Payroll guides for BC and Alberta employers
These guides explain payroll for small employers in British Columbia and Alberta: setting up a payroll account, deducting CPP, EI and income tax, sending remittances to the CRA, year-end slips, tips, and paying yourself from your own company. They're for business owners hiring a first employee or tidying up an existing payroll.
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Payroll guides
Payroll in BC and Alberta: a complete 2026 guide
Setting up payroll, CPP, EI and tax deductions, remittances, T4s and records of employment.
Read the guide Business taxSalary or dividends? Paying yourself from your corporation
How salary and dividends compare on tax, CPP and RRSP room for owner-managers in BC and Alberta.
Read the guide Business taxCRA penalties and interest: a guide for BC and Alberta
Why late-filing and instalment penalties keep coming back, and the habits that break the cycle.
Read the guide PayrollGroup benefits for small employers: plans, payroll and tax
Insured plans, health spending accounts and EAPs, and which benefits are taxable on your employees' T4 slips.
Read the guide TruckingDriver Inc. in trucking: what the CRA expects
How the CRA decides if a truck driver is an employee, what a personal services business pays, and the T4A rule for carriers.
Read the guide CalculatorEI calculator 2026 for BC and Alberta
Hours needed in your region, the weekly benefit and weeks of benefits, for regular, sickness and parental claims.
Use the calculatorWant payroll handled for you? Our payroll service runs your pay, sends CPP, EI and tax remittances to the CRA, and issues T4s and records of employment. When a staff member leaves, the EI calculator shows roughly what they can expect.
Source standard. Each guide lists the official CRA, Government of BC, Government of Alberta, municipal or regulator pages it was checked against, with the date checked. Topic summaries are general information only.
Payroll services and industry guides
Payroll services
Pay runs, CPP, EI and tax remittances, T4s, records of employment and WorkSafeBC or WCB.
See the service RestaurantsRestaurant tips, gratuities and payroll
Controlled and direct tips, CPP and EI, tip pools, gratuities and T4s.
Read the guide Massage therapistsRunning an RMT clinic: associates, payroll and GST
Associates or employees, payroll and WorkSafeBC, and GST for the clinic.
Read the guidePayroll, answered
What do I need before running my first payroll?
A CRA payroll account added to your business number, each employee's social insurance number and TD1 forms, and a workers' compensation account with WorkSafeBC in BC or WCB in Alberta where your work needs one. Our payroll guide explains each step.
What does an employer deduct from pay?
Income tax, Canada Pension Plan (CPP) contributions and Employment Insurance (EI) premiums. The employer also pays its own share of CPP and EI, and sends the deductions and its share to the CRA.
When are payroll remittances due?
It depends on how much you withhold. The CRA sets your remittance frequency, and most new small employers remit monthly. Your due dates are shown in your CRA account and on your remittance vouchers.
What slips does an employer file at year-end?
T4 slips and a T4 summary for employees, and T4A slips for some other payments, such as certain fees to contractors. They are due early in the following year, and employees get their copies by the same date.
Should I pay myself through payroll from my company?
If you take a salary, yes: it runs through payroll with CPP and tax deducted, and the company remits them. Dividends don't go through payroll. Our salary vs dividend guide compares the two.
Can Finvo run payroll for my business?
Yes. We run pay, remittances, T4s and records of employment for businesses in BC and Alberta, on the agreed schedule once your hours and pay details are in. The payroll service page explains what's included.
Sources, checked 28 Oct 2026. Rules have exceptions and can change. This page is general information, not tax advice for your situation.
- CRA, Get the completed TD1 forms (canada.ca): what a new employee fills in before the first pay.
- CRA, When to remit (pay) (canada.ca): remitter types; regular remitters pay monthly, by the 15th of the next month.
- CRA, When to file information returns (canada.ca): T4 and T4A slips and summaries are due the last day of February (1 March 2027 for 2026, because 28 February 2027 is a Sunday).
- WorkSafeBC, 2026 premium rates, and WCB-Alberta, How premiums are set: workers' compensation accounts and premiums.
Hiring or fixing your payroll?
Book a free 15-minute call by video or phone. Tell us how many people you pay and how you pay them now, and we'll tell you what we'd set up or fix and what we'd do next.
Which office?
Book a free 15-minute call15-minute calls every weekday at 10 am and 2 pm Pacific (11 am and 3 pm Mountain), except holidays.
Typical next slots, confirmed when you book:
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