Twelve questions, answered like we answer clients.

Yes — most clients do. We request your file from your current accountant (a standard professional courtesy; you don't have to make an awkward phone call), run the diagnostic, and quote the cleanup and monthly plan in writing. Mid-year switches usually take two to four weeks to be fully onboarded.

QuickBooks Online or Xero for the books, Dext for receipts, Wagepoint for payroll, and Plooto for payables — plus the industry tools our clients already run (Jobber, Jane, Harvest, Shopify, A2X). If you're on desktop software or spreadsheets, migration is part of onboarding.

Only for owners of the businesses we serve. Owner T1s are included on Advisor and CFO plans (two per year) and available as a $350 add-on otherwise. We don't do walk-in personal returns — that's a deliberate choice, not an oversight.

Your plan is re-scoped when the work genuinely changes — more staff, a second location, a new revenue channel. We propose the new price in advance, in writing, effective the following month. Prices never change retroactively, and growth in revenue alone doesn't trigger a re-quote.

Plans are month-to-month with 60 days' notice. Onboarding and cleanup are one-time fixed fees, so if you leave early you've lost nothing but the setup. We'd rather earn the renewal every month than lock you in.

Responding to CRA reviews, processing letters, and routine notices is included in every plan — we prepared the file, so we defend it. A full audit is quoted separately as a fixed fee before any work starts, and we'll tell you honestly whether you need us or a tax lawyer.

Foundations: within two business days. Operator and up: one business day. Advisor and CFO clients also have a standing monthly call. During March and April, response targets are published to all clients — we don't pretend tax season doesn't exist.

If you're near Guelph, gladly — the office is on Quebec Street and the coffee is decent. Most clients are fully remote and meet us on video. The monthly close, portal, and payroll all work identically either way.

Audits and assurance engagements, US multi-state tax, personal-only tax clients, and anything that smells like an aggressive scheme. For the first two we'll refer firms we trust. Knowing our edges is part of why the work inside them is good.

Honestly: usually past ~$2M revenue, or earlier if you carry meaningful debt, are raising money, or are preparing to sell. Below that, the Advisor plan covers what most businesses need. We'll tell you if you're paying for more than you'd use — downgrading a client we'd rather keep for a decade is good business.

We've rebuilt files from bank statements and a garbage bag of receipts — figuratively and once literally. Catch-up bookkeeping is quoted per month of backlog ($250–$450/month) after the diagnostic. The mess is normal; it's also why the diagnostic exists.

Everything moves through an encrypted client portal — never email attachments. Access inside the firm is role-based, banking connections are read-only feeds, and we carry cyber liability insurance. You keep full ownership and admin access to your own accounting file, always.