For contractors with late HST returns, a letter from the CRA, or books that fell behind. We look at your CRA account in the first meeting, file what is late, and put you on a monthly rhythm so it does not happen again.
"You registered for HST, but you’ve missed your filings. What happened?" A letter like that is the most common reason a contractor calls us.
It rarely starts as a decision. You are on a site all day, the receipts go in a shoebox, a spouse is doing the books on top of everything else, or the old accountant got slow to answer. Then a quarter slips, then another.
A late return brings a penalty, and interest runs on what is owing until it is paid. Both keep growing while the returns sit unfiled.
Construction already gets more scrutiny than most industries. Late filers get more again, and an audit can reach back through several years.
When CRA mail goes to your accountant instead of you, you can be behind and not know it. Your mail should come to you.
A loan or a line of credit needs financial statements, and statements need current books. Behind on one means stuck on the other.
A contractor came to us on a friend’s referral. His old provider was slow to answer and kept stalling. We got authorised on his CRA account in the first meeting.
Within minutes we found a pile of late HST filings and CRA letters he had never seen. They had gone to his accountant, not to him.
Late returns filed, the CRA answered, and his mail now comes to him.
A large construction company came to us almost killed by its own success. It was busy and it was growing, and the back office could not keep up. The books fell behind, and the further behind they got, the harder it was to take on new work.
We cleaned the books up and put the company on the monthly cycle.
Today it is one of our larger clients. The accounting side runs smoothly, so they can focus on running the business.
Anywhere from ten days to sixty, depending on the mess. Occasionally longer for a big backlog, and we tell you up front.
You authorise us with the CRA in the first meeting, so we see exactly what the CRA sees: what is filed, what is late, and what letters are out.
Which bank, card and loan statements to send, and access to whatever holds the books today. Short and specific.
We find the last date your books were actually right. More than half the time it is earlier than the owner thinks.
This month runs on the monthly cycle from the start, so you stop falling further behind. The backlog is worked through alongside it.
Each late HST return is filed as its period is caught up, and we deal with the CRA on your behalf along the way.
“Working with Clem at ARC has been an absolute game changer for our business. Their team is incredibly hardworking, efficient, and always available whenever we need support or answers.”
Trent Scarfe & Sarah HaydenAs far as it goes. One multi-million dollar contractor came to us five years behind, about 15,000 transactions. How a catch-up works.
Filing stops them growing, which is why sooner is better. Once we see your CRA account we tell you honestly what can and cannot be done about what has built up.
Yes. Once you authorise us as your representative we can see your account and speak to the CRA for you. Your mail still comes to you, so you always know what the CRA is saying.
No. The current months run on the normal monthly cycle from the start. Your part is the homework list and photographing receipts as you go.
Tell us roughly how far behind things are. We will come back to you, set up a call, and tell you what it takes to get current.
A couple of lines about the business and what you are dealing with is plenty.
Usually with a question or two, so the call is not spent on the basics.
A proper conversation about how the business runs and what your accounting actually needs.
What we would look after, how it would run month to month, and twelve months of pricing set out up front.
HST on new builds and major renovations, rebates and rental projects.
Read moreStatements prepared by a CPA firm, the kind lenders ask for before a loan or a line of credit.
Read moreHST, payroll remittances, invoices, receipts and workers comp set up right from the start.
Read moreThe HST on a new apartment building of ten units or more can come back.
Read more