Payroll services in New Westminster
New Westminster payrolls tend to be small and uneven: part-time servers on Columbia Street, retail staff who pick up extra shifts in December, a renovation crew whose hours follow the jobs. EverStone runs payroll for New Westminster employers remotely, on a written scope and a fixed fee.
Quick answer: For a New Westminster employer, every pay run withholds CPP, EI premiums and income tax, and the employer remits them with its own share on the schedule the CRA assigns. BC adds WorkSafeBC premiums, statutory holiday pay, vacation pay and, above $1,000,000 of BC payroll, the Employer Health Tax. Payroll is included in monthly bookkeeping from $300 a month; a payroll-only engagement is quoted by headcount and pay frequency.
Small teams, part-time hours
Most New Westminster employers are small, and many of their people work variable hours. That makes each pay run a fresh calculation. CPP and EI premiums depend on what was earned that period, and income tax follows the TD1 each employee completed. A server who works three shifts one week and six the next has different deductions each time.
We set up each employee once, with their TD1, start date and pay rate, and then process from the hours or salary you send. Pay stubs show every deduction, and the employer’s matching CPP and EI are recorded as an expense in the same period.
Variable hours also make the annual maximums matter. CPP and EI premiums stop once an employee reaches the yearly ceiling, which a full-time cook may hit in the fall and a part-time server never will. The payroll software tracks each person’s year-to-date totals, so deductions stop at the right point and the employer share stops with them. The current rates are on the CPP and EI rates page.
Remittances on the schedule the CRA assigns
Source deductions are remitted to the CRA under your payroll account, on a frequency set by how much you withhold. Most small employers remit monthly; larger remitters pay more often. Late remittances attract penalties calculated on the deduction itself, which is why they come first when cash is tight.
We reconcile what was withheld to what was remitted every month, using the statement in My Business Account. The remittance calendar shows the due dates, and the PD7A is the CRA’s own statement of account.
BC employment standards in the pay run
BC rules decide several numbers on the pay stub. A qualifying employee gets statutory holiday pay at an average day’s wages, and a premium for working the holiday. Vacation pay accrues at 4% of wages, rising to 6% after five years with the same employer. Final pay is due within 48 hours when an employer ends the employment.
Restaurants and retailers feel the stat rules most, because they often open on holidays. The BC stat holiday pay calculator does the sums. For restaurant tips, see restaurant accounting in New Westminster.
WorkSafeBC for crews that cross the bridges
Employers register with WorkSafeBC and pay premiums on assessable payroll, at a rate set by industry. A New Westminster renovation firm working in Burnaby and Surrey reports the same way it would at home. Contractors also ask for clearance letters before paying a subcontractor, so they are not left liable for someone else’s unpaid premiums. See contractor accounting and the WorkSafeBC registration guide.
WorkSafeBC also asks for an annual report of actual assessable payroll, which is compared with the estimate used during the year. If the payroll records and the report disagree, the premium is adjusted. We prepare that report from the same pay data used for the T4s, so the two always match.
Employer health tax, once payroll grows
The BC Employer Health Tax applies once annual BC remuneration exceeds $1,000,000. Associated employers share that exemption, so an owner with two companies tests the combined payroll. Few New Westminster employers reach it, but a growing restaurant group or contractor can, and registration has to happen in the year it applies. The rates are on the BC tax facts page.
Year-end: T4, T4A and records of employment
T4 slips for employees and T4A slips for certain other payments are due by the last day of February, with the summary. A record of employment is issued whenever an employee has an interruption of earnings, which in a business with seasonal turnover is often. The payroll year-end checklist lists everything that closes the year.
The T4 totals have to agree with what was remitted during the year. Where they do not, the CRA sends a letter asking why, often months later. We reconcile the two before the slips are filed, so any gap is found while it is still easy to explain.
New hires, and the paperwork on day one
A first employee changes more than the bank balance. Before the first pay run, the business needs a payroll account with the CRA under its business number, a WorkSafeBC registration, and a TD1 from the new hire for both federal and BC credits. The social insurance number is recorded and kept secure.
The employment terms decide how the pay is calculated: hourly or salaried, overtime rules, how vacation pay is handled, and whether there are taxable benefits such as a phone or a vehicle. Getting these settled in writing at the start avoids most later disputes. The first employee guide walks through it, and the hiring checklist is a one-page version.
When someone leaves, the order reverses. Final pay, including outstanding vacation pay, is due within 48 hours if the employer ended the job, and a record of employment follows. See final pay on termination.
Prepared and reviewed by a Chartered Professional Accountant at EverStone CPA, an Abbotsford CPA firm working remotely with small businesses and incorporated owners in British Columbia. Updated . About the firm · Send an enquiry
Payroll obligations for a New Westminster 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 by the last day of February |
| Provincial payroll tax (British Columbia) | BC employer health tax, once annual BC remuneration exceeds $1,000,000 |
| Sales tax where you operate | 5% GST plus 7% BC PST: two registrations, two returns |
Source: British Columbia tax facts. General information, not advice.
New Westminster payroll questions
What does payroll cost for a New Westminster business?+
Do part-time staff get statutory holiday pay?+
When is vacation pay paid?+
Is someone I pay by the job an employee or a contractor?+
Can you take over payroll partway through the year?+
Do you work with businesses outside New Westminster itself?+
Related services and local guides
Nearby cities, the rest of what we do for New Westminster businesses, and the reference pages behind this one.
Running payroll in New Westminster?
Get the deductions, BC holiday and vacation pay, WorkSafeBC and the T4s right from the first pay run. Send an enquiry.
Remote payroll from Abbotsford
EverStone runs New Westminster payrolls virtually, from a base in Abbotsford. There is no New Westminster office, and nobody on the ground there. Hours, TD1s and approvals move through a secure upload link and e-signature, pay stubs go to staff electronically, and remittances are made on schedule.
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.
