Bookkeeping for real estate agents in Thunder Bay, ON.
For agents and teams paid on commission. Your books done the day you upload your statements, checked against your bank, for $79 CAD a month.
Free to join. The first 1,000 in get their catch-up free.
Sales tax
Ontario charges 13% HST on most sales. Once your sales pass $30,000 in four quarters in a row (or in one quarter), you register, charge it and file GST/HST returns.
Income tax
Ontario taxes income at 5.05% to 13.16% in 2026, on top of federal tax of 14% to 33%, on the profit from your business.
CPP
Working for yourself, you pay both halves of CPP: 11.9% of your earnings from $3,500 to $74,600 in 2026, plus 8% more up to $85,000.
Deadlines
Sole proprietors file by June 15 and pay by April 30. Once you owe more than $3,000, CRA asks for instalments on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15.
Contractors
Paid someone more than $500 for services in a year? They may need a T4A slip by the end of February.
What every business in Thunder Bay (about 110,000 people) keeps track of in 2026. Rates change, so check with your accountant before you file.
Real estate agents in Thunder Bay, by the numbers
Thunder Bay has 17 real estate agents and brokerages with employees (Statistics Canada, December 2024).
Every one of them has books to keep: sales to match to the bank, costs to sort and tax to work out.
Why real estate agents need different books
Big commissions at uneven times, brokerage splits and fees taken before you're paid, marketing for every listing, and a car that's half office. The irregular income makes setting aside tax the hardest part.
What a bookkeeper for real estate agents in Thunder Bay keeps track of
Commissions, with the brokerage's split and fees
Marketing and listing costs
Your car and mileage
Tax to set aside from each deal
Desk fees and licensing
Taxes for real estate agents in Ontario
Commissions in Ontario take 13% HST once you're registered.
Commissions take GST/HST once your income passes $30,000 in four quarters in a row.
Nothing is withheld from commissions, so you may need CRA instalments.
Keep a vehicle logbook to claim your car.
What SumSwift does for realtors, for $79 CAD a month
Commission deposits sorted with the brokerage's fees split out
What to set aside for income tax from each deal, with estimated payments or instalments and their due dates
A mileage log (a CRA logbook in Canada) and the business share of your vehicle worked out for taxes
Receipts snapped with your phone or forwarded by email are read and matched to the charge
A year-end package and free access for your accountant
Every statement checked against the balances your bank printed, to the cent, with personal spending kept off your profit
Up to 3 accounts included. Prices in CAD. Your accountant still files your tax return, with clean books and free access.
Questions.
How much does a bookkeeper for real estate agents cost in Thunder Bay?
Published price guides put most small businesses at $300 to $1,500 a month for a bookkeeper, more when the books are busy, as they often are for real estate agents. SumSwift does the monthly work for $79 CAD a month, the day you upload your statements.
How much of each commission should I set aside?
It depends on your income and where you live, often 25% to 35%. SumSwift works out your estimate from your real profit and shows what's due when.
Can I write off my car?
The business share. SumSwift keeps the log and works it out.
Does SumSwift know Ontario's tax rules?
Commissions in Ontario take 13% HST once you're registered. Commissions take GST/HST once your income passes $30,000 in four quarters in a row.
Behind on my books. Can you catch me up?
Yes. A catch-up of up to 12 months is $599, once, checked against your bank to the cent.