CPA accountantswho answer
Bookkeeping, payroll, corporate tax and financial analysis for small and mid-sized businesses across Greater Montreal. Skilled, available CPAs who support you from the start of your fiscal year through to the end.
Manage and supervise your file, from the first call to the end of your fiscal year.
The response time we hold ourselves to, on any question.
Flat fee or hours actually worked, quoted before the engagement.
The firm
Accountant in Montreal for Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs
You’re looking for an accountant who picks up when you call and who knows your file without having to read through it again.
Advitam is an accounting firm on the Plateau Mont-Royal, in Montreal. We take care of business accounting for small and medium-sized businesses and growing entrepreneurs across Greater Montreal, from trusts to estates, as well as tax reassessments and tax analysis.
A dedicated CPA follows your file from the first call to year-end. If you’re switching accountants, we retrieve everything ourselves.
Thirty minutes on the phone will tell you where your books stand and what they really cost you
The right questions
What you are looking for in an accountant
Choosing an accounting firm almost always comes down to the same few questions, for a corporation as much as for a personal file. Here are our answers, before you have to ask.
A CPA registered with the Ordre supervises every file
The title of accountant is not protected in Quebec. CPA is. Every engagement at advitam is supervised by a Chartered Professional Accountant listed on the roll of the Ordre des CPA du Québec, with professional liability insurance and professional inspection.
Advice all year, not just in April
The best tax decisions are made before year-end, not after. We look at your file during the year: salary or dividend compensation, financing needs, equipment purchases, instalments to adjust. A file you open in April is a file you endure. A file you follow all year is a file you steer.
Deadlines met without a reminder from you
GST and QST remittances, source deductions and instalment payments go out on the dates they are due. We are the ones watching the calendar. Late penalties are the most avoidable line in accounting, for a corporation as much as for an individual, and the most common. Compliance is managed by calendar, not by emergency.
A price quoted before the engagement
You receive a written quote: an amount, a scope, a frequency. Depending on your file, that is a monthly flat fee covering bookkeeping, payroll management and your reports, or a rate on the hours actually worked, with a favourable rate on technical tasks. Either way, you know what you are paying before we start, and nothing lands at year-end without having been announced.
What we handle
Our accounting services
Seven mandates handled by a small business accountant, grouped into three areas. Each subsection links to an accounting services page detailing the method, the timelines and what we need from you.
01
Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping in QuickBooks Online: document capture through Dext, bank reconciliations, accounts payable and receivable tracking, GST and QST remittances, monthly reports.
We work in QuickBooks Online and collect your documents through Dext, which lets us automate data entry. Outsourced accounting can be taken in full or one engagement at a time: many self-employed clients start here, then add payroll at their first hire.
See the service
02
Payroll and source deductions
Payroll processing through Employeur D, T4, T4A and Relevé 1 slips, monthly source deduction remittances and year-end procedures.
We handle payroll on a turnkey basis: bonus and vacation pay, expense accounts, adding employees, retroactive adjustments, compliance with decrees and collective agreements, CNESST rates.
See the service
03
Corporate tax (T2 and CO-17)
T2 and CO-17 returns, instalment payments, T4 and T5 slips, shareholder compensation, the small business deduction.
Tax planning is done ahead of time, not in April: shareholder compensation, instalment payments, mileage reimbursement, loss carry-forwards, tax optimization. Planning the year lets you optimize what you pay over twelve months. A tax accountant steps in when the structure calls for it.
See the service
04
Trusts and estates (T3 and TP-646)
Final return of a deceased person, separate returns, T3 and TP-646 trusts, TX19 and MR-14 clearance certificates.
We prepare the testamentary trust return, the final tax return of a deceased person and the separate returns that go with it. We work directly with the liquidator and the notary on the file, from the first inventory through to distribution.
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05
Individuals and personal tax returns
Shareholders, self-employed workers and families already with the firm: T1 and TP-1 returns, self-employment income, rental income, capital gains, RRSP optimization and income splitting.
We take on files for shareholders, self-employed workers and families already with the firm. An owner’s return is prepared alongside their corporation’s, never separately.
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06
Compilation engagement and notice to reader
Financial reports signed by a CPA, without an audit engagement: compilation engagement (CSRS 4200), report on specified procedures (CSRS 4400), forecast financial statements, cost reports for grant applications.
For when your bank, a lender or an investor asks for financial statements signed by a CPA without requiring an audit. We produce the full compilation engagement file, in the format your financial institution expects.
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07
Financial analysis and dashboards
Financial modelling and projections, profit margin analysis, budget preparation, cash flow management, break-even point, unit costing.
Steering organizational performance happens in three stages: a budget that sets the course, financial modelling that tests your scenarios, twelve-month projections that measure the gap between plan and actual. We build the dashboard once, then review it with you every quarter, so your decisions rest on current numbers rather than on impressions.
See the serviceBookkeeping is the easiest engagement to hand off, and the one that shows fastest what was missing
Where we already work
The industries we know
An accountant who knows your industry asks fewer questions and spots what is off in the books faster. The accounting of a construction company looks nothing like that of a dental clinic, and a small business accountant has to know both.
Construction
Project-based accounting, CCQ, percentage-of-completion accounting.
Real estate
Capitalizable expenses, rental income, self-assessment, capital gains.
Services
Rebillable expenses, investment accounting, inter-corporate dividends.
Healthcare
Incorporated physicians, dentists and pharmacists.
Consultants and self-employed workers
Eligible expenses, business legal structure, instalment payments.
E-commerce and emerging sectors
Cryptocurrencies, multi-province GST and QST, POS management.
If your industry is not on this list, the accounting mechanics are the same. The vocabulary changes, not the rigour.
Getting started
Our method for getting your file started
Thirty-minute call
You describe your situation, we listen and tell you whether we can help.
Written quote
Monthly flat fee or hours actually worked. Favourable rate on technical tasks (bookkeeping).
File retrieval
We write to your current accountant and collect your financial data, your most recent returns and your payroll files. Turnkey transfer.
Catching up the books
Trial balance, bank reconciliations and any overdue GST and QST remittances brought up to date.
Steady state
Monthly reports, quarterly review, financial statements and corporate tax returns at year-end.
A starting picture takes only your latest financial statements or tax returns and twenty minutes of your time
Where we work
Where we work in Montreal and across Quebec
Our accounting office is on the Plateau Mont-Royal. Most of our clients are in Montreal, from Mile End to Villeray, from Rosemont to Ville-Marie, and most files are settled without anyone travelling.
Learn more
We also serve businesses in Laval, Longueuil, Terrebonne, Repentigny and on the South Shore. These files are handled remotely, with the same deadlines and the same point of contact.
If you are looking for an accounting firm in Montreal to sit down with in person, we meet by appointment. If you would rather settle bookkeeping and payroll management online, that works too.
The right accountant is the one who answers, not the one who is closest.
- MontrealPlateau · Mile End · Villeray · Rosemont
- Lavalremote
- Longueuilremote
- Terrebonneremote
- Repentignyremote
- South Shoreremote
Let’s talk aboutyour numbers
Your numbers already tell a story. Call us at 514 916-1197 or write to us: bookkeeping, payroll management, tax or estates, the first conversation costs nothing.
At advitam, a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) answers you, not a form
Talk to a CPAYour questions
Frequently asked questions about choosing an accountant
How much does an accountant cost for a small business?
In Quebec, a full monthly package for a small business runs from $300 to $3,500. The amount follows your real needs: transaction volume, how complex your financial operations are, number of employees on payroll, how detailed the financial statements are. At advitam, the quote is written before the engagement, as a flat fee or on the hours actually worked, whichever costs you less. An engagement for a self-employed worker is naturally less expensive than a corporate file.
How do you switch accountants, and which documents are needed?
You have nothing to collect yourself: we write to your current accountant and request the file. The essential documents are the latest trial balance, the signed financial statements, the corporate tax returns already filed, the bank reconciliations and the payroll files. The transfer takes two to three weeks.
How do you choose an accounting firm for your business?
First check that the accounting firm is registered with the Ordre des CPA du Québec, and ask who will sign your financial statements. Then compare the scope of the engagement rather than the hourly rate. A low-priced package that leaves out essential elements costs more in the long run once tax errors pile up.
Do you work remotely, or by appointment in Montreal?
Both. Most of our files are handled remotely, with documents exchanged online and scheduled calls. Our Plateau Mont-Royal office receives clients by appointment for year-end meetings, estate files and clients who prefer face-to-face contact.
What is the difference between an accountant and a CPA?
The title of accountant is not protected; CPA is. A Chartered Professional Accountant is listed on the roll of the Ordre des CPA du Québec, carries professional liability insurance, is subject to professional inspections and completes mandatory annual training to keep their knowledge current. Only a CPA can sign the financial statements a bank or an investor requires.