Tax & Compliance
Filing is compliance. Planning is decisions.
Corporate tax filing is an annual obligation to the government. Tax planning is a conversation before that filing happens, while the year's decisions still matter.
The first is what everyone does. The second is where owners save money or walk into surprises they did not see coming.
The Timing Question
Filing in January is archaeology. Planning in November is strategy.
Tax planning has one hard constraint: it must happen before the year ends. A conversation in December about whether dividend or salary makes sense for your situation has real answers. A conversation in March about the same question, reviewing a year that has already closed, is archaeology. The year's structure is fixed. The bill is set.
Filing is compliance. It is the legal requirement, and PMG handles it completely: tracking all of your numbers through the year, preparing the corporate return, the HST return, the payroll reporting, staying on top of remittance deadlines. That is the minimum.
Planning is the conversation that changes the bill, and it only works while the year is still being written.
Key Deadlines
The dates that matter.
Miss these and you pay penalties on top of the taxes owed. A CPA team manages these timelines entirely, but knowing them helps you plan remittances and cash flow.
Deadlines per CRA published schedules as of June 2026. Fiscal years and province of operation affect some dates; confirm against your calendar before each filing season.
What's Included
The scope of tax and compliance work.
Tax planning outcomes vary by business structure, province, and personal circumstances. PMG's work is analysis and reporting. Tax strategy advice comes from conversations between you, your CPA, and sometimes your legal counsel.
Questions, answered
What owners ask us about tax and compliance.
When is my corporate tax return actually due?
Six months after your fiscal year-end. The balance owing is due two months after year-end, or three months if you qualify as an eligible CCPC. File late and CRA charges 5 percent plus 1 percent per complete month. A two-month delay costs 7 percent just in penalties, before any interest on unpaid tax.
What happens if I file my corporate tax return late?
Two penalties run at once. CRA charges 5 percent of the unpaid balance, plus 1 percent for every complete month you are late. If you are three months late on a $10,000 bill, that is $500 plus $300 in monthly penalties, plus interest that compounds daily. Miss the deadline and call us immediately so we can minimize the damage.
Should I pay myself salary or dividends, and how much?
It depends on your province, your income level, and whether you have other income outside the business. The analysis weighs corporate tax rates, personal tax rates, CPP contributions on salary, and the tax payable on dividend draws. There is usually a range where both strategies work; the right spot depends on your full picture. PMG runs this analysis with you at year-end so the decision actually changes your bill.
Do you handle CRA reviews or audits?
We prepare and defend the books that get audited. If CRA questions something, we explain the accounting behind it and provide supporting documentation. For disputes that escalate beyond that, you would typically bring in a tax lawyer. We stay on the file through any review so CRA is talking to one voice.
Do I need to make quarterly tax instalments?
CRA expects instalments when your corporation owes more than $3,000 in tax for the current year and either of the two previous years; under that, you can pay when you file. The requirement sneaks up in year two of profitability, when the prior-year bill triggers it. A CPA team tracks the threshold and schedules the payments so the first notice you see is not an arrears notice.
What is the difference between tax compliance and tax planning?
Compliance is the filing requirement, the CRA filings that happen every year whether you like it or not. Planning is the strategy conversation that happens before the year ends, while your decisions can still shape the bill. Filing in January is archaeology. Planning in November lets you actually change the outcome.
CRA deadlines and penalties per published schedules at canada.ca, verified June 2026. Fiscal years and provincial rules affect specific dates; confirm with your CPA before each deadline.
Build a tax calendar that does not surprise you.
One conversation about your business structure, income level, and situation. A plan that names every deadline and every planning window so you are not caught off guard.
Fee-for-service accounting. No transaction fees, no hidden costs.