--- title: "Retail Accountant in Mission BC | Inventory, PST and GST Books" url: https://www.everstonecpa.com/retail-accountant-mission description: "CPA for Mission retail and inventory businesses — stock valuation, GST and PST split at the till, write-downs and multi-province online sales. Ask us." type: service-in-a-city updated: 2026-10-08 summary: "A Mission retailer’s taxable profit depends on the closing stock figure and on splitting 5% GST from 7% BC PST correctly at the till. EverStone prepares the corporate return, sales tax filings and year-end statements for retail and inventory businesses in Mission, working remotely. Published fees start at $325 a month for bookkeeping and $125 for a personal return." 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/) [Retail accounting](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accounting-services) Mission Retail & inventory · Mission # Retail accountant in *Mission* A shop’s tax result is set by two numbers most owners never look at until March: what the closing stock was worth, and how much of the sales tax collected was provincial. EverStone works with retail and inventory businesses in [Mission](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-mission), entirely online. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online)[Ask a Free Question](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) **Quick answer:** A Mission retailer’s taxable profit depends on the closing stock figure and on splitting 5% GST from 7% BC [PST](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/taxes/sales-taxes/pst) correctly at the till. EverStone prepares the corporate return, sales tax filings and year-end statements for retail and inventory businesses in Mission, working remotely. Published fees start at $325 a month for bookkeeping and $125 for a personal return. 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. Only one term in this equation is estimated — and it sets the tax. ## Two sales taxes, one transaction, one point-of-sale system BC never harmonized, so a Mission till runs two taxes. GST is broadly 5%, recovered on purchases as an [input tax credit](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/forms-publications/publications/rc4022.html). PST is 7% on goods and listed services, filed separately and *not* generally recoverable. A fixture or new till keeps its PST in your cost base while its GST comes back. Treating them as one number overstates reclaims. The bigger risk is per product. Groceries, some children’s items and other categories differ between the two taxes, and the POS applies whatever code each product was set up with. One miscoded fast seller repeats thousands of times, wrong on receipt and return. Audit tax codes against your product mix once, properly. ## Closing stock is a tax figure before it is an operational one Cost of goods sold is opening stock plus purchases minus closing stock. Closing stock is the one estimate, and it hits taxable income directly: overstate it and you pay tax on phantom profit; understate it and the deduction fails. A count makes it defensible. Value it correctly: cost includes freight in and duty, not just the supplier invoice. Goods in transit and consignment stock are where Mission shops usually slip. ## Stock that stopped selling Every shop collects dead stock: discontinued lines, missed seasonal buys, damaged units. At full cost it inflates closing stock and tax. Write it down when truly worth less, item by item with documentation, not by blanket percentage. Shrinkage between system and physical counts is business information, not just an adjustment. ## What Mission’s trade patterns do to the numbers Mission’s retail base is smaller and steadier than the highway corridor south: a First Avenue and Junction mix for locals, plus a warm-season lift from river, trail and recreation traffic. Two things follow. Stock ties up cash before the season and releases it after, so the March bank balance says little; a profitable shop can look poor. And with mostly local customers, watch margin by department: one strong category hiding two weak ones vanishes in a single gross margin. ## Selling in more than one place Adding an online store, market stall or wholesale line adds tax questions. Shipped sales follow the destination rate: 13% HST to Ontario, 5% GST to Alberta. Marketplaces may or may not collect, which decides your return. Keep all channels in one set of books. See [e-commerce accounting](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-for-ecommerce) and the [BC tax facts tables](https://www.everstonecpa.com/bc-tax-facts). ## Working with a Mission retailer remotely EverStone, a sole practitioner firm, works online with no Mission location or staff. POS exports, bank feeds and invoices arrive electronically, questions go by email or video, and the shop never closes for a meeting. The CPA who reviews your stock valuation signs the [corporate return](https://www.everstonecpa.com/tax-services). 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 retailer has to get right What a retailer has to get right The items that decide a retail year-end — for a business operating in Mission, British Columbia | Item | Why it matters | | Inventory valuation | Directly sets cost of goods sold, and therefore taxable income | | Shrinkage | Has to be recorded rather than quietly absorbed into cost | | Point-of-sale reconciliation | Daily takings must agree to what actually reaches the bank | | Sales tax by item | Not every product carries the same treatment | | Sales tax where you operate | 5% GST plus 7% BC PST: two registrations, two returns | Source: [Inventory and retail accounting](https://www.everstonecpa.com/ecommerce-accounting-hub). General information, not advice. Other services for Mission businesses: [year-end statements](https://www.everstonecpa.com/financial-statements-mission). ## Remote retail accounting EverStone serves Mission remotely. **There is no Mission office and no staff based there.** Video, phone and secure exchange carry the work, and POS and merchant feeds settle revenue continuously. Common questions ## Mission retail accounting FAQ **Do I charge PST as well as GST in my Mission shop?** Usually yes — BC charges 5% GST and 7% PST separately, with separate returns. The categories do not line up, so audit POS tax codes against your products. [Ask about your case →](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) [See the published fees](https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing). **Can I claim back the PST I pay on shop fixtures?** Generally no. PST paid on business purchases is usually a permanent cost that stays in your cost base, unlike GST, which comes back as an input tax credit. Treating both as recoverable overstates what you can reclaim. **Do I have to count stock at year-end?** A physical count is what makes the closing stock figure defensible, and that figure feeds straight into taxable income. An estimate carried forward from the system without a count is the most common weak point on a retail file. **What belongs in the cost of my inventory?** The purchase price plus the costs of getting the goods into saleable condition — freight in and duty among them. Valuing stock at the supplier invoice alone understates it. Goods in transit and consignment stock need deciding on explicitly rather than by default. **Can I write down stock that is not selling?** Yes, when truly worth less than cost, but item by item with documentation, not a blanket percentage. Shrinkage deserves the same discipline. **What tax do I charge on an online order shipped to another province?** The destination’s rate rather than British Columbia’s — 13% HST on an order to Ontario, 5% GST to Alberta, and so on. Where a marketplace platform collects on your behalf, that changes what belongs on your own return, so it needs confirming per channel. **Is there a Mission office I can visit?** No. EverStone is a sole practitioner firm that works with Mission retailers entirely online — point-of-sale exports, bank feeds and video calls, with no need to close the shop for an appointment. **Do you work with businesses outside Mission itself?** Yes. Retailers in Hatzic, Silverdale, Stave Falls and Deroche are served the same way as those in Mission, remotely and at the same fixed fees. ## Related services and local guides Nearby cities, the rest of what we do for Mission businesses, and the reference pages behind this one. [Equipment accountant in Mission](https://www.everstonecpa.com/equipment-accountant-mission) [Home business accountant in Mission](https://www.everstonecpa.com/home-business-accountant-mission) [Trades accountant in Mission](https://www.everstonecpa.com/trades-accountant-mission) [Personal tax accountant in Mission](https://www.everstonecpa.com/personal-tax-accountant-mission) [Fractional CFO support for Mission equipment-based businesses](https://www.everstonecpa.com/cfo-services-mission) [E-commerce accounting hub](https://www.everstonecpa.com/ecommerce-accounting-hub) [Accounting & CPA services in Mission](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-mission) [Bookkeeping in Mission](https://www.everstonecpa.com/bookkeeping-mission) [Corporate tax (T2) in Mission](https://www.everstonecpa.com/corporate-tax-accountant-mission) [GST/HST filing in Mission](https://www.everstonecpa.com/gst-hst-filing-mission) [Payroll in Mission](https://www.everstonecpa.com/payroll-services-mission) [Accountants across British Columbia](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-british-columbia) [British Columbia tax facts](https://www.everstonecpa.com/bc-tax-facts) [Accountants in the Fraser Valley](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-fraser-valley) ### 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/retail-accountant-mission Prices: https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing · Contact: info@everstonecpa.com · https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online