Expert Tax Accountants in Sault Ste. Marie

Ontario HST is 13% for 2026: the 5% federal GST plus an 8% provincial component, unchanged since 1 July 2010, and the CRA collects all of it. A $100 taxable purchase therefore carries $13 of HST. The rate follows the place of supply, so an Ontario delivery takes 13% even if you invoice from another province. Basic groceries and prescription drugs are zero-rated; most long-term residential rent is exempt and carries no HST.

A TD1 Personal Tax Credits Return tells your employer which personal credits to build into your income tax withholding, so the right amount comes off each pay. You normally complete a federal TD1 and a provincial or territorial TD1 when you start a job. File a fresh pair whenever your situation changes, for instance a new dependant, tuition, or a second employer, where you should not claim the basic personal amount twice.

Every current and past federal form, plus the full income tax and benefit package for your province, sits on the CRA pages at canada.ca, free to download and print. Signed-in users can also see the slips filed under their SIN, such as T4 and T5 information, inside CRA My Account. The CRA will mail a printed package on request by phone. Certified tax software fills the forms for you, so most filers never open a blank one.

Yes. Meals and drinks served in an Ontario restaurant are taxable at 13% HST, unlike basic groceries, which are zero-rated. Ontario also gives a point-of-sale rebate of the provincial part of the HST on qualifying prepared food and beverages sold under a set price, so those items end up carrying only the 5% federal portion. The CRA's point-of-sale rebate guidance lists the qualifying items and the current price limit.

Ontario does not issue its own refund; the Canada Revenue Agency assesses your T1 and pays the combined federal and Ontario amount. A return filed online is usually processed in about two weeks, and a non-resident return can take up to 16 weeks. Filing for the 2025 tax year opened 23 February 2026. Register for direct deposit and watch My Account for the assessment, and note that amounts you owe the CRA or certain other agencies can be applied against a refund.

About two weeks after the CRA receives an online return, if you are signed up for direct deposit and nothing on the return needs a second look. A non-resident return can take up to 16 weeks. Reviews, a debt owed to a federal or provincial program, or missing information will stretch that out. Check the status in CRA My Account, which shows the assessment date once processing finishes.

Fees for financial planning and for preparing a personal financial plan are not deductible. What can be deductible are investment counsel fees paid to someone whose principal business is advising on buying and selling securities, where the account is non-registered; those are claimed as a carrying charge. Fees charged inside an RRSP, TFSA or other registered account are never deductible, and commissions on a trade adjust the cost base instead. Ask your adviser to split the invoice by service.

Use your marginal rate for decisions about the next dollar: an RRSP contribution, a bonus, extra self-employed work, or realising a capital gain. It is the combined federal and provincial rate on income in your top bracket. Use your effective, or average, rate to understand your overall burden, which is total tax divided by total income. Federal brackets for 2026 start at 14% and rise through 20.5%, 26% and 29% to 33%.

Most employees do, because payroll withholding is set to slightly over-collect and many credits and deductions are only applied once the return is filed. A refund is not a bonus; it is your own money coming back after over-withholding. People with self-employment, investment income or several part-time jobs often owe instead, because no single payer withholds enough across the whole year. Filing is what settles the difference either way.

Rent you receive is taxable. A landlord reports gross rents, deducts expenses such as mortgage interest, property tax, insurance, repairs and a share of utilities, and adds the net figure to income. Rent you pay as a tenant is not deductible federally, although Ontario and some other provinces give a rent-related benefit through the return. Long-term residential rent is exempt from GST/HST, while short-term accommodation generally is not.

Request it from Ontario's Ministry of Finance through their online tax compliance verification service. You sign in, identify the business, and the system checks your provincial tax accounts; if everything is filed and paid, the number is issued immediately. If an account is in arrears or a return is outstanding, the request is refused until you fix it, so file and pay first. Sole proprietors and corporations both use the same service.

There is no set amount; you pay a share of your taxable income under graduated rates. For 2026 the federal rates start at 14% and rise through 20.5%, 26% and 29% to 33%, and each bracket applies only to the income inside it. Your province adds its own brackets. Credits such as the federal basic personal amount of $16,452 for 2026 reduce the result, so total tax depends on your income and deductions.