--- title: "Tech Startup Accountant in Ottawa | SR&ED, T2 & Payroll" url: https://www.everstonecpa.com/tech-startup-accountant-ottawa description: "Ottawa tech startups: SR&ED on Form T661, CCPC status, grants, founder pay, options and HST or QST, by a remote CPA. Send an enquiry to start." type: service-in-a-city updated: 2026-10-02 summary: "An Ottawa startup’s tax year usually turns on three questions. Does the development work qualify for SR&ED, and is it documented well enough to claim on Form T661? Is the company still a Canadian-controlled private corporation, so the enhanced refundable credit is available? And how do the founders take money out? EverStone handles those alongside the T2, HST and payroll, at a fixed fee agreed in writing." 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 Ottawa](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-ottawa) Tech startups Tech startups · Ottawa # Accountant for *Ottawa* tech startups Ottawa’s tech sector grew from telecom and government research and still clusters in Kanata and along the Queensway. Startups here face the same early questions: claiming SR&ED, paying founders, and selling to a first customer across the river in Gatineau. EverStone is a CPA firm serving [Ottawa businesses](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-ottawa) remotely, at fixed fees agreed before any work starts. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online?service=monthly#enquiry-form)[Ask a Free Question](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) **Quick answer:** An Ottawa startup’s tax year usually turns on three questions. Does the development work qualify for SR&ED, and is it documented well enough to claim on Form T661? Is the company still a Canadian-controlled private corporation, so the enhanced refundable credit is available? And how do the founders take money out? EverStone handles those alongside the T2, HST and payroll, at a fixed fee agreed in writing. Published fees start at $325 a month for bookkeeping and $125 for a personal return. Filings: the T2, Schedule 1, Schedule 50, CCA, the small business deduction, T4 or T5 slips and instalments. If the company began as a one-person contract practice, the [Ottawa consultant page](https://www.everstonecpa.com/consultant-accountant-ottawa) covers the personal services business side, and the [Ottawa accountant page](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-ottawa) sets out the wider Ontario compliance picture. ## SR&ED is a claim you build all year The Scientific Research and Experimental Development program is the largest tax incentive most Ottawa tech companies see. Claimed on Form T661 with the corporate return, it rewards systematic work resolving a technological uncertainty, not features built with known techniques. Most of the value is won or lost in the records. The CRA wants to see what was uncertain, what the team tried and what it learned, tied to people and hours. Commits, tickets and sprint notes can carry that evidence if linked to the claim while fresh. We set up time tracking and cost coding at the start of the year and tell you plainly which projects look eligible. Ontario adds its own research credits on the same T2. The [SR&ED expenditure limit update](https://www.everstonecpa.com/tax-update/sred-expenditure-limit) covers recent federal changes. ## CCPC status, the refundable credit and your next round A Canadian-controlled private corporation can earn an enhanced refundable SR&ED credit, which means the credit can come back as cash even in a year with no taxable income. For a pre-revenue company, that refund often matters more than any deduction on the return. CCPC status can be lost. A priced round led by a foreign fund, terms giving non-residents or a public company control in law or in fact, or a US parent set up for American investors can end it. That changes the credit and the rate on future profit. Review the tax side of the cap table before signing. The [guide to associated corporations](https://www.everstonecpa.com/blog/associated-corporations-small-business-deduction) covers a related trap. ## Grants reduce the SR&ED base Ottawa founders often stack funding: a federal research contribution, a provincial program, a co-op hiring subsidy. Government assistance and most grants reduce the SR&ED expenditure base, so no dollar counts twice. Record each grant against the project and costs it paid for, and the T661 shows the correct net base. Federal contract work differs: where a customer pays for development and takes the results, the claim may belong to the customer. We map each funding source and contract to its project, keeping the [monthly bookkeeping](https://www.everstonecpa.com/bookkeeping-ottawa) and claim in step. ## Founders’ pay: why dividends do not count for SR&ED Founders often take nothing, then dividends, then salary. Salary for qualifying work can count as an SR&ED expenditure; dividends cannot. Salary also creates RRSP room and CPP contributions, and needs a payroll account remitting source deductions from the first payment. Pay technical founders a modest salary and nothing more until the credit and burn rate are clear. See the [salary versus dividends calculator](https://www.everstonecpa.com/salary-vs-dividends-calculator); [payroll in Ottawa](https://www.everstonecpa.com/payroll-services-ottawa) covers remittances and T4s, due by the last day of February. ## Stock options, first hires and customers in Quebec CCPC options are taxed differently from public-company options: the employee is generally taxed only when the shares are sold, and a deduction may reduce the benefit. That helps hire engineers you cannot yet pay at market, but only with an option plan, board approval, grant dates and a supportable share value at each grant. Contractors with options fall outside these rules. Sales tax has an Ottawa twist. Ontario customers pay 13% HST, but a Gatineau customer pays GST, and you may need to register for Quebec sales tax at 9.975%, usually triggered by subscription software sold to Quebec consumers. [GST/HST filing in Ottawa](https://www.everstonecpa.com/gst-hst-filing-ottawa) covers the return. ## What EverStone handles for you One firm, one fixed fee agreed up front: - T2 corporate return and year-end financial statements - SR&ED claim on Form T661, built from project records - CCPC status reviewed before a financing round closes - Grants and assistance mapped to the projects they fund - Founder salary, payroll remittances and T4s - Option records kept so the tax treatment holds - HST filings and, where needed, QST registration ## Fixed fees, fully online EverStone serves Ottawa startups remotely. Bookkeeping with HST filing starts from $325 a month and a [fractional CFO](https://www.everstonecpa.com/cfo-services-ottawa) from $2,750 a month; T2 and SR&ED work are quoted after we review your enquiry and fixed in writing. See [what it costs](https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing). Investors will ask for statements a lender or board can rely on. See [financial statements for Ottawa businesses](https://www.everstonecpa.com/financial-statements-ottawa). 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?service=monthly#enquiry-form) ## What a tech startup has to get right What a tech startup has to get right The items that decide a startup’s year-end — for a business operating in Ottawa, Ontario | Item | Why it matters | | SR&ED records | Hours and costs tied to projects while the work is happening | | CCPC status | Decides whether the enhanced credit is refundable | | Grants and assistance | Reduce the base the credit is calculated on | | Founder pay | Salary can count for SR&ED; dividends cannot | | Sales tax where you operate | 13% HST in Ontario; Quebec sales tax may apply to sales into Gatineau | Source: [Corporate tax hub](https://www.everstonecpa.com/corporate-tax-hub). General information, not advice. ## Remote accounting for tech startups EverStone is a fully virtual CPA firm. **There is no Ottawa office and no local staff.** Meetings are by video or phone and documents by secure exchange; no visit is ever needed. SR&ED records, cap-table questions and payroll use the tools your team already has. Common questions ## Ottawa accounting for tech startups FAQ **Does our development work qualify for SR&ED?** It depends on the work, not the industry: qualifying work tries to resolve a technological uncertainty systematically, not build features with known methods. We review projects with your technical lead and claim what the records support. [Ask about your case →](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) **When does the SR&ED claim have to be filed?** Form T661 has a strict deadline well after the T2 is due, and missing it forfeits the credit for that year. File it with the corporate return, due six months after year-end. **Will a US investor end our CCPC status?** It can. Non-resident or public-corporation control, in law or in fact, ends CCPC status, as can a US parent. Minority foreign investment usually does not. Have the terms reviewed before closing. **Do we charge HST to a customer in Gatineau?** Usually not HST. A Quebec supply carries GST, and you may need to register for and collect Quebec sales tax. Sales to businesses outside Canada are generally zero-rated. Bill by customer location. **How should founders pay themselves before revenue?** Often a modest salary to technical founders: it can count toward SR&ED and creates RRSP room, which dividends do not. The level depends on cash, the expected credit and each founder. We model it first. **Can we give stock options to contractors?** You can issue them, but the favourable employee rules do not apply to non-employees, so the tax result for the contractor is different and usually worse. If someone is effectively working as an employee, classify them properly first. **Do you work with startups in Kanata and across the Ottawa region?** Yes — Kanata, Nepean, Orléans, downtown Ottawa and, across the river, Gatineau. Everything runs online by video, phone and secure upload, which suits a team that already works in shared tools. ## Related services and local guides Nearby cities, the rest of what we do for Ottawa businesses, and the reference pages behind this one. [Consultant accountant in Ottawa](https://www.everstonecpa.com/consultant-accountant-ottawa) [Fractional CFO support in Ottawa](https://www.everstonecpa.com/cfo-services-ottawa) [Realtor accountant in Ottawa](https://www.everstonecpa.com/realtor-accountant-ottawa) [Personal tax accountant in Ottawa](https://www.everstonecpa.com/personal-tax-accountant-ottawa) [Starting a business in Canada](https://www.everstonecpa.com/starting-a-business-hub) [Accounting & CPA services in Ottawa](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-ottawa) [Bookkeeping in Ottawa](https://www.everstonecpa.com/bookkeeping-ottawa) [Corporate tax (T2) in Ottawa](https://www.everstonecpa.com/corporate-tax-accountant-ottawa) [GST/HST filing in Ottawa](https://www.everstonecpa.com/gst-hst-filing-ottawa) [Payroll in Ottawa](https://www.everstonecpa.com/payroll-services-ottawa) [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) ### What clients say Rated 5.0 on Google across 26 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 ### Starting fees Every fee is fixed in writing before any work begins. - **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 - **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 applicable tax [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online?service=monthly#enquiry-form) --- Source: https://www.everstonecpa.com/tech-startup-accountant-ottawa Prices: https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing · Contact: info@everstonecpa.com · https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online