Payroll services in Lethbridge
Sound familiar?
- You’re not sure you’re deducting the right amounts
- Remittance due dates keep sneaking up on you
- Someone quit and you’ve never filled out an ROE
- You’re about to hire your first employee
- February means a T4 panic, every year
- You’re not sure whether someone is an employee or a contractor
What I handle every pay period
I run payroll monthly or bi-weekly, working from the timesheets you send me.
Each pay run, I calculate gross pay and the source deductions the CRA requires (CPP, EI and income tax), prepare each employee’s pay statement, and record it all in your books so payroll ties back to your bank account.
Alberta requires a written statement of earnings for every pay period (electronic is fine), and wages have to be paid within 10 consecutive days after the pay period ends. A pay period can’t be longer than one work month. I set up your schedule so it stays inside those rules.
Remittances: the part the CRA watches closely
The deductions you hold back from employees, plus your share of CPP and EI, have to be sent to the CRA on time. How often depends on your remitter type, which the CRA sets based on how much you withheld two years ago:
- Most new employers start as regular remitters: due by the 15th of the month after you paid your employees
- Some small employers qualify to remit quarterly: April 15, July 15, October 15 and January 15
- Larger employers remit more often, twice a month or within days of payday
- Late remittances are penalized at 3% (one to three days late), rising to 10% (more than seven days late)
2026 payroll numbers, in plain English
These change every January, and I update them every year. For 2026:
- CPP: employee and employer each pay 5.95% on earnings between $3,500 and $74,600 (up to $4,230.45 each)
- CPP2: an extra 4% each on earnings between $74,600 and $85,000 (up to $416 each)
- EI: employees pay $1.63 per $100 of insurable earnings, up to $68,900, and employers pay 1.4 times the employee amount
Alberta rules I keep you inside
Payroll isn’t only about the CRA. Alberta’s Employment Standards set rules of their own, and I build them into how your payroll runs:
- Vacation pay is 4% of wages, rising to 6% after five years with you
- Employees in construction get 6% vacation pay from day one
- Alberta’s general minimum wage is $15 an hour
- If an employee leaves, a Record of Employment (ROE) is generally due to Service Canada within five calendar days
Your first hire
Your first hire is a big step, and it comes with paperwork: a CRA payroll account, your new employee’s tax forms, a pay schedule, and, if your industry is one where WCB coverage is compulsory, a WCB Alberta account opened within 15 days of hiring your first worker. I’ll walk you through each piece, in order, and set it up properly from the first pay run.
For a fuller walkthrough, read my guide to hiring your first employee in Alberta.
What’s included
- Pay calculations
- gross pay and vacation pay worked out correctly
- Source deductions
- CPP, EI and income tax taken off each paycheque
- Pay statements
- a clear stub for every employee, every pay period
- CRA remittances
- what you owe the CRA, sent on time
- Records of Employment
- the form Service Canada needs when someone leaves
- T4 slips
- year-end slips for each employee, filed by the deadline
How payroll works with me
Step 1
Set up
We gather employee details, agree on monthly or bi-weekly pay and how you’ll send timesheets, and check your CRA payroll account and remitter type.
Step 2
Every pay run
You send your timesheets. I calculate pay and deductions, prepare pay statements, record everything and keep remittances on schedule.
Step 3
Year-end, handled
T4 slips and the summary are prepared and filed before the last day of February.
The free review of your books costs nothing. Tell me where things stand.
Payroll services for southern Alberta employers
If you run a construction business, payroll comes with its own Alberta rule: employees in construction earn 6% vacation pay from their first day, not after five years. Getting that wrong across a whole crew adds up fast.
If you hire seasonally, say a harvest crew or summer staff in a tourism town like Fort Macleod or Cardston, every short stint means new-hire paperwork, an ROE when it ends and another T4 at year-end. I keep each one straight, whether you’re in Lethbridge or anywhere in southern Alberta.
Salons and spas have a wrinkle of their own: how tips are handled decides whether CPP and EI apply. More on that on the salons, estheticians and spas page.
Payroll, from $50/hour
Payroll is charged by the hour, from $50/hour, and added to your bookkeeping quote. The time depends on how many people you pay and how often. Every quote is confirmed after a free review of your books. You’ll know the cost before your first pay run.
How pricing worksKeep exploring
Questions about payroll
When are payroll remittances due?
For most small employers, including most new ones, remittances are due by the 15th of the month after you paid your employees. Some small employers qualify to remit quarterly, and larger ones remit more often. The CRA tells you which type you are.
How much vacation pay do I owe in Alberta?
Generally 4% of wages (two weeks), rising to 6% (three weeks) after an employee has worked for you for five consecutive years. Employees in construction are owed 6% from the start.
What is an ROE and when is it due?
A Record of Employment tells Service Canada about an employee’s hours and earnings when they stop working, and it’s used for EI claims. It’s generally due within five calendar days, with slightly different timing for electronic ROEs depending on your pay period.
Is my worker an employee or a contractor?
It’s a question with real consequences, so I won’t guess. The CRA looks at the whole working relationship, like who controls the work, who provides the tools and who sets the schedule. You or the worker can also ask the CRA for an official ruling. I can walk you through the factors.
Is it worth outsourcing payroll for just one or two employees?
Often, yes. A small payroll still has the same deductions, remittance dates, pay statements and T4s as a big one, and the late-remittance penalties apply either way. Small, owner-run employers are exactly who I work with.
Do I need WCB coverage for my employees?
If your industry is one where WCB coverage is compulsory, yes: you must open a WCB Alberta account within 15 days of hiring your first worker. WCB Alberta also offers personal coverage for owners. I’ll flag it during setup.
Let’s get your books level.
Tell me where things stand, even if it’s messy, and I’ll tell you honestly what it’ll take to catch up and keep it that way. Every quote is confirmed after a free review of your books.
Leave a message and Vanessa will call you back.