10 Benefits of Cloud Accounting Software By Trusted Saskatoon

18. Feb 2023 Admin Saskatoon Bookkeepers, Trusted Tips

10 Benefits of Cloud Accounting Software for Business

More and more business owners are turning to cloud accounting software to manage their business’s finances. If you haven’t yet tried it, here are 10 ways online accounting software can help your business.

Save time with automation

Don’t waste time posting and chasing invoices. Cloud accounting software automatically generates invoices— as well as reminders — at regular intervals, meaning you don’t have to manually keep track of debtors. If you combine your accounting software with HR and Payroll applications you can also automatically generate payslips and other HMRC documents.

Work from anywhere with an internet connection

Cloud accounting software means you no longer need to worry about maintaining spreadsheets or installing a program on one machine. The cloud allows you to log in to your business’s account anywhere with an internet connection. Once you sign up, you can get started straight away.

Value for money

Instead of paying a huge one-off fee for accounting software, with the cloud, you can spread the cost by paying monthly — helping you to manage your business’s cash flow. If you do prefer to pay upfront, you’ll benefit from a discount.

Up-to-date data

Automated bank feeds allow you to keep track of your business’s balance sheet in real-time. You can also view a variety of reports that give an up-to-date snapshot of your business finances. Online accounting software makes it easier to get closer to your business and gives you a clearer picture of your finances as a whole.

Keeps your information secure

As your data is saved on a secure cloud server and is constantly backed up, you don’t need to worry about your data being hacked or compromised. Even if your computer crashes, everything is still saved in the cloud.

Intuitive and easy to use

Cloud accounting software makes accounting easy for people who may not have much experience in managing financial accounts. The software is built with non-accountants in mind and help guides are available every step of the way.

Community of fellow business owners

A side benefit of joining the cloud accounting software revolution is joining an instant network of fellow business owners whom you can meet and chat with via community forums and business events.

Give access to multiple users and set permissions

If different people manage different elements of your business, it’s easy to add multiple users to your account and tailor permissions so that people with specific job roles only see what they need to.

Software is consistently updated and improved without you having to do anything

Rather than having to wait for a new integration of a program, cloud accounting software is constantly updated by in-house developers. This means that if things change, cloud software is agile enough to keep up-to-date in real-time. In addition, unlike desktop accounting software programs, these updates are free and included as part of your monthly subscription fee.

Collaborate easily with your accountant

In the past, it was common for business owners to chat with their accountant once a year at year-end — leading to one huge pile of work. Cloud accounting software lets you share your accounts with your accountant throughout the year and work together regularly.

Trusted Saskatoon Bookkeeping & Tax Tips If You Have Missing Tax Slips

18. Feb 2023 Admin Saskatoon Bookkeepers, Trusted Tips

Missing a Tax Slip? Here's How to Find it and What Happens if You Don't

Walk into a Canadian household in April and you’ll likely find a kitchen table littered with receipts and pairs of reading glasses. Yet with all the receipts and tax slips you’re supposed to keep, it’s likely some are going to go missing – and a missing slip can mean a big swing in your tax bill. Before you go ahead and file your return, you’ll want to do your due diligence to avoid any penalties for missing or inaccurate information.

Check your account online

My Account for Individuals is a great place to start to check your info. Logging into your account, you should be able to find online versions of your T4 slips. You’ll also be able to check carry-forward balances like tuition credits or capital losses, as well as your RRSP contribution limits. While you’re there, you can also sign up for a direct deposit to get your refund faster and deposited directly to your bank account.

Call the CRA

Only some of your tax slips will show up in My Account, namely the slips that begin with T4. To verify all your tax slips that the CRA has on file, particularly ones that relate to investments, you can call the Individual Enquiries line at 1-800-959-8281. Before you call, make sure you’ve got your SIN and last year’s tax return handy (which you can view online). After answering a few security questions, you can ask to confirm the slips they have on file for you and compare their records to yours to see if you’ve missed anything.

How do you know if the CRA has all your slips?

The majority of T3s, T4s, and T5s will all be processed through the CRA’s system. As the processing of these slips requires a SIN, the income on the slip is then attributed to you which you can then verify when you call the CRA.

‍However, not all slips go through the CRA’s system.

‍Certain slips such as T2202As for tuition deductions, T5008s for capital gains and losses, and RRSP contributions are not always processed by the CRA. While the rules differ across the various types of tax forms, some slips can be generated independently and don’t have to go through the CRA’s system first. For these slips, you’re going to want to track them down from the source provider since the CRA won’t have them on file.

For example, if you know you’re meant to receive a tuition credit, call the school to grab your form. If you’ve made some stock trades in the year, call your bank to grab a gains and losses report. Unfortunately, there’s no fool-proof way to know that you’ve got all these types of slips – you’ll just need to remember!

What happens if you still miss a slip?

If you file your taxes with a missing slip, don't expect a collections officer at your place. If the missing slip contained only a small amount of income, you may get lucky and the CRA may just ignore it. On the other hand, if it’s a significant amount of income, you may be automatically reassessed.

When this happens, as long as you’re in a refund position, you likely won’t have the interest to pay. Unfortunately, if the swing is big enough to generate a balance owing, you may have some interest to cover. If you missed a significant slip that the CRA does not have on file such as a tuition slip, not to worry, you can file an adjustment to your return down the road if you’re able to track it down. Before you file your return, double-checking that you’ve got all your slips covered will mean a faster refund, no interest, and less stress!

Your Ultimate Tax Checklist From Trusted Saskatoon

17. Feb 2023 Admin Saskatoon Bookkeepers, Website

Your Ultimate Tax Checklist

It is that time of year again… tax season! If you are like most people, doing taxes is something you view as a dreaded task or you procrastinate doing. Do not fear, we have a helpful Tax Season Checklist to make doing your taxes easier to organize. This list will outline all the things we could need from you in order to prepare your income tax return.

Tax Slips

T4 slips (Employment income)
T4e Employment Insurance benefits
T4A (other pensions, annuities, and certain scholarships)
T4AP (CPP benefits)
T4 RSP (RRSP income)
T4 RIF (RRIF income)
T4 A-OAS (old age security)
T3 (Mutual Funds, REITs, ETFs)
T5 (investment income – interest, dividends, certain capital gains)
RC62 (Universal Child Care benefits)
T5007 (Social assistance payments/Worker’s compensation benefits)
T2202A (Tuition/education receipts)
T5031 (partnership income)
T2200 (Condition of employment/allowable employment expenses)
All other information slips

Receipts

RRSP contribution slips
Medical expenses
Support for a child, spouse, or common-law partner
Transit pass receipts
Charitable donations
Office-in-home expenses
Moving expenses (including realtor’s commissions)
Exams for professional certification
Carrying charges and interest expenses
Other interest expenses
Political contributions
Childcare expenses
Adoption expenses
Children’s arts and sports expenses
Tool expenses (tradesperson)
Interest paid on your student loans
Professional or union dues
Attendant Expenses for the disabled person
Other Documentation
Notice of Assessment/Reassessment
CRA Correspondence
Amounts you have paid in tax installments
Rental income and expenses
The sale or deemed sale of stocks, bonds, real estate, etc.
Disability tax credit certificate
Business, farm, or fishing income or expenses
Northern resident’s deduction receipts
Commission employee expenses
Automobile/Travel logbook and expenses (self-employed and commissioned employees)
Volunteer firefighter’s certification
Graduate Retention Certificate
Search and rescue volunteer certificate
Legal expenses to collect alimony, pension, or retirement allowances

Hounjet Tastad Harpham Trusted Saskatoon accountant share Canada Tax Deadline info.

11. Apr 2019 Carrie Saskatoon accountants, Trusted Tips

Hounjet Tastad Harpham has decades of accounting experience working with clients across Saskatchewan. Their expert accounting advice is valued by clients ranging from individuals to businesses small and large. Hounjet Tastad Harpham are Trusted Saskatoon Accountants and in their latest accounting tip, they share info about the Canada Tax Deadline

Canada Tax Deadline

The time when Canadians will be able to shed their toques and snow boots is still months away, but tax season is right around the corner. Get ready to tell the government how much money you made last year, how much you already paid in tax and hope that the difference will put a few dollars back into your pocket.

But whether you’re in for a refund or a tax bill this year, simply filing your return can be stressful. There are old receipts to be gathered, deadlines to put on your calendar and new rules you should know about.

WATCH: Canadians pay on average 42.5 percent of their income in taxes, reports finds

When’s the tax deadline?

As usual, April 30 is the date most Canadians need to keep in mind. For the majority of tax filers, this is the deadline to both pay any tax due and file your return.

If you’re self-employed, this year you have until June 17 to file (the deadline is normally June 15, but that falls on a Saturday this year). Remember, though, that if you owe taxes, you still need to pay up by April 30.
If you’re late to either settle your balance or send in your paperwork, you’ll face late-filing penalty and daily interest charges on any taxes owed.

When’s the earliest I can file my taxes?

If you just can’t wait to get that big refund, know that the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will start accepting electronic returns on Feb. 18.

Most people want to skip the tax-processing queue because they anticipate getting money back. But having a big tax bill is also a good reason to file early. That allows you to set up a plan to pay your tax in instalments. The more you manage to pay by April 30, the fewer extra charges you’ll face.

What is the deadline to contribute to my RRSP?

You can put money into your registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) any time. But if you want to get a tax refund for your RRSP contribution with your 2018 return, the cutoff for adding funds is March 1.

WATCH: A look at how taxes affect your savings outside an RRSP or TFSA

What's New in 2019?

A few things:

New and improved tax breaks:

Climate Action Incentive. Canadians who live in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick are in for an extra tax credit this year. The money, which may create or boost a tax refund or reduce a balance owing, is meant to offset the cost of the carbon tax in provinces that haven’t established a carbon price of their own. Once the tax goes into effect on April 1, it will push up the cost of gasoline by 4.42 cents a litre, that of natural gas by 3.91 cents per cubic metre and that of propane by 3.1 cents a litre, according to government estimates. In an unusual move, Ottawa is putting cash into Canadians’ pocket before they incur the extra expense. According to the federal government’s calculations, the average household (defined as 2.6 people) in Saskatchewan will spend $403 more but receive $598 under the climate-action incentive. In all jurisdictions, residents of small and rural communities will receive an additional 10 percent supplement. The amount of the tax credit depends on family size — you can use this table to calculate how much your household can claim. It’s important to note that the tax credit applies to the household, not the individual taxpayer, said Lisa Gittens of H&R Block. This means that only one person for every family living under the same roof should claim the credit on her return, she added. All you have to do to receive the credit is file taxes and claim the credit in a new schedule that will come with the income-tax package in the four affected provinces.

New carbon tax takes effect in SK we have a tip on it here: CAI In Saskatchewan.

Medical expense tax credit for service animals. In certain circumstances, Canadians suffering from severe mental impairment will now be able to claim the cost of caring for service animals as a medical expense. The credit is only for animals trained to perform specific tasks that help their owners cope with their impairment. Examples of those tasks include things like “guiding a disoriented patient, searching the home of a patient with severe anxiety before they enter, and aiding a patient experiencing night terrors,” according to H&R Block.
Accelerated capital cost allowance rates. Self-employed Canadians and business owners, listen up. This year you might be able to get more money back for the cost of things like business equipment, office furniture and computers. All those things lose value as they age, so the CRA allows you to gradually claim the cost of these purchases over the years. The good news is that in your 2018 return you’ll be able to get a bigger tax break for equipment bought after Nov. 20 of last year. For example, say you spent $1,000 last December on a new couch for your office. In the past, you’d have been able to claim only $100 of that expense for the first year. Now, you’ll be able to claim 50 per cent more than that, or $150. The change will apply for purchases of eligible equipment made up until the end of 2023 and be phased out between 2024 and 2027. The capital cost allowance reduces your taxable professional or business income.

Tax breaks you can no longer claim:

Tuition. Students in Saskatchewan, Ontario and New Brunswick can no longer claim a provincial tax credit for their tuition expenses, noted Warren Orlans at TurboTax. The federal tuition tax credit, however, is still alive and well. Students over the age of 16 who are enrolled in post-secondary level courses can usually claim their tuition costs to help offset their tax bill. If they don’t have a lot of taxes to offset – which is often the case for students – they can carry forward the credit or pass it on to an eligible relative, which includes parents and grandparents. However, it’s the student who needs to claim the tax credit on her or his return, regardless of who will ultimately benefit from the tax break. The federal credit is 15 percent of your eligible tuition. For example, if you paid $2,000 in fees, you would be able to claim a $300 tax credit.

Tax-rate changes:

Lower tax rate for small business.

The federal small business tax rate applies to business income up to $500,000 dropped from 10.5 percent to 10 percent in 2018 and came down another notch, to nine percent, as of Jan. 1, 2019. On the other hand, Ottawa also tightened the rules on so-called passive income. This is the income businesses earn when they invest surplus profits in things like mutual funds and real estate. As long as the extra cash stays inside the company, it is taxed at the corporate tax rate, which is lower than the rates that apply to individuals. The federal government contends many Canadians have been using passive income and its low corporate tax rate to grow their personal savings, so it tightened passive income rules. Under the new regimes, businesses with less than $50,000 in annual passive income can claim the full $500,000 at the small business rate. The federal government also cracked down on the practice, common among business owners, to sprinkle income to relatives in lower tax brackets as a way of reducing the family tax bill. With the new rules, there’s no tax advantage to income sprinkling unless business owners can prove that family members are, or have been within the previous five years, actively engaged in the business. The reduction in the small-business tax rate softens the effect of the tighter passive income and income sprinkling rules, Orlans noted. For some business owners, the changes will cancel each other out, he said. “When people file through the software, everything calculates itself in the back end, so people aren’t going to see a change in the income they’re claiming.”

Service upgrades from the CRA:

CRA has a new phone system. More than a year after the auditor general blasted the CRA for issues at its call centres, the agency has migrated to a new phone platform. When Canadians call this year, the CRA is promising they will receive an estimated wait time to speak with an agent instead of the familiar busy signal or message to call back later. Callers will have the choice to wait on the phone, call back later or use automated options. The new system will also be able to route calls to agents with the skills necessary to deal with the question or issue at stake, the agency said. The auditor general found that even when Canadians did manage to get through to a CRA agent, they would get wrong information from almost 30 per cent of them. This tax season will be the test of whether the agency has made meaningful progress.

Pay your taxes with an app. Many Canadians already pay most of their bills through their phones. Starting in February they’ll be able to do so with taxes, too. The MyCra web-based app will let you view and pay your tax balance with Interac, Visa Debit or Debit MasterCard, or by pre-authorized debit. You can also use the app to pay your taxes at a Canada Post outlet for a fee by generating a quick response (QR) code.

Paper tax return shipped to your home. If you filed your taxes the old-fashioned way last year, the CRA will ship the 2018 income tax paperwork to your doorstep. If your package hasn’t appeared by February 11, you can download a copy of the return online or order a copy from the CRA.

Email notifications about account information changes. If you’ve signed up for this service, starting on February 11, the CRA will begin to send you email notifications about account changes like updates to your address or direct-deposit information. This should make it easier to spot suspicious activity in your account.

Contact Hounjet Tastad Harpham today if you have any further questions related to the Canada Tax Deadline.

Hounjet Tastad Harpham Services:

If you are looking for a Saskatoon chartered professional accountant for your personal taxes or business accounting needs, contact the team at Hounjet Tastad Harpham today.

Hounjet Tastad Harpham are Trusted Saskatoon Accountants

Hounjet Tastad Harpham Trusted Saskatoon accountant answer questions about the new Climate Action Incentive in Saskatchewan

21. Mar 2019 Trusted Saskatoon Saskatoon accountants, Trusted Tips

Climate Action Incentive (CAI)

Recently a client emailed us to ask a few questions before they dropped off their 2019 personal tax information. This particular client has been in a common law relationship for 7 years and has 3 children from a previous relationship.

The CAI Question:

Greetings Roseline, I'm going to drop off my information tomorrow, but I just wanted to ask about the new Federal ECO/Carbon Tax rebate program/ incentive - how is it decided , how is it calculated and who receives it?

The Answer

Individuals in Saskatchewan will receive a tax-free Climate Action Incentive payment after filing their 2018 tax return starting in 2019. Climate Action Incentive payments in Saskatchewan will be calculated as follows for 2019:

The carbon tax rebate can be claimed by either spouse, so it’s up to you to decide which one.

You can’t split it – it has to go to one or the other. In this case, we suggested that the client put it on her return because it includes the children. The rebate gives $305 for the individual, $152 for the spouse, and $76 per child, for a total of $685.00.

Depending on financial arrangements, the client who receives the rebate may then split half of the adult CAI (305 +152= ) and give their partner/spouse $228.50, keeping the 3 children's rebate for their expenses.

What About Other Family Circumstances?

The amount for a single parent's qualified dependant:

To claim the CAI payment for a single parent’s qualified dependant, on December 31, 2018, you must:

not be married or in a common-law partnership, and
have a child (or dependant) who meets all the conditions of a qualified dependant.

Shared custody

Only one claim for a CAI payment can be made per child. The payment cannot be split between parents.

Supplement for residents of small and rural communities

To claim the supplement for residents of small and rural communities, you must have resided outside of a census metropolitan area (CMA) on December 31, 2018.

Find out if you qualify for the 10% supplement for residents of small and rural communities.

Province	Basic Amount	Spouse or common-law partner amount	Qualified dependant amount	Single parent's qualified dependant amount
Saskatchewan	$305	$152	$76	$152

Claim the CAI payment

To claim the CAI payment, you must:

complete your 2018 income tax and benefit return
complete Schedule 14 included with your return
send (file) your return to the Canada Revenue Agency

The CAI payment will be automatically applied to your balance owing for the year, if applicable, or may increase the amount of any refund you may be entitled to.

Contact Hounjet Tastad Harpham today if you have any further questions related to CAI.