Be That Business Newsletter Jan 30th 2026: February Canadian Due Dates & Three Fabulous Business Resources!

Welcome to January 30th 2026! In this Newsletter:

• What’s due at the end of January?
• My Three Favorite Resources for January!
• What due dates are coming up in February?
• Announcements - The Simulation has arrived!
  
  

What’s Due at the End of January?

*Note* Jan 31st falls on a Saturday in 2026. That means that any Jan 31st due date for CRA listed below is ​actually due​ on Monday Feb 2nd.

Here are some end of January due dates that may apply to your business;
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• If you file your GST/HST on a quarterly basis, and your year ends on Dec 31st, then your ​October to December 2025 GST/HST quarter​ is due to be filed and paid at the end of January. Even if you don’t have all the funds, file on time to not waste money on late filing penalties. (#Don’tGiveCRAmoreMoneyThanYouHaveTo!!!)
  
  
• If you file your GST/HST annually, but last year your GST/HST net payable was greater than ​$3,000​, then you are required to pay quarterly instalments, and the last of these ​GST/HST instalments​ is due to be paid January 31st.
  
  
• If you have employees, then you likely are registered for provincial Workplace Insurance (WSIB/WCB). The filing and remitting of WSIB/WCB is different from province to province. Some provinces are due monthly on the 15th. In Ontario many SMBs fall into the ​quarterly remitter bucket​, and the premium for the earnings paid to employees October to December are due to be filed and remitted on or before January 31st. (Self-employed in the construction industry? You may need to pay it on your labour even if you have no employees!)
  
  
• Is your business subject to any other quarterly remittances that are industry specific, such as Municipal Accommodations Tax? These may be due for the Oct to Dec Quarter.
  
  
• If you business is incorporated, and owed greater than $3k in corporate Income Tax for the previous fiscal year, then it is required to pay instalments for next year on the last day of every month. January 30th is the due date for the ​January Corporate Tax Instalment​.
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• Though there are no other standard items due at the end of this month, be aware that if your Sales Tax filing is monthly, December's GST/HST Filing and remittance is due Jan 31st. Also, if your on Corporate Fiscal Year End is July, your Corporate Tax Return is due 6 months after your Fiscal Year end (January 31st). If your Corporate Year End is November, the Income Tax Payable is payable 2 or 3 months after the Fiscal Year End; either due end of January or end of February, depending on your corporation. Check in with your accountant to find out more about your corporate tax due dates specific to your corporation.

My January Meme I created! IYKYK!

Three Business Resources & Hacks!

Here are three Fabulous Resources and Business Hacks that I've come across this past January!

1. Xero Curious? - This month I published a video on ​How to Create the 50% Meals Sales Tax Item in Xero​, a cloud bookkeeping software breaking into the Canadian SMB Market. Already the main player in New Zealand and Australia (with a matching market share to Intuit in the UK!), Xero is expanding its services to Canadian SMBs, and I was happy to see how the GST/HST module treats carryforwards on filed periods! Check it out on YouTube, along with my other new QBO How To's this month: ​How to Record Bad Debt in QBO​, and ​How to Enter a Bounced Cheque in QBO​. More How To's to Come!
   
   
2. Tax implications of shareholder loans: An important reminder from Jason Heath: "Owner‑managers benefit most when shareholder loans are reviewed with their tax accountant before year‑end." Shareholder Loans are one of the most time-sensitive GL Accounts. You can't rewind history, but you can plan it! If your business is incorporated, understanding the Shareholder Loan and its serious tax implications is priority #1! Jason writes about this in his article in MoneySense Magazine ​"Tax implications of shareholder loans"
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3. BDC's Free eBooks: Did you know that BDC also offers free e-books and guides for specific business industries and situations? From Improving Efficiency in your Construction Business, to Inventory Management, to Understanding your Financial Statements, BDC offers dozens of deeper dive guides than just simple blog posts. Check them out ​​here​​. "If you aren't learning, you aren't earning"!
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What Resources have you found that have helped you start, run, or grow your business? Feature it (and a callout to your business!) in our next Resources Newsletter!


What due dates are coming up in February?

Now’s the time to prep your February Calendar! #BeThatBusiness that is organized! Here are some February due dates that might affect your business. *NOTE* Feb 15th and 28th both fall on the weekend in 2026! So the CRA Due Dates below that note Feb 15th or 28th are due on ​the next business day​, Feb 16th & Mar 2nd:

• If you have employees, ​February 15th is the due​ date for your payroll source deductions relating to January's payroll, if you are a ​regular remitter​.
  
  
• If you have employees, then you likely are registered for provincial Workplace Insurance (WSIB/WCB). WCB in some provinces is due monthly, and on the 15th
  
  
• If you are in a province that has PST, make a note of what your PST due date is, it may be monthly.
  
  
• The "Third Monday In February" (February 16th in 2026) may hold some Stat Holiday vibes for your Province. Known as Family Day, Islander Day, Louis Riel Day, or Heritage Day, depending on the Province you're in. It's not in the Territories, NL, or QC, but otherwise, check out ​this blog post from Payworks​ to see how it may apply to your province.
  
  
• T4s are due to be filed for your employees on or before February 28th. If you used a payroll provider, make sure they will be filing your ​Employee’s T4s​ for you. If you use payroll software, there may be some extra steps for you to do. In Quickbooks, it’s a ​simple .xml file to upload​! Then you can print the Employee’s copy right from Quickbooks! If you did your payroll for your employees manually, and are curious how to file them online using CRA’s webforms, here’s ​a handy dandy video​ I made a few years ago on how to do that. When you use CRA’s webforms to manually file, you can print a copy from there to hand out to your employees. ​
  
  
• T4As are also due on or before Feb 28th. ​T4As​ are the income slips that you issue to independent workers who are not an employee, such as contractors who received a commission. In the Trucking Industry? CRA has announced they are ​strengthening compliance in the trucking sector by lifting the moratorium on T4A penalties in that sector. ​ ​
  
  
• T5s are also due on or before Feb 28th. ​T5s​ report various types of investment income. They also can declare dividend income (and shareholder draws) for shareholders of a corporation, and are done by your accountant. Your accountant will need to see your financials to see what needs to be issued, so now is the time to finalize your 2025 bookkeeping and share with your accountant so they can prepare and file your T5s on time. ​
  
  
• If you are a charity, then Feb 28th the deadline for your ​donation receipts​ to be issued.
  
  
• March 2nd 2026 is the ​Deadline for Contributing to an RRSP for the 2025 Tax Year​. (Not February due date, but very soon after February ends!) ​
  
  
• If you business is incorporated, and owed greater than $3k in corporate Income Tax for the previous fiscal year, then it is required to pay instalments for next year on the last day of every month. February 28th is the due date for the ​February Corporate Tax Instalment​. ​
  
  
• If your Corporation is federally incorporated, you must file with Corporations Canada every year. Though they call it an "annual return" this is not the Corporate Tax Return (T2) that you must file with CRA every year. The filing deadline is 60 days following a corporation's anniversary date. Find out more ​here​. ​
  
  
• Though there are no other standard items due at the end of this month, be aware that if your Sales Tax filing is monthly, January's GST/HST filing and remittance is due on February 28th. If your Sales Tax quarterly filing is on a different schedule because of a corporate fiscal year end date that is not standard, the GST/HST for a quarter November to January would be due Feb 28th. Also, if your Corporate Fiscal Year End is August, your Corporate Tax Return is due 6 months after your Fiscal Year end (February). If your Corporate Year End is December, the Income Tax Payable is payable 2 or 3 months after the Fiscal Year End; either due February or March, depending on your corporation. Check in with your accountant to find out more about your corporate tax due dates specific to your corporation.​
  
  

Announcements & Updates

The Grand Gate Gardens Bookkeeping Simulation has arrived!

"I really loved the course and got so much value from it. The real-world approach made everything click in a way traditional courses do not.” – Fiona Baird, KBS Group Bookkeeping and Tax

“Naomi has been our firm's go to person for training in bookkeeping and sales tax for years. Naomi has a way of teaching that sticks the key concepts in your brain. Highly recommended to any bookkeeper or accountant looking to learn how to be a better bookkeeper. The time investment is well worth it.” – Riley Pohl, CPA, partner at ARC Advisory and Accounting CPA Inc

Want to know more? Check it out ​here​!

FABULOUS FIRST FRIDAYS @FIVE!: Looking to connect? Join my live FABULOUS FIRST FRIDAYS @FIVE open Zoom Meeting this week! My Monthly Open AMA Zoom Chat Session where we can connect and discuss questions regarding starting and running a business in Canada! (and all things related such as bookkeeping and software and apps!). It's a free group event where anyone can drop by to say hi and ask a question! Next one up is on February 6th! Click ​here​ to register!

Be Intentional Today!
Get out there, and Be That Business That Thrives!
​Naomi Wilkins
​I Love Making Bookkeeping Make Sense
​www.naomiwilkins.ca
Disclaimer: This Newsletter is intended to inform readers in general terms. It is not intended to provide any tax or business advice. Please consult your accountant if you have any questions about your unique situation. While I have tried to ensure the accuracy of the information in this newsletter, I accept no liability for errors or omissions.​