Questions, answered plainly.
The things Alberta business owners actually ask before hiring a bookkeeper.
How much does a bookkeeper cost in Alberta?
It depends on transaction volume, payroll size, GST reporting frequency and the state of the existing books, which is why A+ Bookkeeping does not publish a price list. A business with two bank accounts and no payroll is a different engagement from one running biweekly payroll across a team. We scope the work on a free discovery call and quote a monthly fee for it. A+ Bookkeeping is designed for businesses looking for consistent, ongoing bookkeeping support rather than the lowest-cost option.
What is the difference between a bookkeeper and an accountant?
A bookkeeper typically handles the ongoing work: recording and categorising transactions, reconciling bank and credit card accounts, running payroll, filing GST and producing monthly financial statements. An accountant — usually a CPA — typically handles corporate tax filing, year-end financial statements and tax planning. The two work together. A+ Bookkeeping keeps the books accurate and current all year and prepares a complete year-end package for your CPA, which usually makes their work faster and cheaper.
Do I need to change accountants to work with A+ Bookkeeping?
No. We are happy to work with your existing CPA and make sure they have the bookkeeping records and year-end information they need. If you do not already have a CPA, we can also recommend someone to work with.
When is my GST return due?
It depends on your assigned reporting period. Monthly and quarterly filers are generally due one month after the end of the reporting period, and annual filers are generally due three months after their fiscal year end, though some situations differ. Rather than relying on anyone remembering, A+ Bookkeeping generates a filing calendar from your actual GST cycle and fiscal year end during onboarding, and confirms the exact dates that apply to your business.
What does CPB certified mean?
CPB stands for Certified Professional Bookkeeper, a designation for bookkeepers who have met a professional standard of training and experience and who are bound by a code of conduct. A+ Bookkeeping is run by a CPB-certified bookkeeper who is also a QuickBooks Online Certified ProAdvisor, with more than five years in the industry.
Do you work with businesses outside Stony Plain?
Yes. A+ Bookkeeping is based in Stony Plain and works with businesses in Spruce Grove, Edmonton, Parkland County and across Alberta. The work is done in QuickBooks Online with digital document exchange, so there is no practical difference between a client down the road and one several hours away.
What accounting software do you use?
QuickBooks Online. A+ Bookkeeping is run by a certified QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor, and clients are set up in QBO so both sides are looking at the same live data. If your business is on another system or on spreadsheets, migration to QuickBooks Online is part of what we do.
My books are months or years behind. Can you still help?
Yes, and it is more common than most owners assume. Catch-up and cleanup work reconstructs and reconciles your books back to a point you can rely on, including prior-year periods and unfiled GST returns. Once the books are current and correct, the engagement moves onto a normal monthly schedule. Being behind is a solvable problem — it only gets more expensive while it waits.
What happens if you miss a deadline?
During onboarding, we agree on completion deadlines for each covered service. If A+ Bookkeeping misses one of those deadlines for reasons within our control, you stop paying for that service until it has been brought up to date. The guarantee depends on receiving the information, access and responses needed to complete the work on schedule. Each service has its own deadline, so a delay in one area does not affect services completed on time.
What do you need from me each month?
Bank and credit card statements by an agreed date, timely answers to questions about unusual transactions, and access to the systems needed to do the work. The specific information, access requirements and deadlines for each service are confirmed during onboarding and documented in your On-Time Guarantee Agreement, so nobody is working from memory. In practice most clients find it takes very little of their time once the routine is set.
Do you handle payroll and T4s?
Yes. A+ Bookkeeping processes recurring payroll, tracks remittance deadlines according to your remitter type, and prepares the year-end slips that follow from it. Payroll deadlines do not move, so they are built into the same monthly schedule as the rest of the work rather than handled separately.
How does getting started work?
It starts with a free discovery call to understand how your business runs — your cycles, your systems, your team — and whether A+ Bookkeeping is the right fit. If it is, onboarding agrees a completion deadline for each of your services, establishes document exchange and gets your QuickBooks Online file in order. Clear onboarding is what makes the schedule hold afterwards.
Still deciding?
A discovery call is the fastest way to find out whether this is a fit. No charge, no pressure.