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PricingService areasAll services →Tax and Accounting for Ontario Airbnb and Short-Term Rental Hosts
Short-term rental rules, HST, expenses and the principal residence questions, handled by a CPA-led accounting firm that works with hosts every tax season.
24/7 receptionist, a real person answers.
- Every return is reviewed by a CPA
- No surprise bills
- Reply within one business day
- 24/7 receptionist: a real person answers
- QuickBooks Online, Xero and Dext
- Rated 5.0 stars from 29 Google reviews (read our reviews)
T-Ledgers is a CPA-led accounting firm working with Airbnb, Vrbo and other short-term rental hosts across Ontario, from people renting a basement suite to hosts running several units. Wajahat Ajmal, CPA, FCCA, has been practising since 2020. We prepare rental and business schedules, handle HST and plan around the short-term rental rules, and every return is reviewed by a CPA.
Short-term rentals sit between a rental property and a small hotel. Federal rules can deny your expenses if the rental isn’t allowed where it’s located, HST can apply to stays under a month, and renting part of your home affects your principal residence claim.
Short-term rental tax and bookkeeping issues we handle
Rules, rates and thresholds change. We confirm the current figure for your situation on the call before relying on it.
Non-compliant short-term rentals
Since 2024, if your short-term rental operates where the province or municipality doesn’t allow it, or without a required licence, permit or registration, the related expenses are generally not deductible for the time it was non-compliant. We check your municipality’s rules and your registration status before claiming expenses.
Rental income or business income?
Most hosts report rental income. If you provide significant services such as daily cleaning and meals, it may be business income instead. The answer changes which deductions and rules apply, including CPP on business income.
Law: Income Tax Act s.9(1) (business income); Canada Pension Plan Act s.10 (contributions on self-employed earnings).
HST on short-term stays
Residential rentals of one month or more are generally exempt, but stays under a month are generally taxable. If you’re under the $30,000 small supplier threshold and not registered, the platform may collect HST on bookings made through it. If you register, you charge HST and can claim input tax credits. We work out which applies to you.
Law: Excise Tax Act Schedule V, Part I (exempt residential rentals of one month or more); Excise Tax Act s.148(1) (small supplier, $30,000); Excise Tax Act s.211.1 (definitions) and s.211.13(3), (4) (platform operator collects GST/HST on short-term accommodation listed by unregistered hosts); Excise Tax Act s.169(1) (input tax credits).
Expenses and capital cost allowance
You can deduct reasonable expenses like cleaning, platform fees, supplies, utilities, insurance and mortgage interest for the rental share. CCA on the building can’t be used to create or increase a rental loss, and claiming it on your home can affect your principal residence exemption. We usually talk this through before claiming.
Law: Income Tax Act s.18(1)(a) and 18(1)(h) (expenses must be for earning income; personal costs not deductible); Income Tax Regulations s.1100(11) (CCA can’t create a rental loss).
Renting part of your home
Renting part of your home short-term can trigger a change in use, which can affect your principal residence exemption when you sell. In some cases an election can defer the deemed sale. We plan this with you.
Law: Income Tax Act s.45(1) and 45(2) (change of use and election); Income Tax Act s.40(2)(b) (principal residence exemption).
Platform reporting and records
Platforms may report host income to the CRA under the digital platform reporting rules. We reconcile your platform payouts, fees and taxes so your return matches.
Law: Income Tax Act s.282 to 288 (digital platform reporting); Income Tax Act s.230(1) and 230(4) (books and records, six years).
Key rules at a glance
← Swipe to compare →
| Rule | What it means for you | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Non-compliant short-term rentals | Expenses denied when the rental isn’t allowed locally | Income Tax Act s.67.7 (non-compliant short-term rentals) |
| Stays under one month | Generally subject to HST; one month or more generally exempt | Excise Tax Act Schedule V, Part I (exempt residential rentals of one month or more) |
| Small supplier | $30,000 threshold for HST registration | Excise Tax Act s.148(1) (small supplier, $30,000) |
| Platform collection | Platforms may collect HST for unregistered hosts | Excise Tax Act s.211.1 (definitions) and s.211.13(3), (4) (platform operator collects GST/HST on short-term accommodation listed by unregistered hosts) |
| CCA on rental buildings | Can’t create or increase a rental loss | Income Tax Regulations s.1100(11) (CCA can’t create a rental loss) |
| Change of use | Can affect your principal residence exemption | Income Tax Act s.45(1) and 45(2) (change of use and election) |
Who we work with
- Hosts renting a basement or secondary suite
- Hosts renting a whole condo or house
- Hosts with several short-term units
- Cottage and vacation property owners
- Non-resident owners with Ontario rentals
- Hosts moving from short-term to long-term rentals
T-Ledgers services for short-term rental hosts
- Personal tax return with rental income. T776 or T2125 schedules. Personal tax returns from $110 + HST/GST, with your final price confirmed after a free call (see personal tax).
- HST registration and returns. GST/HST returns are $150 per return (see GST/HST services).
- Monthly bookkeeping. From $500/month (Scale), with books closed by the 10th; quarterly bookkeeping from $350/month (Growth). Your fixed fee is confirmed after a free call (see bookkeeping).
- Catch-up bookkeeping, from $1,800 per year. We rebuild past years and file what’s overdue (see catch-up bookkeeping).
- Bookkeeping Review, $195/month or $295/quarter. For owners who keep their own books.
- Corporate (T2) tax, if you incorporate. Quoted after a free call (see corporate tax).
Prices are + HST/GST. Anything without a listed price is quoted after a free call, and you get the price in writing before any work starts.
How we work with short-term rental hosts
- Free call. We ask where your rental is, how many units you have and how bookings are made.
- Written price. Scope and price in writing before any work starts.
- Check. Local rules and registration, HST status and whether income is rental or business.
- Through the year. Platform payouts and expenses recorded, HST filed if registered.
- Year-end. Rental or business schedules, CCA decisions and principal residence planning, reviewed by a CPA.
Why short-term rental hosts choose T-Ledgers
- We know short-term rental rules. Non-compliant rental rules, platform HST and principal residence questions are part of our normal conversation.
- CPA-led, start to finish. T-Ledgers was founded by Wajahat Ajmal, CPA, FCCA. Every return is reviewed by a CPA before it's filed.
- No surprise bills. You get the scope and the price in writing before we start. If the work changes, we agree the new price with you first.
- Price matching, agreed up front. Have a comparable written quote? Bring it to us before you sign your proposal. We can only match a price when it's agreed before the proposal is signed.
- Fast, human answers. We reply within one business day, and our 24/7 receptionist means a real person answers when you call 866-254-5368.
- In person or online. Meet us in person, by appointment only, at our Etobicoke office (102-89 Skyway Ave, Etobicoke, ON M9W 6R4) or our Mississauga office (100 Matheson Blvd E #204, Mississauga, ON L4Z 3P8), or work with us entirely online.
- Your software, set up properly. We work in QuickBooks Online and Xero, and use Dext so receipts go in with a photo.
Meet your CPA
Wajahat Ajmal, CPA, FCCA, Founder, T-Ledgers Accounting. Verify my CPA Ontario membership.
I started my career as an audit associate at KPMG. Since then I’ve worked as an independent contractor for a tax filing company, preparing returns and handling client questions. I hold a BSc in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University and an MSc in Professional Accountancy from University College London. I’m a Chartered Professional Accountant in Ontario and a Fellow of the ACCA. I started taking on my own clients in 2020 and founded T-Ledgers in 2023.
Every return the firm files is reviewed by a CPA. You can read more about the firm on our About page.
What our clients say
Read more on our client reviews page.
DIY vs a generalist firm vs T-Ledgers
← Swipe to compare →
| DIY | Generalist firm | T-Ledgers BEST VALUE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-compliant rental rule | Often unknown | May not ask about local rules | ✓Local rules and registration checked first |
| HST on stays | Ignored or over-charged | Varies | ✓Small supplier, platform and registration options compared |
| CCA on your home | Claimed without thinking | Year-end only | ✓Principal residence impact discussed first |
| Who checks the return before it's filed | You do | Depends on the firm and who's assigned | ✓Every return is reviewed by a CPA |
| How you're billed | Software fees plus your own time | Often hourly; the final bill can vary | ✓Scope and price in writing up front. No surprise bills |
| Getting an answer | Search online or wait on CRA phone lines | Varies by firm | ✓Reply within one business day; 24/7 receptionist, a real person answers |
| Software | Whatever you set up yourself | May ask you to switch to their system | ✓QuickBooks Online, Xero and Dext |
| Meeting face to face | Not applicable | Varies | ✓In person by appointment in Etobicoke or Mississauga, or fully online |
| Price matching | Not applicable | Rare | ✓Available if agreed before you sign your proposal |
Frequently asked questions: Short-term rental hosts
One operating where the province or municipality doesn’t permit it, or without a required licence, permit or registration. Expenses for non-compliant periods are generally not deductible.
Usually rental income. If you provide significant services, it may be business income.
Not on rental income. If it’s business income, CPP on self-employed earnings applies.
Stays under a month are generally taxable. If you’re a small supplier and not registered, the platform may collect HST on bookings through it.
Sometimes, to claim input tax credits. We compare the options.
Residential rentals of one month or more are generally exempt.
Reasonable costs like cleaning, platform fees, supplies, utilities, insurance and mortgage interest for the rental share.
Often not, because CCA can’t create a rental loss and can affect your principal residence exemption. We review it first.
Furniture goes on your CCA schedule by class.
It can, through the change-of-use rules. We plan around it.
Yes. Non-resident owners have withholding and filing rules, including the section 216 election.
Platforms may report host income under the digital platform reporting rules.
GST/HST returns are $150 per return, catch-up bookkeeping starts from $1,800 per year, the Bookkeeping Review is $195/month or $295/quarter (from $450 per review for complex books). Payroll and corporate (T2) returns are quoted after a free call. Personal tax returns from $110 + HST/GST, with your final price confirmed after a free call. Prices are + HST/GST. You get the price in writing before any work starts.
Yes, if you have a comparable written quote and bring it to us before you sign your proposal. We can only match a price when it’s agreed before the proposal is signed.
Yes. Snap receipts with Dext, share documents through our client portal and talk by phone or video. You can also meet us in Etobicoke or Mississauga by appointment.
Book a free call through our contact page or call 866-254-5368. We reply within one business day.
Host with confidence at tax time
Book a free call to talk about local rules, HST and your expenses. We reply within one business day, and a real person answers 24/7 at 866-254-5368.
Reviewed by Wajahat Ajmal, CPA, FCCA. Updated October 15, 2026.
Related services: Bookkeeping · Catch-up bookkeeping · Corporate taxes · Personal tax · Payroll · Virtual CFO · Contact us
Related industries: Real estate · Self-employed · All industries
Rates and thresholds change, so we link to the official sources for current figures.