How much does an accountant cost for a small business in Ontario?
Our monthly plans start from CAD 299 and registration from CAD 149, with the exact price fixed in writing after a short review. What moves the number is volume and complexity, not revenue, and this guide shows how to estimate yours.
At The Accounting Doc, ongoing accounting for an Ontario small business starts from CAD 299 per month, and an Ontario corporation can be registered from CAD 599 plus government fees. Your exact price depends on how many transactions you have, whether you run payroll, how many entities you own and how far behind the books are, and it is confirmed in writing before any work starts.
That is the short version. The longer one matters, because two businesses with the same revenue can be five times apart in the work they need, and the way an accountant charges changes what you end up paying over a year.
Hourly billing or a fixed monthly fee?
Most owners meet two models. Hourly billing charges for the time spent, so the bill moves every month and every phone call has a cost. A fixed monthly fee covers an agreed scope, so you know the number in advance and can ask questions without watching the clock.
| Hourly billing | Fixed monthly fee | |
|---|---|---|
| What you know in advance | The rate, not the total | The total for the agreed scope |
| Questions during the year | Usually billed | Included in the plan |
| Year-end | Often a separate, larger invoice | Statements and return built into the monthly price |
| Best for | One-off projects | Ongoing bookkeeping, tax and payroll |
We price ongoing work as a fixed monthly fee and quote one-off work, such as catch-up bookkeeping or an acquisition review, as a project. Both are set out in writing first.
What actually drives the price
Revenue is a poor guide. These five inputs decide where a business lands:
- Transaction volume. Every sale, purchase and bank line has to be recorded and reconciled. Our plans step up at about 75, 250 and 600 transactions a month.
- Payroll. Running pay, remittances, T4s and ROEs adds work for every employee.
- Accounts to reconcile. One bank account and one card is simple. Several accounts, merchant processors and loans take longer every month.
- Entities. A holding company, a property company or a second operating company each need their own books and returns.
- The state of the books. Books that are behind are brought up to date first as a one-time project, then the monthly plan keeps them current.
What each plan costs and who it fits
These are our published starting points in CAD. Every plan includes cloud accounting in QuickBooks Online or Xero, a compliance calendar and a person who knows your file.
| Plan | From, per month | Typical fit | Main inclusions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | CAD 299 | Sole proprietors and new corporations | Bookkeeping up to about 75 transactions, GST/HST filing, year-end statements, tax return |
| Business | CAD 599 | Established owner-operated companies | Up to about 250 transactions, payroll for up to 5 employees, quarterly review call, salary vs dividend planning |
| Growth | CAD 999 | Multi-staff, multi-account businesses | Up to about 600 transactions, AP and AR, monthly management reporting |
| Finance Team | CAD 1,499 | Multi-entity, real estate and scaling operators | Fractional CFO sessions, cash flow forecasting, lender and investor reporting |
The full feature list for each plan is on the pricing page, along with registration and international packages.
What is not in the monthly price
A quote is only useful if you know where it stops. Ours excludes:
- Government fees for incorporation, NUANS and name registration, which are shown to you before you pay.
- Catch-up bookkeeping, quoted once as a project.
- Multi-entity groups, development accounting and large portfolios, which are custom priced after a review.
- Audit and assurance. The Accounting Doc does not provide audit or assurance engagements and can work alongside your auditor.
- Legal and immigration advice, which come from your lawyer and a licensed immigration professional.
How to estimate your own number in ten minutes
- Count last month's bank and card lines across every account. That is your transaction volume.
- Note how many people you pay through payroll, including yourself if you take a salary.
- List every company you own that files its own return.
- Check the date of the last reconciled month. If it is more than a couple of months back, expect a catch-up project first.
- Match the result against the table above, then send it to us for a fixed price.
Starting a company as well?
If you are not trading yet, registration comes first. An Ontario sole proprietorship starts from CAD 149, an Ontario corporation from CAD 599, and the complete package most owners choose from CAD 899. Our guide Do I need to incorporate? explains which one fits, and the start a business page shows each package. Founders outside Canada can read Can a foreigner own a Canadian company?
Budgeting the rest of year one
Accounting is rarely the only fixed cost a new owner is trying to pin down. Marketing is usually next, and Waaiz Up publishes one fixed price for each of its video ad packs, from the same Pickering address, so you can budget it the same way. If you are an exporter or plan to raise capital, WeOpen.ca keeps a plain guide to federal and regional programme pathways for Canadian businesses worth reading before you build your forecast.