SERVICE · CANADA
Bookkeeping services for Canada,
with GST/HST and the CRA dates built in.
Bookkeeping services in Canada keep your books in Canadian dollars, separate the GST/HST you collect from the input tax credits you can claim, and have figures ready for each CRA deadline: the GST/HST return, T2125 or T2, and T4 slips. ZeraBooks bookkeeping services are run from Surrey, BC, from $150 a month.
Free call · from $150 a month, billed in USD · books kept in CAD · run from Surrey, BC
WHAT CHANGES IN CANADA
How is bookkeeping different for a Canadian business?
The debits and credits are the same as anywhere. The tax accounts, the forms and the calendar are not.
Sales tax lives in the books
GST/HST you charge is money held for the CRA, so it goes to a liability account, not revenue. The GST/HST you pay on business purchases goes to a separate account as input tax credits. The return is the difference between the two.
The rate depends on the province
GST is 5%. Ontario charges 13% HST. British Columbia charges 5% GST plus 7% PST, and the PST is filed with the province on its own return. A business selling into several provinces needs each rate tracked.
Two kinds of income tax return
A sole proprietor reports the business on Form T2125 inside their personal T1 return. A corporation files its own T2. The chart of accounts is close to the same; the equity section and the deadlines are not.
Cheques, e-Transfers and Canadian statements
Interac e-Transfers and cheques show up on RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO and CIBC statements with short, cryptic descriptions. Each one still needs a payee and a category.
Books in Canadian dollars
Your reports, your GST/HST figures and your tax return are all in CAD, so the books are too. A U.S. dollar purchase on a Canadian card is recorded at the CAD amount the card statement charged.
Tell us about your books. We’ll scope the work and quote it before anything starts.
CRA DEADLINES
Which CRA deadlines does a small business bookkeeper work to?
These come from the CRA’s own rules. Your accountant files the returns; the books have to be ready first.
| What | Who | Due |
|---|---|---|
| GST/HST return, monthly or quarterly | Registrants filing monthly or quarterly | One month after the end of the period |
| GST/HST return, annual | Most registrants with up to $1.5 million in taxable supplies | Three months after the fiscal year-end |
| GST/HST return, annual, sole proprietor | Individuals with business income and a December 31 year-end | File by June 15, pay by April 30 |
| T1 with Form T2125 | Sole proprietors | File by June 15, balance owing by April 30 |
| T2 corporate return | Corporations | Six months after the fiscal year-end |
| T2 balance owing | Corporations | Two months after year-end, three for some Canadian-controlled private corporations |
| T4 slips and summary | Employers | Last day of February |
GST/HST registration is required once taxable supplies pass $30,000 in one calendar quarter or over four quarters in a row. Below that you are a small supplier and registration is optional. Keep your records for six years from the end of the tax year they relate to.
SOLE PROPRIETOR OR CORPORATION
Do I need bookkeeping for a T2125 or a T2?
Both need a full set of books. What changes is where the owner’s money shows up and what goes to the CRA.
| Sole proprietor (T2125) | Corporation (T2) | |
|---|---|---|
| The business is | You, reporting business income on your T1 | A separate legal person with its own return |
| Paying yourself | Owner draws, not an expense | Salary through payroll, or dividends |
| What the accountant needs | Income and expenses by T2125 line, plus CCA asset list | Full financial statements and a trial balance for the T2 and GIFI |
| Home office and vehicle | Business-use share claimed on the T2125 | Usually reimbursed to you or charged as rent |
| Equity accounts | Owner capital and owner draws | Share capital, retained earnings, shareholder loan |
The shareholder loan account matters for corporations: money you take out that is neither salary nor a dividend sits there, and the CRA has rules on how long it can stay unpaid. Ask your accountant how they want it handled.
WORKED EXAMPLE
What does a GST quarter look like in the books?
Panorama Tile & Stone is a fictional tile installer in Surrey, BC: a GST-registered sole proprietor who chose to file quarterly. Here is July to September 2026:
| Line | Before tax | GST at 5% | Account |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installation invoices, 9 jobs | 42,000.00 | 2,100.00 | GST/HST collected (liability) |
| Tile, grout and board from suppliers | 18,400.00 | 920.00 | Input tax credits |
| Van repair | 1,240.00 | 62.00 | Input tax credits |
| Net GST owing for the quarter | 1,118.00 | Due October 31, 2026 |
The return is 2,100.00 collected less 982.00 of input tax credits, which is 1,118.00. BC PST charged on materials is a cost of the job, not a credit, and PST collected goes on the provincial return. When the 1,118.00 payment leaves the bank in October, it clears the GST liability; it is never an expense.
WITH ZERABOOKS
How does ZeraBooks keep a Canadian business’s books?
ZeraBooks was started in Metro Vancouver and is run from Surrey, BC. Our team keeps the books on our own AI-native ledger.
- 1
A free call
Sole proprietor or corporation, which province, your GST/HST filing frequency and how many accounts. We agree the monthly price after the call.
- 2
Books set up in CAD
Your company is created with Canadian dollars as the books currency, with GST/HST collected and input tax credit accounts, and PST or QST where it applies.
- 3
Upload statements each month
PDF statements from RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO, CIBC, a credit union or anyone else go into your upload portal. There is no bank feed; each month is proven against the statement’s opening and closing balance.
- 4
GST/HST figures each period
At the end of each filing period you get the tax collected, the input tax credits and the net amount, ready for your return. You or your accountant file it with the CRA.
- 5
Year-end for your accountant
A trial balance and reports for the T2125 or T2, plus the asset list for capital cost allowance. See monthly bookkeeping services for what each month includes.
How much does bookkeeping cost in Canada?
ZeraBooks starts from $150 a month, billed in U.S. dollars, with the exact price agreed after a free call. Catch-up work for months never done is quoted on its own. For hourly rates and other options, see how much a bookkeeper costs.
Do you file my GST/HST return?
No. ZeraBooks keeps the books and gives you or your accountant the GST/HST collected, the input tax credits and the net amount for each period. The return itself is filed with the CRA by you or your accountant.
Are you a Canadian company?
Yes. ZeraBooks was founded in 2025 in Vancouver, Canada, and is run from Surrey, BC. We also keep books for clients in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Can you work with a contractor who has holdbacks?
Yes. Holdback owing to you is tracked as its own receivable until it is released. Our guide to bookkeeping for contractors shows how retainage and progress billing are recorded.
Do you connect to my Canadian bank?
No. ZeraBooks has no bank feeds. Download each month’s PDF statement from online banking and upload it to your portal.
Can I keep the books myself instead?
Yes. ZeraBooks AI bookkeeping runs in Canadian dollars and reconciles every account against your statements, from $79 a month billed annually after a 7-day trial, billed in USD.
WE DO YOUR BOOKS
Tell us your province and your filing frequency.
We’ll quote the books in one call.
Sole proprietor or corporation, GST/HST or not, one account or ten. You get a read-only login and an upload portal. Book the free call.
Last updated October 19, 2026 · Written by Damin Mutti, founder of ZeraBooks