For an incorporated small business, the right tax accountant is a CPA who works with your corporation all year — someone who quotes a fixed price before the work starts, files both your federal and provincial returns, and answers a question in July as readily as in April. Filing the T2 is the visible part of the job; it is also the smallest part. Here is what a small business tax accountant should actually do for you, how to tell a CPA from an unregulated preparer, and an honest look at when a firm like Stamped is the right fit — and when it isn't.
What a small business tax accountant does across the year
The year-end filing — the federal T2 return, plus the CO-17 if your corporation has an establishment in Québec — is the deliverable everyone sees. Our corporate tax service covers exactly that. But for an owner-manager, most of the value sits in the months between filings:
- Deciding how you pay yourself. The salary-versus-dividends mix affects your corporate tax, your personal tax, your RRSP room and your CPP (or QPP) record. It should be reviewed before year-end, while there is still time to act.
- Tracking instalments and deadlines. Corporate tax is generally due before the return itself, and instalments may be required during the year. Missed dates cost interest — quietly.
- Handling CRA and Revenu Québec correspondence. Processing reviews and information requests are routine; someone should answer them properly and on time.
- Planning before the year closes. Most tax moves — remuneration, purchases, bonuses — stop being available on the last day of your fiscal year. A preparer you only speak to in filing season can't help with any of them; that is the job of tax planning.
CPA or unregulated preparer: the difference is real
Tax preparation is not a regulated activity in Canada. Anyone can charge to prepare a corporate return — no licence, no exam, no professional oversight. "CPA", by contrast, is a title protected by provincial law. A CPA belongs to a provincial order, carries professional liability insurance, is subject to practice inspection, follows a code of ethics and completes mandatory continuing education. If something goes wrong, there is a body you can complain to and insurance behind the work.
For a simple personal return, that machinery may be more than you need. For a corporation, it usually isn't: a T2 sits on top of financial statements, interacts with your personal return, and an error repeats itself year after year until someone catches it.
What to look for before you sign
- A fixed price, in writing, before work begins. Hourly billing rewards slow work and makes every phone call feel expensive.
- Both returns under one roof. If you operate in Québec, the T2 and CO-17 should be one engagement — not two invoices from two people.
- Planning included, not just preparation. At minimum, a conversation before your year-end — not "send your documents, here's your return."
- Year-round responsiveness. Ask what the response time is in October. A firm that disappears outside filing season will also disappear when the CRA letter arrives.
- A CPA signs the work. Membership in the provincial order is public — verify it.
How Stamped's model works
Stamped is an online-first CPA firm: our accountants are members of the Ordre des CPA du Québec, our head office is in Québec City, and we serve incorporated businesses in every province. Everything runs on our own platform — you upload documents once, see the status of your file, and every filing and payment deadline is tracked for you. Any question gets a response from a CPA within 24 hours, year-round. Pricing is fixed and public: corporate tax returns start at $1,475, with the full list on our pricing page.
An honest fit check
Stamped is a good fit if you run an incorporated business, want a fixed price agreed up front, and are comfortable working online. It is not the right choice for everyone:
- You aren't incorporated yet. Sole proprietors report business income on a personal T1 — a different job than ours.
- Your corporation is brand new and barely active. A company with little or no activity can reasonably file with software; here is how to decide between filing yourself and hiring an accountant.
- You want to sit across a desk from your accountant. An online-first model will frustrate you — our only office is in Québec City.
Somewhere in the middle? Tell us the basics of your corporation and we'll say plainly whether we're the right firm — and exactly what it would cost.