# Cfo Canadian Tax Prep > Use when preparing Canadian tax review packets for T4 employment income, rental income, sole proprietorships, corporations, GST/HST, payroll, or slip season. Anchors the workflow in CRA source pages, uses Taxtips only for secondary checklist ideas, and produces human-review tax prep packages instead of compliance claims. - Skill: `mikechongcan/cfo-canadian-tax-prep` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add mikechongcan/cfo-canadian-tax-prep` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/mikechongcan/cfo-canadian-tax-prep/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Productivity - Author: mikechongcan (https://skillmd.com/u/mikechongcan) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/mikechongcan/cfo-canadian-tax-prep --- # CFO Canadian Tax Prep Use this skill when the task involves Canadian tax preparation work such as: - T4 slip driven personal returns - rental income workpapers and T776 support - year-end prep for a Canadian sole proprietor or CCPC - T1/T2125 support packages for self-employed operators - T2 prep packages, GIFI mapping, or corporate year-end checklists - GST/HST return support, ITC support, or filing-deadline verification - payroll remittance, T4 season, or dividend and slip prep review Do not use this skill to invent rates, make filing decisions without source support, claim compliance, or drift into credit-optimization work unless the user explicitly asks for it. ## Guardrails - Treat all outputs as review packets for the owner or licensed tax professional. - Pull rates, thresholds, and elections from the ledger jurisdiction pack first. Use CRA pages to verify obligation type, form, and timing. - Verify exact filing and payment dates on the current CRA page for the tax year in scope. Do not rely on memory. - Keep source evidence and workpapers separate from proposed ledger changes. - Use `references/taxtips-source-map.md` only as a secondary checklist and edge-case finder. If Taxtips and CRA wording differ, follow CRA. - If the books are incomplete, say so plainly and produce a missing-items list instead of guessing. ## Workflow ### 1. Classify the filer before doing any tax work Start by pinning down: - entity type: sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation - tax year or fiscal period - province or territory of operations - registered accounts in scope: GST/HST, payroll, import/export, etc. - whether the package is for planning, quarter-end, or year-end filing prep If any of those are unclear and they change the form set, stop and ask. ### 2. Load the authoritative source set Read the source map in `references/cra-source-map.md` and use the smallest relevant subset: - T4 / employment income work: T4 slip page, line mapping, due dates - rental work: T4036, T776, rental expense guidance, due dates - self-employed/T1/T2125 work: T4002, T2125, personal due dates, business records - corporation/T2 work: T4012, T2 filing due dates, balance-due day, GIFI - GST/HST work: RC4022 and GST/HST filing deadline pages - payroll/slip work: T4001 and RC4120 Then use `references/taxtips-source-map.md` for extra checklist coverage around filing flow, rental-property edge cases, and change-in-use/rent-part-of-home issues. Use CRA pages for obligations and dates. Use the jurisdiction pack for any actual tax computation that CFO Stack performs. ### 3. Build the prep packet from evidence, not from forms Collect or confirm: - T4 slips and any other income slips already issued - notice of assessment and installment reminders - year-end summary of employment benefits, reimbursements, and deductions if the slips look incomplete - rental income ledger or rent roll by property - rental property invoices, mortgage-interest summaries, property tax bills, insurance, utilities, and repairs - year-end trial balance or ledger export - bank, credit card, and loan reconciliations - sales detail and invoice support - payroll reports, remittance confirmations, and prior slips - fixed asset additions/disposals with invoice support - shareholder loan continuity, dividend resolutions, and owner draws - GST/HST working papers for collected tax, ITCs, and adjustments - vehicle logs, home-office support, and other mixed-use allocations where relevant - prior-year notices of assessment, reassessment, and installment reminders If the source trail is weak, produce a blocker list before preparing any tax summary. ### 4. Map the obligation set For a personal return driven by employment and rental activity, usually prepare around: - T1 due date and balance-due check - T4 slip review mapped to line 10100 and related pension/EI boxes - rental income summary with T776 support - property-level expense allocation and personal-use split if part of the home is rented - CCA review only if relevant and only with an explicit note about downstream implications For self-employed individuals, usually prepare around: - T1 filing deadline and payment check - T2125 for each business or professional activity - GST/HST return support if registered - installment review if payments are required - home office, motor vehicle, and CCA support where applicable For corporations, usually prepare around: - T2 return package for the fiscal period - balance-due check and installment history - GIFI-ready balance sheet and income statement mapping - shareholder loan, dividend, and compensation review - GST/HST and payroll support - T4 or T5 slip season support if compensation or dividends were paid Do not assume every item applies. Mark each as `required`, `not applicable`, or `needs confirmation`. ### 5. Build workpapers in the order that catches errors fastest Preferred order: 1. Slip completeness: confirm the return has the expected T4 and other core slips before drafting anything 2. Employment income mapping: reconcile T4 boxes to the T1 line mapping and note any missing explanations 3. Rental income completeness: reconcile rents received to leases, deposits, and property-level tracking 4. Expense support: confirm rental, business, or mixed-use expenses with receipts and purpose 5. Cash and liability completeness: reconcile banks, credit cards, loans, payroll liabilities, and sales-tax liabilities 6. Fixed assets and CCA: separate capital items from current expenses and preserve CCA support 7. Owner/shareholder flows: classify draws, reimbursements, wages, dividends, and shareholder-loan activity 8. Filing overlays: only after the books tie out, prepare the T1/T776/T2125, T2/GIFI, GST/HST, or payroll packet This avoids doing form work on top of dirty books. ### 6. Flag the Canadian risk areas explicitly Always call out: - missing or inconsistent T4 slips - T4 boxes that imply follow-up support is needed for benefits, CPP, or EI handling - rental expenses that look capital rather than current - personal-use allocation issues for partial-home rentals - change-in-use facts that may trigger separate review - mixed personal/business expenses - missing GST/HST registration or incorrect ITC support - weak vehicle logbooks or home-office support - owner compensation misclassification - unreconciled shareholder loans - capital assets expensed directly without CCA review - late remittances, slips, or installment exposure - province-specific payroll or corporate filing assumptions that need confirmation ### 7. Produce a review packet, not a filing claim Preferred output structure: ```text tax/canada// overview.md obligations-checklist.md missing-items.md workpapers/ employment-income.md revenue-reconciliation.md gst-hst.md payroll.md rental-income.md fixed-assets.md owner-shareholder-flows.md filing/ t1-income-summary.md t776-rental-summary.md t1-t2125-summary.md t2-gifi-summary.md slips-summary.md ``` Each summary should separate: - confirmed facts from the books - assumptions that need sign-off - proposed treatments - exact CRA pages used to support the workflow ## Output Standard Every Canadian tax prep deliverable should end with: - `Open questions` - `Missing support` - `Deadlines to verify on CRA` - `Items for CPA/bookkeeper review` Never end with “ready to file” unless a human reviewer explicitly confirmed that status.