Payroll services for Prince George employers

Payroll is quoted as a fixed monthly fee after a free consultation, based on headcount and pay frequency. For a typical trades corporation, the bundle of payroll, bookkeeping and the year-end T2 with statements usually runs $450 to $650 a month. Monthly bookkeeping on its own starts from $300 a month. See the published fees.

Rotations, camps and the pay period

Many Prince George employers send crews out for set rotations: a stretch at a mine site, a logging block or a mill shutdown, then time at home. The pay period rarely lines up with the rotation. Hours worked at camp, travel days, standby time and statutory holidays falling mid-rotation all need clear rules before the first cheque.

We set the pay calendar, the timesheet format and the codes for travel and standby with you at the start. The goal is a timesheet a foreman can fill in at camp without guessing. Overtime under BC rules is calculated from the hours actually worked, so the record of those hours is what protects you if a former employee files a complaint.

Source deductions and the remittance

Every pay, the employer withholds income tax and the employee’s CPP contributions and EI premiums. The employer adds its own share of CPP and EI. The total goes to the CRA under the payroll program account, on a schedule set by the size of your past remittances. New employers usually remit monthly.

A late or short remittance draws penalties and interest, and directors can be held personally liable for unremitted source deductions. We reconcile what was withheld against what was remitted each month, so the year-end PD7A summary agrees with the T4s. Payroll remittances and the RP account explains the mechanics.

Camp, travel and northern allowances

Employers here often pay a living-out allowance, a travel allowance or a meal per diem. Whether each one is taxable depends on how it is set and what it covers. A reasonable allowance for travel to a temporary work site can be non-taxable. A flat amount paid regardless of where the work is, or a camp bonus, is generally taxable and belongs on the T4.

Board and lodging at a remote work site can be non-taxable in defined circumstances, too. A company truck taken home is a taxable benefit for personal use. We document the policy so each allowance is coded the same way every pay. Taxable and non-taxable benefits sets out the rules.

WorkSafeBC for forestry, hauling and trades

WorkSafeBC coverage is separate from the CRA. You register as an employer, are assigned a classification by industry, and report assessable payroll. The premium depends on the classification. Forestry, log hauling and heavy construction sit in classifications that cost more than office work, so getting the classification right matters.

A company doing more than one kind of work may need more than one classification. Contractors paying subtrades should also check clearance letters, because an unregistered subcontractor’s premiums can fall to you. WorkSafeBC registration covers the steps.

BC Employment Standards on every pay

BC rules apply to provincially regulated employers, whatever the industry. Statutory holiday pay is owed to eligible employees on each BC statutory holiday. Vacation pay is at least 4% of wages, rising to 6% after five years with the same employer. Final pay is due within 48 hours when the employer ends the job, which is tight for a crew leaving camp on a Friday.

We build these into the payroll setup rather than calculating them by hand. The BC stat holiday pay calculator shows how the average day’s pay is worked out, and vacation pay rules covers accrual and payout.

Breakup layoffs and the Record of Employment

Spring breakup and freeze-up shut down a lot of northern work for weeks at a time. When an employee has an interruption of earnings, the employer issues a Record of Employment. The ROE is what Service Canada uses to decide EI benefits, so the insurable hours and earnings on it must be right. The reason code matters too: a temporary layoff is not a quit.

We file ROEs electronically and keep them consistent with the payroll records. When the crew comes back, rehiring is straightforward because the employee files are already in order. The Record of Employment explains each box.

Employer Health Tax as payroll grows

BC Employer Health Tax applies once annual BC remuneration exceeds $1,000,000. Associated employers share that exemption. A growing contractor or hauler with several companies under one owner can reach it sooner than expected. The rates are on BC tax facts, and the Employer Health Tax guide covers registration and instalments. We watch the running total, so registration happens before the first return is due.

Year-end slips without a February scramble

T4 slips for employees and T4A slips for certain other payments are due by the last day of February. Owners paid by dividend need T5 slips by the same date. Because the payroll has been reconciled monthly, the year-end is mostly a check. The T4 totals should match the remittances, the WorkSafeBC report and the wage accounts in the books.

Remote payroll from Abbotsford

EverStone is a one-CPA firm based in Abbotsford, serving Prince George employers remotely. There is no Prince George office. Timesheets and new-hire forms come in through a secure upload link, pay stubs go to employees electronically, and questions go by email. The same CPA who runs the payroll prepares the corporate return and the monthly books, so wages, remittances and slips agree.

This suits a Prince George company with a handful to a few dozen employees, including crews on rotation and seasonal hires. You want each person paid correctly, the PD7A balanced and the T4s matching the books. A large unionized shift workforce needs a dedicated payroll platform instead, and we will say so. For anything short of that, the fee is agreed before work starts.

If you are hiring for the first time, the setup comes first. You open a payroll program account with the CRA, register with WorkSafeBC before the first shift, and collect a TD1 from each new employee. A written policy on allowances, overtime and vacation saves arguments later. We handle the registrations and build the first pay with you. The first-employee checklist lists each step in order.