Corporate tax accountant in Ottawa

Lewis Partners prepares corporate returns and financial statements for Ontario CCPCs — operating companies, holdcos, and the professional corporations behind them. We work with owner-managers across Ottawa and the rest of Ontario, mostly remotely.

What we do

• T2 corporate returns — federal and Ontario, with schedules, GIFI and the supporting slips.
• Compilation financial statements — prepared under CSRS 4200, the standard most lenders and shareholders expect.
• Corporate tax planning — salary versus dividends, how much to leave in the company, and what to do before year-end rather than after.
• Shareholder transactions — shareholder loans and the section 15 rules, capital dividends and the CDA, intercorporate dividends.
• Structure — holding companies, associated corporations and the small business deduction, reorganizations and estate freezes.
• CRA correspondence — review letters, reassessments and the files that come with them.

Where owner-managers lose money

Most corporate tax is decided before the year ends, not when the return is prepared. The recurring ones we see:

• Paying the balance late. The T2 is filed six months after year-end, but a CCPC claiming the small business deduction owes the balance at three months. Arrears interest starts there, and it is not deductible.
• Taking only dividends. Simpler, no CPP — and no RRSP room, plus a personal instalment obligation nobody mentioned.
• Shareholder loans left outstanding. A balance that sits past the end of the following tax year gets included in income.
• Associated corporations. Two companies under common control share one small business limit, and owners often find out after the fact.
• A CDA balance nobody tracked. Capital dividends can come out tax-free, but only if the account is computed and the election filed properly.

How it works

1. A short call to understand the company, the year-end, and what is in place.
2. A written proposal with scope and a fixed annual fee.
3. Year-end file and statements prepared from your books, with questions raised early rather than in month six.
4. A planning conversation before year-end, not after — which is the only time any of it can still be changed.

What it costs

Fees depend on the complexity of the corporation, the state of the bookkeeping and whether planning work is involved. After a short call we send a written proposal with a fixed annual fee. No hourly billing and no surprise invoices.

Common questions

When is my T2 due?

Six months after your fiscal year-end. But if you owe tax and you are a CCPC claiming the small business deduction, the balance is payable at three months — that is the deadline that catches people.

Do I need financial statements as well as a return?

Usually yes. A compilation engagement produces the statements your lender, shareholders and the return itself rely on.

Can you handle more than one corporation?

Yes. Holdcos, associated companies and multi-entity groups are routine for us, and the structure often matters more than any single return.

My corporation is dormant — do I still have to file?

Yes. An inactive corporation still files a T2 every year, and skipping years is far more expensive to fix than filing nil returns.

Can you take over from another accountant?

Yes, including mid-year. You tell them, we request the files and handle the CRA authorizations.