St. John's businesses, served remotely
Accountant for St. John's businesses
St. John's accountant for businesses: HST at 15% and the provincial payroll tax once payroll passes $2,000,000.
Prepared by HBT Accounting, a CPA led firm in CalgaryUpdated 5.0 on Google, 59 reviews
Practices, shops and professional firms
St. John's had 110,525 people in 2021 and 4,732 businesses with employees in Statistics Canada's latest count, led by health care (600), retail (579) and professional, scientific and technical services (499).
Newfoundland and Labrador is one of the provinces with an employer payroll tax. Its Health and Post Secondary Education Tax costs nothing until an employer's payroll in the province passes $2,000,000 for the year; above that it is 2% of the excess. Associated employers share one exemption, so a group of companies can cross the line before any one of them would alone. HBT works from Calgary and handles St. John's files remotely.
St. John's in numbers
| Population, 2021 Census | 110,525 |
|---|---|
| Change since the 2016 Census | Up 1.5% |
| Size among Canadian municipalities | 50th |
| People per square kilometre | 247.8 |
| Businesses with employees | 4,732 |
| Largest sectors by employer businesses | Health care and social assistance (600); Retail trade (579); Professional, scientific and technical services (499) |
Source: Statistics Canada: Population and dwelling counts, census subdivisions, 2021 Census and Statistics Canada: Canadian Business Counts, with employees, June 2026.
What a St. John's engagement covers
Payroll tax
Payroll tracked against the exemption, with registration and returns once it applies.
HST
HST at 15%, registration and returns.
Payroll and year end
Source deductions, T4 slips and the T2.
When does a St. John's employer start paying the provincial payroll tax?
Once its Newfoundland and Labrador payroll for the year passes $2,000,000. The tax is 2% of payroll above that amount, paid by the employer rather than deducted from staff. Associated employers file an allocation agreement to divide a single exemption among them.
Starting prices are published on the fees page. Final fees depend on scope, and we quote a fixed fee once the work is clear. See starting fees. The first conversation is free and takes about 10 to 15 minutes.