How to check an accounting firm in Calgary before you hire it: the CPA Alberta register, the questions to ask, the deadlines it should keep for you, and the warning signs.
Choose a firm that is registered with CPA Alberta, where a licensed CPA leads your work, that gives you a fixed fee in writing, knows businesses like yours and handles both your corporate and personal returns. Check the firm on CPA Alberta’s public register first: in Alberta, anyone can call themselves an accountant without being registered.
Step 1: Is the Firm Registered With CPA Alberta?
CPA Alberta keeps a public register where you can verify a member, a firm or a CPA professional corporation. It exists because anyone in Alberta can use the title “accountant” without being registered, while the CPA designation is reserved for members who keep up its professional standards.
Check the firm, not only the person. A CPA Alberta registrant who offers the public a compilation engagement, accounting services, tax advice, or a tax return prepared along with those services must do so through a professional accounting firm registered with CPA Alberta (CPA Alberta PAF FAQ, February 2026). If the firm is not on the register, ask why before you go further.
Questions to Ask Before You Hire an Accounting Firm
Ask every firm on your list the same questions, so you compare like with like:
Who leads my file?
- Ask for the name of the CPA who signs off on your work
- Ask who does the day-to-day work and how you reach them
What does the fee include?
- A fixed fee in writing, with what is included and what costs extra
- How a change in your business changes the fee, before it changes
Do you do both returns?
- The corporation’s T2 and, in Alberta, the AT1
- Your own T1, so salary and dividends are planned together
Which dates will you track?
- T2 and AT1 within six months of your year-end
- Payroll remittances, GST/HST returns and your personal return
Do you work with businesses like mine?
- Ask for the industries they serve most
- Ask how they handle the tax issues that come up in yours
What happens if the CRA contacts me?
- Who answers the CRA letter, and how fast you hear about it
- Your accountant reaches your CRA records through the CRA’s Represent a Client service, once you authorize them
About CRA access. The CRA says that to see someone else’s tax information, a representative must use Represent a Client in their CRA account. You choose who to authorize, so ask the firm to explain what access it needs and why.
Our packages
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- Led by a licensed CPA
- Fixed fees quoted up front
- Bookkeeping, tax and payroll
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Which Deadlines Should Your Accounting Firm Keep for You?
A good firm tells you each date before it arrives. For an Alberta corporation and its owner, the main ones are:
| Filing | Deadline |
|---|---|
| T2 corporate return | Every tax year, even with no tax payable (CRA), within six months of the end of the tax year (CRA, When to file) |
| Alberta AT1 | Within six months after the end of the tax year, for a corporation with a permanent establishment in Alberta, unless exempt (Alberta) |
| Payroll remittances | For most small employers, the 15th of the month after you pay (CRA) |
| Personal T1 | April 30, or June 15 if you or your spouse or common-law partner are self-employed, with any balance owing still due April 30 (CRA) |
If your taxable sales pass $30,000 in a calendar quarter or over four consecutive quarters, add GST/HST registration and returns (CRA, When to register).
Local Calgary Firm or a Firm That Works Remotely?
Both can work. A firm with a Calgary office lets you meet in person when you want to, and it knows the Alberta side of your taxes, such as the AT1. A firm that also works by Zoom, phone and email saves you the trip for routine work and can serve you if you move or open in another province.
Ask which languages the team works in, what hours they answer, and how documents are shared securely. You should never be asked to send a SIN, a CRA password or a bank login by plain email.
What Are the Warning Signs?
- The firm is not on the CPA Alberta register, or cannot say which CPA leads your file.
- No fee in writing, or a fee that only becomes clear when the invoice arrives.
- A promise of a refund or a tax result before anyone has seen your records.
- Nobody can tell you who to call when a CRA letter arrives.
- Your corporate and personal returns are done by different people who never talk.
How Does 786 Venture CPA Answer These Questions?
Here are our own answers, so you can compare us with any other firm:
- Licensed. 786 Venture CPA is licensed by CPA Alberta, and every engagement is led by a Chartered Professional Accountant.
- Where we work. Our office is in Calgary, at #115, 1925 18th Ave NE. We serve businesses in every province and territory except Saskatchewan, by Zoom, phone and email.
- Canada and the US. Besides Canadian bookkeeping and tax, we prepare US corporate tax returns, keep books for US businesses and handle Canada-US cross-border tax for businesses. See our US and cross-border tax and US bookkeeping pages. Outside Canada, we work with the United States only.
- Languages. We can serve you in English, Filipino, Hindi, Urdu, Bangla (Bengali), Vietnamese and Nepali.
- Fees. Our monthly packages are a fixed monthly fee, listed on our pricing page, and we confirm your fee in writing before any work begins.
- Clients. 5.0 on Google from 34 client reviews (November 2026).
We have worked with professional corporations, contractors, clinics, content creators and owner-managed businesses. See our services and industries, or see our packages and sign up online, and we confirm your fee in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if an accountant in Calgary is a real CPA?
Search the person and the firm on CPA Alberta’s public register. Anyone in Alberta can call themselves an accountant without being registered, but only CPA Alberta members can use the CPA designation.
Should I choose a big firm or a small CPA firm?
It depends on how you want to work. A large firm can suit a business with offices in several cities. A smaller CPA-led firm usually gives an owner-managed business one team that knows the whole picture: the books, the corporation and the owner’s return.
What should be in an accounting firm's engagement letter?
The services included, who does the work, the fee and how it is billed, what costs extra, the deadlines each side must meet, and what you must provide. Read it before you sign.
Can I change accountants partway through the year?
Yes. The new firm needs your prior returns, notices of assessment, year-end statements and access to your books, and you authorize it with the CRA. Changing before the year-end gives the new firm time to plan.
Does the firm need to be in Calgary?
No, but it should know Alberta’s rules, such as the AT1 for corporations. We are in Calgary and also serve businesses in every province and territory except Saskatchewan by Zoom, phone and email.
Reviewed on 27 October 2026. Rules and deadlines in this article are from the Canada Revenue Agency, the Government of Alberta and CPA Alberta, linked beside each fact and listed below. This article is general information, not tax advice for your situation.
Bookkeeping
Monthly bookkeeping with GST/HST filing, reviewed by a licensed CPA
T2 Corporate Tax
Corporate tax accountant in Calgary: the T2 and the Alberta AT1, salary and dividend planning
T1 Personal Tax
Personal tax returns for owners, employees and the self-employed
Payroll
Payroll runs, source deduction remittances and T4 slips
Sources
- CPA Alberta, Verify a member, firm or CPA professional corporation (checked 27 October 2026)
- CPA Alberta, Professional Accounting Firm (PAF) FAQ, February 2026 (PDF) (checked 27 October 2026)
- Canada Revenue Agency, Corporation income tax return (page dated 2026-10-19, checked 27 October 2026)
- Canada Revenue Agency, When to file your corporation income tax return (page dated 2026-10-19, checked 27 October 2026)
- Government of Alberta, Corporate income tax (checked 27 October 2026)
- Canada Revenue Agency, How and when to remit source deductions, due dates (page dated 2026-06-10, checked 27 October 2026)
- Canada Revenue Agency, Important dates for individuals (page dated 2026-09-17, checked 27 October 2026)
- Canada Revenue Agency, When to register for and start charging the GST/HST (page dated 2026-06-16, checked 27 October 2026)
- Canada Revenue Agency, Represent a Client (page dated 2026-10-18, checked 27 October 2026)
