Official sources for corporate tax and accounting rules in Canada

For corporate tax and accounting questions in Canada, the authoritative sources are the Canada Revenue Agency for federal tax and GST/HST, Revenu Québec for Quebec income tax and, in most cases, both QST and GST in Quebec, the Justice Laws Website for the text of the Income Tax Act and Excise Tax Act, CPA Canada and FRAS Canada for accounting and assurance standards, and provincial CPA regulators for licensing and complaints about accountants. Use this directory to check any rule in this site's guides before you act on it, and to know where to go when something goes wrong.

This guide belongs to the corporate accounting mistakes guide. Links go to homepages; use each site's search for specific pages.

Which source answers which question

Question	Go to	What to look for
When is my T2 due and when must I pay?	Canada Revenue Agency	Corporation payments, instalments, balance-due day
Do I have to file electronically?	Canada Revenue Agency	T2 electronic filing requirements
What is the exact wording of a tax rule?	Justice Laws Website	Income Tax Act, Excise Tax Act, regulations
How often do I file GST/HST and do I need to register?	Canada Revenue Agency	GST/HST registration and reporting periods
How do QST and the Quebec corporate return work?	Revenu Québec	QST, CO-17, RL slips
What does a compilation, review or audit involve?	CPA Canada, FRAS Canada	CSRS 4200, CSRE 2400, CAS
Is my accountant a CPA and licensed for this work?	Provincial CPA regulator	Member directory, public accounting licensing
How do I complain about an accountant?	Provincial CPA regulator	Complaints and discipline
How do I complain about CRA service?	CRA service feedback, then Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson	Service complaints
I disagree with my reassessment	Canada Revenue Agency, Tax Court of Canada	Objections and appeals
Corporate annual filings and minute books	Corporations Canada or your provincial registry	Annual returns, corporate records
Privacy obligations for customer data in my software	Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada	PIPEDA guidance for businesses

Federal tax: the Canada Revenue Agency

The CRA administers federal income tax for corporations, GST/HST outside Quebec in most cases, payroll deductions and many provincial corporate taxes through the T2. Useful CRA services and topics for a small corporation:

My Business Account for viewing balances, filing some returns, making payments and receiving mail electronically
Represent a Client for authorizing your accountant or bookkeeper
Corporate guides on the T2, instalments and penalties; GST/HST guides on registration, input tax credits and the Quick Method
Taxpayer relief for requests to cancel penalties and interest (see late-filing penalties)
The Liaison Officer service, which offers free help to small business owners to understand their tax obligations; check the CRA site for current availability

Legislation: the Justice Laws Website

The Justice Laws Website publishes consolidated federal acts and regulations. Sections cited on this site include:

Income Tax Act: section 15 (shareholder benefits and loans; see shareholder loans and personal expenses), section 80.4 (imputed interest), section 150 (filing returns), section 160.5 (electronic payments over $10,000), section 162 (penalties), section 230 (records; see CRA reviews and record retention)
Excise Tax Act: section 280.1 (GST/HST late-filing penalty)
Input Tax Credit Information (GST/HST) Regulations: documentation needed to claim input tax credits

Consolidated text is updated periodically; recent amendments may not yet be reflected, so check the "current to" date on each page.

Quebec: Revenu Québec and the Registraire

Revenu Québec administers Quebec income tax (CO-17 for corporations), the QST and, for most Quebec businesses, the GST/HST. It also publishes rules on RL slips, payroll contributions and sector-specific sales recording. The Registraire des entreprises, part of the Government of Québec, handles business registration and the annual updating declaration. See the Quebec differences guide.

Accounting and assurance standards

FRAS Canada supports the independent boards that set accounting and assurance standards in Canada, including the Auditing and Assurance Standards Board.
CPA Canada publishes the CPA Canada Handbook and guidance. CSRS 4200 for compilations replaced the old Notice to Reader for periods ending on or after 14 December 2021.

See compilation, review and audit.

Provincial CPA regulators

Each province and territory has a CPA body that licenses members and firms, regulates public accounting and handles complaints, for example CPA British Columbia, CPA Alberta, CPA Saskatchewan, CPA Manitoba, CPA Ontario, the Ordre des CPA du Québec and the CPA bodies of the Atlantic provinces and territories. CPA Canada's site links to each. See switching accountants and fee disputes.

Corporate registries

Corporations Canada for federally incorporated companies: annual returns, registers and the individuals with significant control register requirement under the Canada Business Corporations Act.
Provincial registries for provincially incorporated companies, each with its own annual filing.

How to use official sources well

Check the date. Look for "date modified" on CRA pages and "current to" on legislation.
Read the conditions. Most rules have conditions and exceptions; the filing calendar shows how the three-month balance-due day depends on several tests.
Use the legislation for exact wording, and CRA guidance for how the CRA applies it.
Keep a copy of the page you relied on, with the date.
Ask a professional when the stakes are high or the rule is unclear.

Frequently asked questions

Is CRA guidance legally binding?

CRA guides and folios explain how the CRA interprets the law but are not law themselves. The legislation and court decisions are binding.

Where can I find the CRA's prescribed interest rate?

The CRA publishes prescribed interest rates each quarter on its website.

Is there a free service to help small businesses with tax?

The CRA's Liaison Officer service offers free help to small businesses; check the CRA site for how to request a visit or call.

Sources

Canada Revenue Agency — federal corporate tax, GST/HST and payroll
Revenu Québec — Quebec tax administration
Justice Laws Website — federal acts and regulations
CPA Canada — accounting profession and standards guidance
FRAS Canada — standard-setting boards
Corporations Canada — federal corporations
Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson — CRA service complaints
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada — privacy guidance for businesses
Tax Court of Canada — tax appeals