounting & CPA services in Vancouver CPA services for Vancouver businesses](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-vancouver) [Bookkeeping in Vancouver Bookkeeping for Vancouver businesses](https://www.everstonecpa.com/bookkeeping-vancouver) [Corporate tax (T2) in Vancouver Corporate tax for Vancouver businesses](https://www.everstonecpa.com/corporate-tax-accountant-vancouver) [GST/HST filing in Vancouver GST/HST for Vancouver businesses](https://www.everstonecpa.com/gst-hst-filing-vancouver) [Payroll in Vancouver Payroll for Vancouver businesses](https://www.everstonecpa.com/payroll-services-vancouver) [Accountants across British Columbia Remote CPA service throughout British Columbia](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-british-columbia) [British Columbia tax facts Current rates and thresholds for British Columbia](https://www.everstonecpa.com/bc-tax-facts) Fees are fixed and agreed in writing before the work starts; [the published fee page](https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing) shows the starting points. ### What clients say Rated 5.0 on Google across 21 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. - **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) ## Running a restaurant in Vancouver? One CPA for your corporate tax, books and planning. Fixed fee, fully online. Send an enquiry. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online)[Ask a Free Question](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) ## Remote restaurant accounting EverStone is a sole practitioner CPA firm, serving Vancouver owners entirely online. **There is no Vancouver office and no local staff.** Meetings are held by video or phone, documents come in through a secure upload link and are signed by e-signature, and no visit is required at any point. Daily sales, tips and food cost are handled from the POS and payroll systems you already run, not from a filing cabinet. ## Talk to a CPA about this One Chartered Professional Accountant, start to finish. Fixed fees, quoted in writing before any work begins, and no obligation from a first conversation. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online) [Ask a Free Question](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) Email info@everstonecpa.com --- Source: https://www.everstonecpa.com/restaurant-accountant-vancouver Prices: https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing · Contact: info@everstonecpa.com · https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online