GST Filings for 2025: What Canadian Businesses Need to Prepare Before 2026
Hayley Thompson • January 8, 2026
A practical guide to preparing your GST before year-end
When Is Your 2025 GST Return Due?
Your GST filing deadline depends on your reporting period:
- Annual filers:
GST returns for the 2025 calendar year are generally due by June 15, 2026, but any GST owing must be paid by April 30, 2026 to avoid interest. - Quarterly or monthly filers:
Your final 2025 filing will be due one month after your reporting period ends, typically in January or February 2026.
Knowing which category you fall into — and planning for payment timing — is critical for cash flow.
Common GST Issues We See at Year-End
As bookkeepers, we often see the same problems come up when GST isn’t reviewed regularly:
- GST collected but not set aside for remittance
- Missed or incorrect input tax credits (ITCs)
- GST recorded on non-recoverable expenses
- Personal and business expenses mixed together
- Sales recorded incorrectly from POS systems or payment processors
These issues are much harder (and more expensive) to fix once the year is closed.
What You Should Review Before Filing
To prepare properly for your 2025 GST filing, we recommend reviewing the following before the year ends:
- All sales accounts to confirm GST was charged correctly
- Expense categories to ensure ITCs are claimed accurately
- GST balances in your bookkeeping software
- Any large or unusual transactions in 2025
- Cash flow planning for GST payments due in early 2026
If you’re using cloud accounting software, this is also the ideal time to clean up reconciliations and fix errors while transactions are still fresh.
Why Early GST Prep Saves Money
Getting ahead of GST doesn’t just reduce stress — it often saves money:
- You avoid interest and late-filing penalties
- You maximize eligible ITCs
- You prevent surprise GST balances in January
- You reduce year-end cleanup and accounting fees
Most importantly, you start 2026 with clean books and clarity.
How We Help Our Clients With GST
We work with Canadian businesses year-round to ensure GST is handled accurately, efficiently, and on time. Our process includes:
- Ongoing GST tracking and reviews
- Clean, CRA-ready filings
- Support for monthly, quarterly, and annual filers
- Cash-flow planning around GST payments
- Direct CRA correspondence support if needed
Our clients don’t scramble at tax time — they know exactly where they stand.
If you’re waiting until January 2026 to think about your 2025 GST filing, you’re already behind. The best time to prepare is now, while your books are still active and adjustments are easy to make.
If you’d like help reviewing your GST position or want to ensure your 2025 filing is handled properly, now is the time to reach out.
Contact us to see how we can help with your GST return
Planning for 2026? Learn why British Columbia businesses are securing their bookkeeper early and how limited availability impacts cost, compliance, and clarity.
How Restaurants & Cafés Can Transform Their Bookkeeping Processes in the New Year Running a restaurant or café means juggling long hours, tight margins, fluctuating staff levels, inventory challenges, and ever-changing customer demand. As the new year approaches, now is the ideal time to strengthen your financial processes so your business can scale smoothly and profitably. At Hayson Accounting , we specialize in building bookkeeping systems for hospitality businesses across BC. Whether you're a busy coffee shop, a full-service restaurant, or a seasonal café, we help you streamline operations, stay compliant, and access the financial clarity you need to grow. Why the New Year Is the Best Time to Reset Your Bookkeeping Starting fresh in January allows you to: Implement proper accounting systems Fix backlogs or inconsistencies Introduce improved reporting dashboards Change POS systems without disrupting service Stay ahead of GST/PST filing deadlines Set a solid foundation for tax season and cash-flow planning Good systems early in the year create smoother operations all year long. Powerful Metrics Restaurants & Cafés Should Be Tracking Most hospitality businesses don’t just need bookkeeping—they need insights. We build reporting for clients that highlights the real numbers driving their business. Best-Selling Menu Items Understand which dishes generate the strongest margins and which may need to be adjusted or removed. Reporting can break this down by: Meal type (breakfast, lunch, dinner) Individual menu performance Average sale per customer Add-on attachment rates Best Selling Times and Peak Hours This information helps you plan: Staff schedules Prep and inventory Promotions during slower periods Overtime management Weekly and Monthly Revenue Trends Identify seasonality, changes in customer behavior, and opportunities for growth. COGS and Food Cost Ratios We help you track: Ingredient costs Supplier changes Waste Profitability per dish These metrics are critical for maintaining sustainable margins. GST & PST Filings: Why Compliance Is Essential Restaurants and cafés process large volumes of daily transactions, making accurate tax compliance non-negotiable. We assist with: Real-time GST & PST tracking Monthly, quarterly, or annual filings Ensuring correct tax codes across dine-in, takeout, delivery, and alcohol sales Reviewing POS and accounting system tax settings Proper compliance avoids penalties and ensures your systems are audit-ready. Thinking of Switching POS Systems? We Can Help With a Smooth Transition Many hospitality businesses re-evaluate their POS systems in the new year, especially if their current setup lacks reporting accuracy or integration capabilities. We support transitions to and from major POS platforms, including: Lightspeed Square TouchBistro Toast Clover Our POS transition service includes: Mapping tax codes and payment types Connecting your POS to QuickBooks Online Integrating Dext for automated receipt capture Testing the system prior to launch Training staff on new workflows A well-managed POS transition can significantly improve efficiency, accuracy, and reporting quality. How Hayson Accounting Supports Restaurants & Cafés Year-Round We provide a comprehensive, cloud-based bookkeeping system tailored to the hospitality industry, including: Bookkeeping and monthly reconciliations Payroll for staff and seasonal workers Automated receipt and invoice workflows Cash-flow forecasting Monthly financial review meetings Compliance support for GST, PST, WCB, and EHT Our goal is to remove the administrative strain so you can focus on serving customers and growing your business. Start the New Year With a Bookkeeping System Built for Hospitality If you're looking to streamline operations, gain clarity on your finances, or strengthen your internal systems for the year ahead, we’re here to support you. The most successful restaurants and cafés are the ones that stay ahead of their numbers—not chase them. Contact Hayson Accounting today to set up a consultation and build a system that supports your growth throughout the year. info@haysonaccounting.com +1 778-771-0200
Hire your bookkeeper before the new year. Secure availability, reduce cleanup costs, meet deadlines, and start January with clear, accurate financials.
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