Accountant for Contractors in Ontario
Look, you did not get into contracting to spend your evenings wrestling with tax returns. You got into it because you are good at your trade and you wanted to build something on your own terms.
The GST/HST deadlines, the CRA letters, the bookkeeping that keeps piling up. That is our job, not yours. Let us take it off your plate completely.
Wait, Does Any of This Sound Familiar?
Because if it does, you are in exactly the right place. These are the conversations we have every single week with contractors across Ontario.
The GST/HST panic
You crossed the $30,000 mark at some point. Nobody told you that meant registering for GST/HST. Now you are not sure what you owe or how far back it goes.
The CRA dread
There is a letter on the counter you have been meaning to open. You know it is from CRA. You are hoping if you ignore it long enough it sorts itself out. It does not.
The year-end scramble
Tax season rolls around and you are digging through emails, bank statements, and a shoebox of receipts trying to piece together a year of numbers.
Sound familiar? These are not unusual situations. They are what happens when a talented contractor tries to run a business AND manage the financial side solo. You do not have to keep doing both.
Every Kind of Ontario Contractor, Sorted
Your situation is yours. The way we support you depends on how your business is actually set up, not a one-size-fits-all package that half fits.
Running solo as a sole proprietor or independent contractor?
Your T1 business income filing, GST/HST returns, expense tracking, and every CRA letter that arrives: all covered. You do the work, send the invoices, and we handle literally everything that comes after that.
Built your own corporation?
Good move, if it is maintained properly. We manage your T2 corporate return, payroll structure, shareholder remuneration, and monthly bookkeeping so the tax advantages you set the corporation up for are actually being used.
Working in trades or construction?
Job-level costs, subcontractor payments, GST/HST remittances, and project margin tracking all need a specific approach. We track numbers at a job level so you can actually see which projects are making money and which ones are quietly eating into your profit.
Here is Everything We Take Off Your Plate
Working with The Acctax Company Inc. means exactly one thing: you stop worrying about the financial side of your business because you know a qualified team has it handled. No hidden scope, no surprise extras.
Here is something most contractors tell us surprised them. They knew their revenue. They had no idea what their actual profit was after fees, materials, subcontractors, and tax were accounted for.
Monthly reporting changes that completely. You see where every dollar goes and it changes how you quote, how you plan, and how you grow.
Honestly, why are you still doing this yourself?
Book a free 30-minute call and we will give you a clear fixed quote within 24 hours.
Why a Contractor Specialist Is Not the Same as Any Accountant
Any accountant can file a return. That is genuinely not the hard part.
What most generic accountants miss is the layer underneath the return that is the CRA classification rules that decide whether your self-employed status holds up under scrutiny, the GST/HST threshold you may have already passed, the deductions that are completely legitimate for contractors but never get mentioned.
That gap is not a small thing. It shows up in your tax bill and sometimes in a CRA letter you really did not want to receive.
A specialist who works with contractors every single day knows the rules that quietly catch people out. That knowledge is what you are actually paying for. And it pays for itself faster than most people expect.
The CRA Stuff Most Contractors Find Out Too Late
Nobody likes this conversation. But catching it early is always better than catching it after a CRA review has already started.
Hit $30,000 in revenue? You needed to register for GST/HST yesterday.
Once you cross that figure in any 12-month period, registration is mandatory. Miss it and you personally owe the tax you should have been collecting all along. We watch this number for you.
Your contract does not make you self-employed. CRA makes that call.
They look at who controls the work, who owns the tools, and who carries the financial risk. Contractors get reclassified as employees more often than anyone expects and back taxes follow. Having someone who knows how to position your situation properly makes a real difference.
Payroll remittances are due by the 15th of the following month. No wiggle room.
One missed deadline means immediate penalties. Not something to track manually on top of running your business.
CRA can ask for six years of records at any point.
Invoices, receipts, mileage logs, bank statements. We keep everything clean and organised so a CRA review is a non-event rather than a crisis.
Every letter, every review, every CRA question comes to us.
As your authorised representative, we handle it all. You do not have to decode anything or worry about saying the wrong thing.
What can you actually claim?
Home office costs, vehicle use, tools and equipment, professional development, software subscriptions, business insurance, and subcontractor payments.
The catch is documentation. Every deduction needs a paper trail. We build that habit into your process throughout the year so nothing gets left on the table at filing time.
What Does It Actually Cost to Work With Us?
Your business structure
Sole proprietor filing is simpler than a full incorporated setup with payroll and a T2 return.Monthly transaction volume
More transactions each month means more bookkeeping time. Simple as that.GST/HST filing frequency
Monthly filers need more hands-on work than annual filers. Your CRA-assigned cycle affects the scope.Catch-up or switching
If your books need cleaning up first or you are leaving another accountant, there is usually a one-time fee to get things straight before ongoing support begins.What Contractors Actually Say About Working With Acctax
They are the best! I had a great experience with them!
This company doesn’t just do your taxes- they look out for your future.
How to Know You Are Hiring the Right Accountant
Not every accountant who mentions contractors on their website actually works with them day to day. Before you commit to anyone, including us, ask these questions.
CPA Ontario registered.
Any legitimate accountant or firm in Ontario can be verified through the CPA Ontario directory in two minutes. If they cannot be verified, walk away.
Real contractor experience.
Ask directly how many contractor clients they actively work with. Ask about GST/HST, incorporated contractor returns, and CRA correspondence specifically. Vague answers about serving small businesses generally is not the same thing.
Written scope before you sign anything.
What is included, what is not, and what triggers an extra charge should all be on paper before the engagement starts.
Fixed fee, agreed upfront.
Hourly billing without a ceiling is not appropriate for routine contractor accounting. Know your annual cost before you commit.
Cloud software as standard.
QuickBooks Online or Xero are the standard for a reason. Your records should be accessible to you whenever you need them, not locked in a file you never see.
Response times that match your pace.
Contractor deadlines are real deadlines. Your accountant should answer questions quickly enough that a deadline never becomes a crisis.
Questions We Hear From Contractors All the Time
What is a contractor accountant exactly?
A specialist who handles tax, GST/HST, bookkeeping, payroll, and CRA compliance for contractors specifically. Not a generalist who sees a few self-employed clients per year. Someone who works in this space every single day.
How do contractors file taxes in Canada?
Sole proprietors file a T1 personal return with a business income schedule. Incorporated contractors file a T2 corporate return for the business and a separate T1 for personal income. Both carry GST/HST obligations once revenue crosses $30,000.
Does my accountant have to be based near me?
Not at all. Acctax works with contractors across Ontario entirely through cloud accounting. Records stay current and accessible online. Communication runs through email and video calls. If you want the occasional in-person meeting, let us know.
What can I actually claim as a contractor?
Home office expenses, vehicle use for business, tools and equipment, professional development, software, insurance, and subcontractor payments. Every single one needs proper documentation to hold up with CRA. We build that process into how you work throughout the year.
What if I am behind on my books or switching from another accountant?
We handle this regularly. There is usually a one-time cleanup phase before ongoing support starts and we manage that whole process. You do not have to piece anything together yourself. Book a consultation and we will map out exactly what getting sorted looks like for your situation.
Done putting this off?
Acctax works with Ontario contractors across all industries.
