Clean Books.
CRA-Ready. Every Month.
CPA-supervised bookkeeping for small businesses and SMBs across Ontario. Monthly reconciliation, HST filing, payroll, and year-end packages your accountant can actually use — done in QuickBooks or Xero by a senior team that already understands the CRA, not just accounting theory.
What Ontario Bookkeeping Actually Involves.
Bookkeeping is the ongoing recording of every financial transaction your business makes — sales, expenses, payroll, tax payments, transfers — into an accounting system such as QuickBooks Online or Xero. Each month those records are reconciled against your bank and credit card statements to confirm nothing has been missed, duplicated, or miscategorized.
On top of that, an Ontario bookkeeper handles HST/GST filings, monthly payroll runs and CRA remittances, T4 and T4A preparation at year-end, and produces the monthly profit and loss statement, balance sheet, and reports that let you (and your accountant, and the CRA) see exactly where your money went.
The Canada Revenue Agency requires every Ontario business — sole proprietor or corporation — to keep accurate books and records supporting every dollar of income and expense for at least six years. You aren't legally required to hire someone. You are legally required to have the records. Most owners eventually hire a bookkeeper for one of three reasons: the time cost of doing it themselves finally exceeds the fee of doing it properly, they missed an HST filing and got a CRA letter, or they need clean financials to apply for BDC financing, a bank loan, or a fundraise.
At Ledgerive, every set of Ontario books is prepared under CPA supervision. That means the same records that get you through the month are also structured to survive a CRA audit, feed into a T2 corporate tax return without rework, and support a financing or investor conversation whenever you're ready to have one.
Nine Signs Your Ontario Business Needs a Real Bookkeeper.
You don't need every one of these. One is usually enough. Three of them, and you're overdue.
Books are months behind
You haven't looked at QuickBooks properly since Q1. Every month it feels harder to catch up. You already know it's costing you money.
Missed an HST filing
A late HST return, a CRA notice, or a payment you can't reconcile against what you actually collected. Common — and usually cheaper to fix than to ignore.
Hired your first employee
Payroll, CRA source deductions, WSIB, EHT, T4s — the compliance layer just tripled overnight, and DIY payroll is where small businesses trip.
Applying for financing
BDC, CSBFP, a bank line of credit or Futurpreneur — every Canadian lender wants recent, professionally-prepared financials. Messy books = rejected application.
Personal and business are blurred
You're paying business expenses off a personal card, or vice versa. CRA hates this. Investors and lenders hate it more.
Doing books yourself weekly
You're spending 4–8 hours a week on books when the work you're actually paid for sits waiting. Classic false economy.
Just incorporated
New Ontario corporation? Congratulations — you now need a proper chart of accounts, T2 tax filing, and separate financials from day one.
CRA sent you a letter
Assessment, review, HST audit, payroll trust exam — every CRA letter is easier to answer with clean books. And much harder without them.
Year-end is a fire drill
Every March you reconstruct twelve months of chaos for your accountant, pay a premium for the rush, and swear next year will be different. It hasn't been.
What Every Ledgerive Bookkeeping Engagement Includes.
Every monthly engagement covers these ten deliverables as standard. Scope is confirmed on the discovery call — pricing depends on transaction volume, payroll and complexity, and we quote a fixed monthly fee in writing before you commit.
Monthly Transaction Categorization
Every sale, expense, transfer and refund categorized to the correct chart-of-accounts line — coded consistently so your P&L is actually comparable month over month.
Bank & Credit Card Reconciliation
Every account reconciled against statements every month. If a transaction is missing, duplicated, or coded wrong, we find it before the CRA does.
HST / GST Filing
Whatever cadence you're registered for — monthly, quarterly or annual — filed on time with the CRA. Quick Method vs Regular Method analysis done annually to make sure you're on the right one.
Payroll Runs & CRA Remittances
Monthly (or bi-weekly) payroll runs, CRA source deductions filed by the 15th, T4/T4A slips at year-end, and WSIB / EHT for larger employers. All under one engagement.
Monthly P&L and Balance Sheet
A clean set of monthly financials delivered by the 10th of the following month — with a written commentary on what changed and why.
Accounts Payable & Receivable
Vendor bills entered and scheduled, customer invoices tracked and aged. We tell you what to pay when, and which receivables need chasing before they age past 60 days.
Year-End Package for Your Tax Accountant
A clean year-end folder — reconciled trial balance, all subledgers, HST summary, payroll summary — that your CPA can drop straight into the T2 without rework.
Chart of Accounts Setup & Cleanup
The right chart of accounts for your industry, not a generic template. Existing charts are cleaned up during onboarding so your reports actually mean something.
CRA Correspondence & Audit Support
If a CRA letter arrives — assessment, review, audit, payroll trust exam — we respond, produce the records and represent you through the process. No panic March 15.
Slack / Email Access to Your Bookkeeper
Direct access to the senior lead on your account — not a helpdesk queue. Same-day response on urgent matters, 24-hour response on everything else.
Bookkeeping Sub-Services You Can Take Standalone.
You don't have to sign up for full monthly bookkeeping to get help. Any of these can be delivered as a one-off project or added onto an existing engagement.
Monthly Bookkeeping
Ongoing monthly categorization, reconciliation, HST filing and reporting for Ontario sole proprietors and incorporated small businesses. Delivered by the 10th every month.
- Transaction categorization & reconciliation
- Monthly P&L and balance sheet
- HST filing at your registered cadence
- Year-end package for your accountant
Catch-Up Bookkeeping
Months or years of backlogged books rebuilt from bank statements, receipts and prior filings. Ideal ahead of a CRA notice, a financing application, or a fundraise.
- 1–3 years of backlog reconstruction
- Prior HST reconciliation & amendment if needed
- CRA-ready trial balance at completion
- Smooth handoff to ongoing monthly work
HST / GST Filing
Standalone HST/GST filing for Ontario businesses who otherwise handle their own books. Quick Method vs Regular Method analysis included on first engagement.
- Monthly, quarterly or annual filing
- Quick Method eligibility analysis
- Prior-period corrections if needed
- CRA correspondence handled directly
Payroll Services
End-to-end payroll for Ontario employers with 1 to 50 employees. Setup, monthly runs, CRA remittances, WSIB, EHT and T4/T4A preparation.
- Payroll platform setup (Wagepoint, Payment Evolution, Xero Payroll)
- Monthly or bi-weekly runs
- CRA source deductions & remittance by the 15th
- T4 / T4A / T2200 preparation at year-end
The Accounting Platforms We're Certified In.
We recommend the platform that fits your business — not the one we get the biggest partner discount on. If you're already on one, we'll work in it. If you're on the wrong one, we'll migrate you cleanly during onboarding.
Best for most Ontario small businesses. Broad Canadian integrations, strong HST/payroll support, and the platform most Canadian accountants prefer at year-end.
Best for tech-forward SMBs and multi-currency businesses. Cleaner interface, better automation, and excellent for SaaS and e-commerce operations.
Good for very small Ontario sole proprietors on a budget. Free for basic use. We migrate clients off Wave once they outgrow it — usually around $250K in revenue.
Best for established Canadian businesses already on Sage 50 or Sage Intacct. We support ongoing bookkeeping and CRA compliance without forcing a migration.
Ledgerive vs the Alternatives.
The five ways Ontario businesses typically get bookkeeping done. Each is a real trade-off — no strawmen.
| DIY (You + QuickBooks) | Freelance Bookkeeper | Big CPA Firm | Ledgerive | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours per week from you | 4–8 hrs | 1–2 hrs (chasing) | 1–2 hrs | Under 30 min |
| CPA supervision | — | Rarely | Yes | Yes, on every account |
| Fixed monthly fee | $0 (your time) | Sometimes | Hourly billing | Yes, in writing |
| HST filing included | Yes (yourself) | Add-on fee | Yes | Yes, included |
| Payroll included | Separate tool | Add-on fee | Yes | Yes, add-on |
| CRA audit response | You handle it | Usually out of scope | Yes (extra billing) | Included |
| Investor-grade financials | Unlikely | Unlikely | Yes | Yes, standard |
| Response time | Instant (yourself) | 2–5 days | 3–7 days | Same day / 24 hr |
| Turnover risk | — | High (solo operator) | Junior staff churn | Team-based delivery |
Your First 30 Days with Ledgerive Bookkeeping.
Exactly what happens between the discovery call and your first clean monthly close.
Free 30-minute discovery call
We walk through your business, your current setup, transaction volume, payroll needs and what you actually want handled. We tell you honestly if we're the right fit — and if we're not, who to talk to instead.
Written fixed-fee proposal within 48 hours
Scope, deliverables, timeline and a fixed monthly fee — all in writing. No hourly surprises, no "up to" pricing. If you want changes, we revise once for free.
Kickoff, NDA & system access (Days 1–3)
NDA and engagement letter countersigned. Access set up to QuickBooks or Xero, bank feeds, CRA My Business Account (as authorized representative), and any payroll platform. Complete inside 3 business days.
Diagnostic & cleanup (Days 4–14)
We review your existing books, flag any HST, payroll or reconciliation issues, and clean up your chart of accounts. If catch-up bookkeeping is needed, that scope is quoted separately and started in parallel.
First monthly close (Days 15–30)
First formal monthly reconciliation completed. First P&L and balance sheet delivered with written commentary. HST return filed if due. Payroll running clean. From here you're on a monthly cadence with Slack / email access to your senior lead in between.
Ontario Industries & Cities We Serve.
Bookkeeping is only as good as the industry knowledge behind the chart of accounts. Here's where ours runs deep.
Industries served
Industry-specific bookkeeping for 25+ Ontario verticals. Pick yours for a dedicated industry page.
Ontario cities served
Active bookkeeping coverage across the 12 largest cities in Ontario.
What Ontario Owners Say After 90 Days.
Two years of backlogged books rebuilt in six weeks, HST amended, CRA cleared. I was terrified of the letter I'd received. Ledgerive handled it end-to-end and I never had to speak with the auditor.
I stopped losing my Sunday nights to QuickBooks. The books close by the 10th of every month, HST is filed on time, and my accountant told me year-end took him half the time it used to.
Migrated us from Wave to Xero cleanly in two weeks. No lost history, no reconciliation nightmares. Their team knew our restaurant chart of accounts cold — we didn't have to explain anything twice.
Applied for a BDC loan and got approved for our full ask. My rep said our books were the cleanest they'd seen from a business our size. That's directly because of Ledgerive.
Bookkeeping Questions Ontario Owners Ask.
Straight answers to the questions that come up on nearly every discovery call.
What does a bookkeeping service actually do?
Do I legally need a bookkeeper as an Ontario business owner?
What's the difference between a bookkeeper and an accountant?
Which accounting software do you support?
Can you catch up months or years of backlogged books?
How often do you file HST/GST for me?
Do you handle payroll and T4s too?
Will the CRA accept the books you produce?
How quickly can you take over my bookkeeping?
Do I need to be in Toronto to work with you?
How do you handle pricing?
Do you sign an NDA before the discovery call?
Ready to stop dreading your books?
30 minutes. No pitch. Just a real conversation about your current setup, what's slipping, and what a clean monthly cadence would actually look like for your business.