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Services
Get caught up
Catch-Up BookkeepingFrom $1,800Books & payroll
BookkeepingFrom $350/monthPayrollGet a quoteSR&ED ClaimsEnd-to-end SR&ED claims, quoted after consultationSR&ED for Software CompaniesQuoted after consultationSR&ED-Ready BookkeepingBooks + T2 for SR&ED claimsTax filing
Corporate Tax (T2)From $800 · nil T2 from $249GST/HST Filing$150 per returnPersonal Tax (T1)From $110 · students from $49Sole Proprietor Tax (T1 + T2125)From $300Start & grow
IncorporationFrom $499 + gov feesVirtual CFOFrom $2,500/monthAI Consulting & AutomationFor small businessesIndustries
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PricingService areasAll services →CPA-Led, Flat-Rate Accounting and Tax for Halifax Businesses
T-Ledgers is a CPA-led accounting firm working remotely with Halifax businesses, professionals, trades, landlords and self-employed people across the Halifax Regional Municipality, from downtown and the North End to Dartmouth, Bedford and Clayton Park. We do bookkeeping, catch-up work, corporate (T2) and personal (T1) tax, HST and payroll on flat fees quoted before we start.
- CPA, FCCA · CPA Ontario #77000292
- Flat fees, no surprise bills
- Halifax clients served remotely
Wajahat Ajmal, CPA, FCCA | CPA Ontario member #77000292 (verify my licence) | 202 clients served | $60 million in client revenue managed | Flat fees, no surprise bills | Reply within one business day | QuickBooks Online, Xero and Dext | Read our Google reviews
Halifax is the business centre of Atlantic Canada: the port, defence and shipbuilding, health care, universities, ocean tech, and a large base of professional firms, contractors, restaurants and landlords. Two things have changed the books here recently. Nova Scotia’s HST fell to 14% on April 1, 2025, and short-term rentals now carry a marketing levy and new registration rules. We still see invoices and booking tools charging the old rate. T-Ledgers fixes the setup and keeps it current, on flat fees.
I’m Wajahat Ajmal, CPA, FCCA, practising since 2020. We do not have an office in Halifax. We work with Halifax clients by phone, video, email and a secure client portal, and our hours run into the Atlantic evening.
On this page: Services and prices · Halifax rules · Nova Scotia tax · Voluntary disclosure · Why T-Ledgers · FAQ
Accounting services and prices for Halifax businesses
Every service is quoted at a flat rate before we start. These are starting prices, + HST/GST. Nova Scotia clients pay 14% HST on our fees. If you are HST-registered you can usually claim it back as an input tax credit. You get the exact figure in writing after a free call.
← Swipe to compare →
| Service | Starting price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Catch-up bookkeeping and back taxes | From $1,800 per year + HST/GST | Priced per year: missing years rebuilt from bank and card statements, with the overdue HST returns and the T2 for each year filed in the right order. Personal T1 returns are quoted separately. Final flat price confirmed after we see what is missing. |
| Bookkeeping | From $350/month (quarterly); monthly bookkeeping from $500/month, + HST/GST | Reconciliations, HST returns and year-end-ready books in QuickBooks Online or Xero, reviewed by a CPA. |
| Corporate tax (T2) | From $800 + HST/GST | Year-end financial statements and your T2, including the Nova Scotia schedules. Nil returns for inactive corporations from $249. |
| Personal tax (T1) | Student $49; regular from $110 + HST/GST | Employees, students, landlords and owner-managers, with Nova Scotia credits included. |
| Sole proprietor tax (T1 + T2125) | From $300 + HST/GST | Your personal return plus the T2125 business statement, with HST and instalments checked. |
| Payroll | Quoted after consultation | Pay runs, CRA source deductions, WCB Nova Scotia reporting, T4s and ROEs. |
| GST/HST returns | $150 per return + HST/GST | Quarterly or annual GST/HST returns prepared from your books, with input tax credits checked before filing. |
| Virtual CFO | From $2,500/month + HST/GST | Cash flow forecasts, budgets, KPI reporting and monthly CFO meetings for growing companies. |
| SR&ED claims | Quoted after consultation | End-to-end SR&ED claims: eligibility review, project write-ups, the T661 claim form and the T2 filing, plus CRA review support. See SR&ED for software companies. |
| Incorporation | Quoted separately | Our incorporation service is for Ontario-based businesses. If your Nova Scotia corporation is already registered, we take it from there. Registrations in other provinces are quoted separately. |
Service pages: bookkeeping · catch-up bookkeeping · corporate tax · payroll · GST/HST · personal tax · virtual CFO
Most incorporated Halifax clients take monthly bookkeeping plus a T2, with the owner’s T1 alongside. GST/HST returns on their own are $150 per return + HST/GST. See all packages and pricing.
Halifax rules that show up in your books
In Halifax you deal with the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), the Province of Nova Scotia and the CRA. Here is what comes up most in the books. (Official sources checked October 2026.)
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| Rule | Who it affects | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| HRM deed transfer tax: 1.5% | Buyers of property in HRM pay a 1.5% municipal deed transfer tax on the purchase price, paid through the Registry of Deeds. It is added to the cost of the property, not expensed. | HRM property tax information |
| Marketing levy on short-term stays: 3% | By-law M-400 puts a 3% marketing levy on short-term accommodation, excluding HST. Online platforms collect it on their bookings; for direct bookings you collect it yourself and remit it monthly by the 15th of the following month. | HRM marketing levy |
| Short-term rental registration | Short-term rentals must register with the Province every year and once with HRM's Residential Rental Registry. Depending on the rental type, HRM also requires a zoning confirmation letter ($200) or a development permit ($250). | HRM short-term rentals and Residential Rental Registry |
Law: HRM By-law M-400 (Marketing Levy); HRM By-law R-400 (Residential Rental Registry); HRM By-law D-200 (Deed Transfer Tax).
Nova Scotia tax rules every Halifax business deals with
← Swipe to compare →
| Rule | What it means | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| HST is 14% in Nova Scotia | Nova Scotia's HST rate dropped from 15% to 14% on April 1, 2025, so older invoices and templates may still show 15%. Registration is required once taxable revenue passes $30,000 in a single calendar quarter or over four consecutive quarters. | CRA GST/HST rates page |
| Nova Scotia small business rate: 1.5% up to $700,000 | Canadian-controlled private corporations pay 1.5% Nova Scotia tax on the first $700,000 of active business income. The federal limit is $500,000, so the combined rate is 10.5% up to $500,000 and 16.5% on the next $200,000. The general rate is 14% (29% combined). | CRA corporation tax rates |
| WCB Nova Scotia coverage | Many Nova Scotia employers must register with the Workers' Compensation Board of Nova Scotia, depending on industry and number of workers. | WCB Nova Scotia |
| Registry of Joint Stock Companies renewal | Nova Scotia companies renew with the Registry of Joint Stock Companies every year in their anniversary month. A company that does not renew can be revoked. | Registry of Joint Stock Companies |
| No provincial payroll tax | Nova Scotia has no employer health tax. You still remit CPP, EI and income tax deductions to the CRA. | Nova Scotia Finance and Treasury Board |
Income above the $500,000 federal limit and up to $700,000 is taxed at 16.5% combined; above $700,000 the combined general rate is 29%. If you still charge 15% HST on any invoice, fix the template now: overcharged HST still has to be remitted. More in our guides to corporate tax rates in Canada and GST/HST filing deadlines.
Law: Excise Tax Act s.165 (HST in participating provinces); Excise Tax Act s.240(1) (registration required); Income Tax Act s.125(1) (small business deduction); Labour Standards Code (Nova Scotia).
Behind on your books? Catch-up is our speciality
If you are a few years behind, you are not unusual, and it is fixable. We start with your bank and credit card statements, rebuild the oldest year first, then file what is outstanding in the right order: HST returns, T2s and personal returns. If the CRA has sent letters or estimated assessments, we deal with them as part of the job. Penalties and interest keep growing until you file, so waiting rarely helps.
Catch-up work is priced per year, from $1,800 per year + HST/GST. See catch-up bookkeeping, back tax filing and a real file in our catch-up case study.
Behind with the CRA? Voluntary disclosure
If you have unfiled returns or income you never reported, the CRA’s Voluntary Disclosures Program (VDP) lets you correct it before the CRA contacts you, with relief on penalties and part of the interest. Many Halifax owners come to us only after a CRA letter arrives; coming forward first usually gets a better result.
- The law behind it: the CRA can waive or cancel penalties and interest for up to 10 calendar years back under Income Tax Act s.220(3.1) (income tax) and Excise Tax Act s.281.1 (GST/HST). The VDP is how the CRA applies that power to people who come forward.
- Unprompted applications (no CRA contact about the issue yet) normally get 100% penalty relief and 75% interest relief. Prompted applications (after a CRA letter that names a specific error or sets a deadline) normally get up to 100% penalty relief and 25% interest relief. These rules apply to applications received on or after October 1, 2025 (CRA Information Circular IC00-1R7).
- Who qualifies: you must apply before an audit or investigation starts, include all the corrected returns and documents, be at least one year or one reporting period past the due date, and pay the estimated tax or ask for a payment arrangement (CRA’s VDP eligibility page).
HST is federal and provincial in one, so a single CRA disclosure covers both parts of your HST along with your income tax returns.
We rebuild the missing years, prepare the corrected T1, T2 and GST/HST returns, and file them with Form RC199 so the CRA reviews everything together. Pricing depends on how many years are involved and is part of our catch-up bookkeeping quote, which starts from $1,800 per year + HST/GST. The CRA decides each application case by case, so relief is never guaranteed.
Law: Income Tax Act s.150(1) (filing deadlines); Income Tax Act s.162(1) (late-filing penalty); Income Tax Act s.161(1) (interest on unpaid tax); Income Tax Act s.152(7) (assessment not dependent on return); Excise Tax Act s.238(1) (GST/HST returns).
Why Halifax owners work with T-Ledgers
A CPA on every file
I review the work before anything goes to the CRA. Nothing is filed without my sign-off.
Flat fees in writing
You get the price before we start. If the scope changes, we agree the new price with you first.
Replies within one business day
Tell us if a CRA deadline is close and we will put it first.
Cloud tools
QuickBooks Online or Xero for the books and Dext for receipts. We take over your file or set one up.
Remote by design
Halifax clients work with us by phone, video, email and a secure client portal. There is no office visit to book.
Hours that fit
Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. That is 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Atlantic time on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
T-Ledgers vs a traditional Halifax firm vs DIY
← Swipe to compare →
| T-Ledgers | Traditional local firm | DIY with software | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Flat fee quoted in writing before we start, + HST/GST. No surprise bills. | Often hourly, or a quote that grows with "extra" work | Software subscription, plus your evenings |
| Who does the work | Led and reviewed by a CPA, FCCA | Varies: partner, staff accountant or bookkeeper | You |
| Behind on filings | Catch-up is our speciality; we file in the right order | Some firms decline messy or multi-year files | Hard to know where to start |
| Reply time | Within one business day | Varies | Not applicable |
| Meetings | Phone, video, email and a secure portal; no office visits needed | In person, usually office hours | None |
Who we work with in Halifax
- Professional firms and consultants: engineering, marine, IT and policy consultants, with HST, instalments and salary-versus-dividend planning.
- Ocean tech and software companies: research-heavy firms with SR&ED-ready books. See SR&ED tax credits.
- Trades and construction: contractors and subcontractors, with T5018 slips, holdbacks and WCB Nova Scotia.
- Restaurants and hospitality: point-of-sale reconciliations, tips, payroll, HST and the marketing levy.
- Health and professional corporations: physicians, dentists, physiotherapists and other professionals.
- Landlords and short-term rental hosts: rental schedules, registration costs, the marketing levy and deed transfer tax on purchases.
Buying a rental or business property in HRM? The 1.5% deed transfer tax goes into the property’s cost base, not your expenses. We will set it up correctly in the books and talk it through on a free call.
How it works
- Free 30-minute call. What is filed, what is not, and what you need. Straight answers even if you do not hire us.
- Fixed quote in writing. If the scope changes later, we agree the new price with you before doing the extra work.
- Secure onboarding. We connect your bank feeds, set up or take over QuickBooks Online or Xero, and get you on Dext so receipts go in with a photo.
- Monthly and year-end delivery. Books kept current, HST filed on time, and your T2 and T1 prepared at year-end.
Meet your CPA
Wajahat Ajmal, CPA, FCCA, Founder
I started my career in audit at KPMG, which taught me to go back to the source and reconcile everything before anything gets filed. I later worked as an independent contractor for a tax filing company. I’ve practised in Canada since 2020 and founded T-Ledgers in 2023.
I’m a CPA Ontario member (#77000292), also registered with CPA BC (#C77000292), and a Fellow of ACCA. You can verify my CPA Ontario membership in the public directory, or read more on our About page.
Client results
“I was behind a few years on filing and my situation was a little complicated but he handled everything great and did all the communicating with the CRA so that I didnt have to.”
Google review, catch-up filing client
Read all our Google reviews or see our case studies.
Frequently asked questions
No. We do not have an office in Halifax. T-Ledgers is based in Ontario, and we work with Halifax clients by phone, video, email and a secure client portal. Most clients never need a meeting in person.
Our flat fees are the same across Canada: catch-up bookkeeping from $1,800 per year, bookkeeping from $350 a month (quarterly; monthly from $500), a student T1 for $49, a regular T1 from $110, a sole proprietor T1 with T2125 from $300 and a T2 from $800, all + HST/GST. Payroll is quoted after consultation. For Halifax clients the tax on our fees is 14% HST. You get the exact figure in writing before we start.
Not directly. Our incorporation service is for businesses based in Ontario, and registrations in other provinces are quoted separately. Once your Nova Scotia corporation is registered, we take over the bookkeeping, payroll, HST and T2 from day one.
Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. That is 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Atlantic time on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. We reply within one business day.
14%. Nova Scotia’s HST dropped from 15% to 14% on April 1, 2025, so check that your invoices, point-of-sale system and booking tools have been updated. HST you overcharge still has to be remitted.
Annual registration with the Province, a one-time entry in HRM’s Residential Rental Registry, and a zoning confirmation letter ($200) or development permit ($250) depending on the rental type. You also need to account for the 3% marketing levy on direct bookings.
Yes. HRM charges a 1.5% deed transfer tax on the purchase price, paid by the buyer when the deed is registered. For a business or rental property it is added to the cost of the property.
Canadian-controlled private corporations pay 1.5% Nova Scotia tax on the first $700,000 of active business income. The federal limit is $500,000, so the combined rate is 10.5% up to $500,000 and 16.5% on the next $200,000. The general rate is 14% (29% combined).
Yes. Nova Scotia clients pay 14% HST on our fees. If you are HST-registered you can usually claim it back as an input tax credit.
Yes, catch-up is our speciality. We rebuild the books from bank and card statements, oldest year first, and file the HST returns, T2s and personal returns in the right order. Catch-up work is priced per year, from $1,800 per year + HST/GST.
Yes. We prepare the corrected returns and Form RC199 and file them together. Unprompted applications normally get 100% penalty relief and 75% interest relief; applications made after a CRA letter normally get up to 100% penalty relief and 25% interest relief. The CRA decides each case, so relief is never guaranteed.
Where else we work
We also work remotely with clients everywhere in Canada except Quebec.
Ready to talk to a CPA about your Halifax business?
Current or years behind, the next step is the same: a free 30-minute call, and a fixed price in writing before any work starts. Book online, call (866) 254-5368 or email info@tledgers.ca.
Last updated October 15, 2026. Reviewed by Wajahat Ajmal, CPA, FCCA. Official sources checked October 2026.