Planning that fits your situation
Tax efficiency is rarely about a single clever idea. It comes from a structure that suits how your business and your family actually earn and use money, and from revisiting that structure as things change.
Because we prepare your year-end and corporate return, our advice starts from real numbers and a real understanding of your business. We look at the corporation and the owner together, since a decision that helps one can cost the other.
The questions we help with
How should you pay yourself this year? Is it time for a holding company? How should a new venture or property be owned? What does a purchase or sale offer really look like after tax? These are judgment calls, and we will tell you plainly how we see them.
Where a plan needs legal work, we work alongside your lawyer, or introduce you to one from our network, so the tax and legal sides line up.
Who this is for
Owners who would rather plan ahead than find out at filing time, and who want an advisor who knows their whole picture.
About tax planning and structure
Should I pay myself a salary or dividends?
It depends on your circumstances. Salary creates RRSP contribution room and Canada Pension Plan entitlements and is deductible to the corporation. Dividends are simpler to administer and are paid from after-tax corporate profits. Many owners use a mix, and the right balance can change from year to year.
When does a holding company make sense?
Often when the business earns more than you need to draw personally, when you want to separate accumulated profits from the risks of the operating business, or when you are planning ahead for a future sale. It adds cost and complexity, so it should be set up for a clear reason.
When should tax planning happen?
Before your fiscal year-end and before the calendar year-end for personal matters. Once the year has closed, most of the useful options have closed with it.
Often combined with
Start with a conversation.
Tell us about your business. We take the time to understand your needs before we propose anything.