Preparing your Small Business and Self Employed Tax Return with UFile Tax Software
A Guide To Preparing the T2125 For Small Business Or Self Employed Owners
While being self employed comes with numerous benefits, there are also many challenges. One of the major ones is ensuring that you are aware of, and fulfill, your tax obligations on a timely basis. In the beginning these tax obligations can seem mystifying and somewhat overwhelming, but once you understand what needs to be done and you set up processes and reminders, it tends to become much more manageable. This in turn reduces stress as tax deadlines approach and can result in significant potential tax savings as you keep track of all your tax deductions and avoid interest and penalties.
Why you should register for CRA and RQ My Business Account (and how to do it)
With all data moving to the cloud these days and ubiquitous online access to banking, customer and supplier portals, it makes sense that Revenue Canada (CRA) and Revenue Quebec (RQ) have followed suit. Considerable resources have been spent by the revenue agencies on developing their online portals and encouraging both individual taxpayers and businesses to move the majority of their tax related interactions online (almost every accountant conference has an appearance by a CRA representative talking about the improvements to their online portal and imploring accountants to convince their clients to make the switch). The upfront investment has resulted in significant cost savings for CRA/RQ (postage costs alone have dropped dramatically) while improving accuracy and perhaps most importantly increasing the effectiveness of tax collection efforts. CRA personnel have been able to move away from verifying calculations and manually reviewing tax returns to more value added analysis which has allowed them to identify tax miscreants with higher accuracy.
For both the individual taxpayer and small business owner there are numerous benefits to registering online:
8 Top Notch Information Resources for Small Businesses
As a small business owner and content creator, I’m always looking for resources that will help me improve my own business, and provide insight into the latest developments, innovations, tools and guidance on financial and tax matters. Over time, I have bookmarked a list of the resources that I visit frequently
What is Capital Cost Allowance and How Does it Impact Your Business
Frequently a client of mine will purchase a high ticket item such as a computer or a piece of furniture and will simply show it as an expense on their profit and loss. Since you purchased something that relates to your business, it should be considered to be a deduction and classified as an expenses.
Unfortunately, accountants and revenue agencies do not see it this way. From their perspective, an item that is purchased for a business, whose value extends beyond one year, is actually an asset that should be depreciated over the useful life of the asset. In other words, the expense that you can claim for the asset is only the portion of the asset that is used in the year that you claim it.
While accountants refer to the amount of the asset that is expensed each year as depreciation, Revenue Canada refers to this as capital cost allowance or CCA.
How to Pay Dividends: Completing the T5 Slip and Summary
If you are the owner of a Canadian corporation, you can choose to pay yourself (and other shareholders) dividends instead of a salary. Alternatively, some shareholders also take dividends in addition to a salary depending on their tax planning strategy. If you do decide to pay yourself dividends, it is important to ensure that you prepare the proper documentation for Revenue Canada (CRA) and if you live in Quebec, Revenue Quebec (MRQ) since this must be reported as investment income on your personal tax return in the calendar year in which the dividends are paid. If you are paying dividends to a Canadian shareholder, you must issue a T5 slip while non resident shareholders receive an NR4 slip. The T5 dividend slips are generally due by February 28th of the calendar year following the year in which the dividend was paid Although no income taxes are due at the time of filing the T5 slips with the government, interest and penalties apply for late filing . The process of submitting preparing and submitting the dividend declarations and the documents that need to be filled out and returned to the CRA and MRQ are discussed below:
What Happens When You Contribute Excess Amounts to your RRSP
Being able to contribute to an RRSP is one of the great tax saving strategies available to all Individual Canadian Taxpayers who generate “earned income” which is essentially income earned from employment (salaries) or self employment. It is extremely important to know that there are unfortunately limits to how much you can contribute and Revenue Canada (CRA) actually imposes penalties on overcontributions to your RRSP.
Note that passive income like dividends and interest is ineligible and does not factor into the calculation for how much you can contribute to an RRSP.
4 Alternatives for Preparing Your Small Business Payroll
Paying salaries to employees (or yourself) requires more than just determining the gross amount to be paid. The Canada Revenue Agency and Revenue Quebec require that employers calculate a variety of taxes on the salaries paid, remit them to the federal and provincial governments and prepare annual reports demonstrating that the calculations are correct and all salary deductions have been paid. This can be a lot of work for business owners whose time is better spent generating sales and building their businesses. Luckily there are many options for small business owners to calculate their payroll and salary remittances, many of which simplify the process:
Nine Steps to Starting your Small Business
Starting a small business is a fairly simple process. If you are using your own given name, all you really need is a product or service that people want to a buy. Maintaining a business that is successful and meets your long term goals can be a little more difficult. In our current technological age of AI, online apps for pretty much anything and cloud computing, the tools and apps that can help you succeed are numerous to the point where they can be a bit overwhelming. You are a Google search away from being bombarded with search results, many pages deep, that provide insight, tips, tricks, mistakes and guidance on how to run a business. The difficulty arises when you have to implement them, since every small business owner’s circumstances and business goals are unique. Additionally most business owners, particularly in the startup stages, have tight budgets. With that in mind, below are the steps businesses should follow when they are first getting off the ground:
What Version of QBO Is Right for your Business
If you are thinking about upgrading from your current accounting system or spreadsheet or starting your new business venture with accounting software, QuickBooks Online is a good way to go. It is perhaps the most well known accounting software and, having used both the desktop and online versions for many years, it can be a great tool for anyone who wants to track their self employed/small business finances.
When you have made your decision, you will have to determine which version of QBO to get. This requires that you understand what features are necessary for your business.
19 Features to Consider When Selecting Small Business Accounting Software
A good accounting software can be an invaluable tool for businesses. Before choosing an accounting software it helps to have a detailed understanding of what your accounting system can do for you . This involves analysing the key aspects of your business, determining what is essential (eg. invoicing, expenses, banking, reports) and what you would like to have (eg. time tracking, credit card payments, banking downloads etc.). By reviewing your requirements in advance and building a checklist, you can make a better decision about something that goes to the very foundation of your business. Below are some important features to consider:
How To Close Your Year End (or Period End)in QBO
Doing your own accounting in accounting software such as QuickBooks Online (QBO) is relatively straightforward especially if you have set up your QBO file optimally. You periodically enter invoices, expenses, bills and allocate transactions from the banking download. And while QBO is designed for non accountants, it is also equally appreciated by many accountants for its simplicity and user friendliness (although, as with any software product, there are grievances).
There does come a point, however, when you might notice that some things don’t look right. The bank balance or credit card balance might not match to the QuickBooks balance or your income and/or expenses might seem much too high or inconsistent with previous years. The solution to identifying and fixing these discrepancies is to perform what accountants refer to as year end (or month end) closing procedures, that if done properly, should correct any discrepancies that crop up. The ultimate goal of closing the books monthly or annually is to ensure that you can rely on the integrity of your data.
Consider These Factors When Deciding Whether to Take Salary or Dividends
One of the most common questions I get asked by corporate business owners is whether to take salary or dividends and how much tax can be saved by taking only dividends. The answer unfortunately, like most issues relating to tax, is that it depends on your circumstances. The concept of integration in the Canadian tax system theoretically strives to make taxes payable the same whether you take salary or dividends or a combination of both. In reality, there is always a difference as everyone’s tax situation is distinct.
Consider These Financial and Tax Implications When Buying a Home
The Canadian real estate market has performed well in recent years, though analysts and economists have long warned of its potential overvaluation.
Potential homeowners often find themselves seduced by their vision of the perfect home in the perfect neighbourhood and often end up in a difficult situation, referred to as “house poor”, where the majority of their disposable income goes to paying down their mortgages.
This can be avoided by ensuring that you realistically assess what you can afford and being financially responsible.
Know Your Small Business Tax Deadlines In 2025
As we approach the new year, it is time to start thinking about a subject near and dear to your heart i.e. taxes (insert appropriate emoji).
Below are the deadlines that all small businesses need to know for 2025.