Canadian Small Business Hub
Canadian Small Business, Made Simpler.
Practical tools, guides and insights for Canadian small businesses.
| Sales (before tax) | $48,200.00 |
| HST collected (line 105) | $6,266.00 |
| Input tax credits (line 108) | −$2,041.30 |
| Net tax to remit (line 109) | $4,224.70 |
Example figures. How GST/HST works →
Popular topics
Start with the area you’re dealing with right now.
Accounting
Books, statements and inventory without the jargon.
Browse →Tax & CRA
GST/HST, deductions, deadlines and your CRA accounts.
Browse →Finance
Cash flow, budgets, pricing and financing.
Browse →Business Software
Choose and set up the right tools for your business.
Browse →E-commerce
Shopify, Stripe and PayPal accounting for Canadian sellers.
Browse →Starting a Business
Structure, registration and your first accounts.
Browse →Featured guides
Cornerstone guides, written for owners who aren’t accountants.
How GST/HST Works for Small Businesses in Canada
What GST/HST is, when you must register, which rate to charge in each province, and how input tax credits reduce what you remit.
Read guide →How to Manage Shopify Bookkeeping
Payouts, fees, refunds and HST: a monthly routine that keeps Shopify books matched to the bank.
Coming soonCash Flow Management for Small Business
A 13-week forecast, a cash buffer target, and the habits that keep a small business out of cash crunches.
Coming soonWhy Is My Business Profitable but I Have No Cash?
Profit and cash measure different things. Here are the six places cash usually goes, with a worked example.
Read guide →Sole Proprietorship vs Corporation
How each structure is taxed, what it costs to run, and the questions to ask before incorporating.
Coming soonBest Accounting Software for Canadian Small Business
What to look for, and how QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks, Wave and Odoo fit different Canadian businesses.
Coming soonFree business tools
Fast calculators that explain their answers and link to the guide behind them.
GST/HST Calculator
Add or remove GST, HST, PST or QST for any province.
Profit Margin Calculator
Gross profit, margin and markup from cost and price.
Markup Calculator
Set a selling price from cost and target markup.
Break-even Calculator
Units and revenue needed to cover fixed costs.
Cash Flow Calculator
Project six months of cash from inflows and outflows.
Business Loan Calculator
Monthly payment and total interest on a term loan.
Payroll Calculator
Employee deductions and employer cost per pay period.
COGS Calculator
Cost of goods sold from opening stock, purchases and closing stock.
Business Budget Calculator
A monthly budget with net income and expense mix.
Invoice Calculator
Line items, sales tax by province and invoice total.
Business software reviews
Dated, factual comparisons. We say what we checked and link to vendor documentation.
| Feature | QuickBooks Online | Xero | FreshBooks | Wave | Odoo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product type | Cloud accounting | Cloud accounting | Invoicing-first accounting | Free-tier accounting | Modular ERP suite |
| Tracks Canadian GST/HST | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (fiscal localization) |
| Inventory tracking | Yes, on higher plans | Basic tracked inventory | Limited | No | Yes (Inventory app) |
| Canadian payroll | Yes, add-on | Via integration | Check vendor | Check vendor | Via third-party modules |
| Best fit | Most small businesses; widest accountant familiarity | Businesses wanting many app integrations | Service businesses and freelancers | Very small businesses on tight budgets | Growing product businesses needing ERP |
| Pricing | See vendor site | See vendor site | See vendor site | See vendor site | See vendor site |
Newsletter
Practical small business tips, delivered to your inbox.
One email a month: new guides, tax reminders and tool updates.