Payroll services in Edmonton
Alberta has separate construction employment rules, and Edmonton has the most construction and industrial payroll. Construction vacation pay, for one, is 6% from day one. EverStone runs payroll for Edmonton businesses remotely.
Quick answer: For Edmonton employers, Alberta applies distinct employment standards to construction employees. They are entitled to vacation pay of at least 6% of regular wages from the start of employment, rather than the general rate. Alberta charges no provincial payroll tax, so employer statutory costs are CPP, EI and WCB-Alberta premiums. Payroll is included in monthly bookkeeping from $325 a month.
Payroll for Edmonton employers is part of our monthly package, which starts from $325 a month with the bookkeeping and GST/PST filings included.
On this page
- Construction employees are a separate category in Alberta law
- General holidays, and the four optional days
- WCB-Alberta, and no provincial payroll tax at all
- What is covered
- Remote, with no Edmonton office
- Payroll obligations for an Edmonton employer
- Who this is for, and who it is not
- Edmonton payroll questions
Construction employees are a separate category in Alberta law
Alberta sets defined exceptions for construction employment. A construction employee is entitled to vacation pay of at least 6% of regular wages from the start of employment, while the general rate starts lower and rises with service. For high-turnover crews that is a point or two on every hour, from day one.
Mixed workforces cause trouble. With shop, office and field staff under one roof, one treatment for all either overpays or underpays and creates a liability. Classify by role, record it and accrue each pay period.
General holidays, and the four optional days
Alberta recognizes nine general holidays, plus up to four additional optional days. Holiday pay is at least 4.2% of the wages, vacation pay and general holiday pay earned in the four weeks immediately before the holiday, unlike BC, Ontario or Manitoba.
Put optional days in a written policy. Granting them in good years and dropping them in lean ones invites employment standards complaints; deciding once ends the argument.
WCB-Alberta, and no provincial payroll tax at all
Alberta has no employer health tax, leaving CPP and EI remitted with income tax to the CRA, and WCB-Alberta premiums by industry classification. Rates vary widely, and distinct operations may span classifications. See the Alberta tax facts page with the federal payroll obligations.
Construction firms paying subcontractors may have separate reporting outside payroll. Misjudging the worker classification question leaves CPP and EI unwithheld on real employees.
What is covered
- Pay runs with employees classified correctly under Alberta employment standards
- Vacation pay accrued at the rate applicable to each category of employee
- General holiday pay on the Alberta 4.2% basis, with a written optional-holiday policy
- Income tax, CPP and EI withheld and remitted on your CRA schedule
- WCB-Alberta assessable earnings reported by classification
- Records of employment on layoff and completion of projects
- T4 and T4A slips and summaries filed by the February deadline
Remote, with no Edmonton office
EverStone is a virtual, one-CPA firm with no Edmonton or Alberta office. Pay data arrives electronically, approvals go by email or short video call, and slips are digital, which suits site-based supervisors. One accountant holds the file year-round, so hiring-time classifications carry to the slips.
The year end this all feeds into is our Edmonton corporate tax page.
Payroll and its remittances are the largest recurring obligation most businesses carry, and they belong on a forward view of the cash.
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 . About the firm · Send an enquiry
Payroll obligations for an Edmonton employer
| Obligation | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Source deductions | CPP, EI and income tax withheld from each pay |
| Remittance | Due on the schedule the CRA assigns to your payroll account |
| T4 slips and summary | Filed after the calendar year end |
| Provincial payroll tax (Alberta) | None — Alberta levies no provincial payroll tax |
| Sales tax where you operate | 5% GST only. Alberta levies no provincial sales tax |
Source: Alberta tax facts. General information, not advice.
In Edmonton, EverStone also works with contractors, energy services firms and restaurants.
Free tools for Edmonton businesses: CRA remittance calculator.
Who this is for, and who it is not
For an Edmonton employer with a handful of staff who wants on-time remittances, a reconciled PD7A and T4s that agree. Large hourly, unionized shift workforces need a payroll platform; we will point you to one. Otherwise, what it costs is settled first.
What happens when you get in touch
Payroll in Edmonton runs on the same federal rules and the same fixed fee as anywhere else we work.
- A free thirty-minute conversation. How many people, how they are paid, and what the CRA is already expecting from your RP account.
- The account and the calendar, before the first run. Your remitter type sets your due dates, and those go in the calendar at the start rather than after the first missed remittance.
- Every run, then the year end. Deductions calculated and remitted on schedule through the year, then T4s and the T4 Summary filed by the end of February.
Send an enquiry to get set up, or ask a payroll question before you commit to anything.
Edmonton payroll questions
What vacation pay rate applies to construction employees in Alberta?+
What if we have both office staff and field crews?+
How many general holidays does an Edmonton employer have to recognize?+
How is Alberta general holiday pay calculated?+
Does Alberta charge a provincial payroll tax on top of CPP and EI?+
Is there an EverStone office in Edmonton?+
Do you work with businesses outside Edmonton itself?+
Industrial and construction payroll, handled
Vacation pay, general holidays and WCB reporting under the right Alberta rules. Send an enquiry.
“…have been completing my bookkeeping, taxes and financials for the last 2 years and they have been amazing. Thank you!”
Related services and local guides
Nearby cities, the rest of what we do for Edmonton businesses, and the reference pages behind this one.
Payroll elsewhere in Alberta
The same service, online and at the same published fees, for owners in St. Albert and Sherwood Park.
Starting fees
Every fee is fixed in writing before any work begins.
- Payroll, remittances, T4s and ROEsincluded in monthly bookkeepingThis page
- Monthly bookkeeping, GST filing includedfrom $325 a month
- Books, payroll and the year-end T2 together$500–$700 a month
- Corporate year-end and T2 returnfixed fee, quoted in writing
- Personal tax return (T1)from $125; self-employed or rental $275–$500
- Catch-up bookkeepingfrom $2,200 per year of records
- Controller or CFO supportcontroller from $1,650, CFO from $2,750 a month
- One-off advice call with a CPA$225 plus GST
