Professional Corporations in BC: Which Professions Can Incorporate and the Rules for Each
If you’re a doctor, dentist, lawyer, CPA, physio or another licensed professional earning good money as a sole proprietor, you’ve probably heard someone say “you should incorporate.” Maybe they’re right. But a professional corporation has extra rules a regular company doesn’t, and they differ by profession. Here’s how it works in BC, without the legal […]
SR&ED Tax Credit in BC (2026): What Qualifies and How Much You Get Back
If your team spends time figuring out how to make something work that nobody’s quite solved before (new software architecture, a better manufacturing process, a new material), there’s a decent chance CRA will pay you back a big chunk of it. That’s SR&ED, Canada’s largest R&D tax incentive. Lots of BC startups leave this money […]
CRA Voluntary Disclosure Program (VDP) 2026: Who Qualifies, How Much Relief and How to Apply
Maybe you didn’t report some cash income. Maybe you haven’t filed a tax return since you moved to Canada. Maybe there’s a foreign bank account or a rental property back home nobody told CRA about. Whatever it is, it’s been sitting on your chest. Good news: there’s a proper way to fix it, and in […]
How Much Does a Bookkeeper Cost in BC? Hourly Rates vs Monthly Packages (2026)
You know you need help with the books. The receipts are piling up, the GST return is “next week” for the third week in a row, and you’d rather be doing literally anything else. The next question is the obvious one: what’s this going to cost me? Here’s the honest answer, with real numbers for […]
Xero vs QuickBooks Online in Canada (2026): Which Should Your Small Business Use?
Picking accounting software feels like a small decision until you’re two years in, your books live in it, and switching sounds like a root canal. So let’s get it right the first time. We set up and work inside both platforms every week for BC businesses, so this isn’t a feature list copied from two […]
How to Choose a Fiscal Year-End for Your Corporation in Canada
You just incorporated. Congrats! Somewhere between the bank account and the business cards, someone asked, “What’s your fiscal year-end?” and you blanked. It’s not a trick question, but it’s one of those early choices that affects your deadlines, your cash flow and even your tax for years. And changing it later isn’t automatic. Which […]
CRA Voluntary Disclosure Program | Who Qualifies and How Much Relief You Get
The CRA’s Voluntary Disclosures Program (VDP) lets you fix past tax mistakes, such as unreported income, unfiled returns, or uncollected GST/HST, in exchange for relief from penalties, part of the interest, and prosecution. Under the rules in force since October 1, 2025, if you come forward before the CRA contacts you (“unprompted”), you can get […]
Vacation Pay in Alberta | An Employer’s Guide with Examples
In Alberta, employees get vacation pay of 4% of wages until they complete five years of employment and 6% of wages after that. Alberta’s definition of “wages” for this purpose excludes overtime, general holiday pay, termination pay and vacation pay itself. Vacation pay can be paid any time, but no later than the pay day […]
Extra-Provincial Registration | Expanding Your Company Between BC and Alberta
If your BC company starts “carrying on business” in Alberta (or your Alberta company in BC), it must register there as an extra-provincial company. For BC companies, it’s done online through BC Registries under the New West Partnership Trade Agreement (NWPTA). There’s no statutory filing fee. You only need an Alberta NUANS name report (unless […]
WCB Alberta for Employers | Registration, Premium Rates and Clearance Letters (2026)
If your business is in an industry where WCB coverage is mandatory in Alberta, you must open a WCB-Alberta account within 15 days of hiring your first worker (full-time, part-time, casual or temporary). Premiums are a rate per $100 of each worker’s insurable earnings. The 2026 average rate is $1.46 per $100, and insurable earnings […]