An adjusting entry is a journal entry made at the end of a period to record revenue earned or expenses incurred that have not yet been captured, so the statements are accurate.
Under accrual accounting, some revenue and expenses are not triggered by a cash transaction, so they must be recorded with adjusting entries at period-end. Common examples include recording depreciation, accruing wages or interest owed but not yet paid, recognising earned portions of deferred revenue, and expensing the used portion of prepaid costs.
Adjusting entries ensure revenue and expenses land in the correct period, which is the whole point of accrual accounting. They are a routine part of month-end and year-end close, and a frequent focus of an accountant's review because they can shift income between periods.
At year-end, employees have earned $4,000 of wages that will be paid in January. An adjusting entry records the $4,000 as an expense and a liability in December, so the profit for the year is accurate.
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A tax return is the annual filing that reports your income, deductions and credits to the CRA so the final tax for the year can be settled. Payers withhold tax during the year and the return reconciles that against what you actually owe, producing either a refund or a balance to pay. For 2025 returns filed in 2026, refunds usually arrive in about two weeks for an online return, while a paper return runs on a considerably longer standard because it is handled manually.
A tax credit reduces the tax you owe, whereas a deduction reduces the income the tax is calculated on. Non-refundable credits, such as the basic personal amount or tuition, can bring tax down to nil but pay nothing beyond that. Refundable credits, such as the GST/HST credit, are paid out even when no tax is owing. Almost every credit is claimed on the return, so filing is what releases the money.
No. Property tax is a municipal levy based on your property’s assessed value, not a charge for a service you consume, so it is not a utility bill even where a city bills water on the same statement. The difference matters when you claim expenses: for a rental or a home office, property tax and utilities are separate lines, each apportioned to the business-use share. Keep the municipal tax bill itself as your record.
You owe a balance when the tax withheld or paid during the year came to less than your total tax for the year. Common causes are two employers each applying the basic personal amount, self-employment or rental income with no withholding at all, investment income, RRSP withdrawals taxed at a flat rate, and CPP or OAS with little tax taken off. For the 2025 tax year the balance was due 30 April 2026. Extra withholding or instalments stops it recurring.
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Ex Big 4 — Ernst & Young, Deloitte · International & cross-border tax specialist · CPA Canada (In-Depth Tax Program) · Chartered accountant, ICAI & MIA
Udit Gupta has over 15 years of experience helping corporations and business owners with corporate structuring, corporate tax filing, bookkeeping, payroll, GST/HST, cross-border tax and CRA representation. Big 4 trained at Ernst & Young and Deloitte, and qualified as a chartered accountant in India and again in Malaysia, he founded his accounting practice in 2014 to serve entrepreneurs, startups and non-resident business owners across Canada. View full member bio.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India — member 521458 · Malaysian Institute of Accountants — member CA 44667 · Ex Big 4: Ernst & Young, Deloitte · CPA Canada (In-Depth Tax Program), completed 19 Dec 2023 · In-Depth GST/HST Part I, 12 Jul 2022 · Part II, 5 Jul 2023
Editorial policy. Every page is researched against primary sources — the Income Tax Act, CRA publications and CPA Canada guidance — and every rate or threshold is stated with the tax year it applies to.
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