Managed IT Services for Canadian Accounting Firms
Canadian accounting firms and CPA practices handle sensitive financial information for dozens or hundreds of clients — tax returns, financial statements, payroll data, and corporate records that must be protected with access controls commensurate with the sensitivity of the data. CRA's 6-year electronic record retention requirement, CPA Canada's technology guidance, and PIPEDA's client data privacy provisions create specific IT obligations that generic managed service providers often overlook.
CRA electronic record requirements for accounting firms
- 6-year retention — all tax and financial records must be retained for 6 years from the end of the last tax year to which they relate
- Accessible format — electronic records must be producible on CRA request within a reasonable time; the format must not require proprietary software that may be discontinued
- Record integrity — records cannot be altered after the fact; audit trails must show original entries and any subsequent corrections
- Backup copies — CRA recommends maintaining backup copies of electronic records stored separately from the originals
Accounting software we support
- Sage 50 / Simply Accounting — server-hosted and cloud; database backup, migration support, and upgrade management
- Sage 300 (ACCPAC) — multi-user server environments; SQL Server support, Citrix/Remote Desktop configurations
- QuickBooks Desktop / QuickBooks Online — backup automation for QBD company files; QBO network access configuration
- Xero — network and endpoint support for cloud-first accounting environments
- CaseWare Working Papers — audit file server, user access controls, and version archiving
- TaxCycle / ProFile / Cantax — tax software licensing, workstation configuration, and CRA T1/T2 EFILE connectivity
Client data protection under PIPEDA
Accounting firms collect and process extensive personal and financial information about clients under PIPEDA. We implement role-based access controls so only assigned accountants can access each client's files, with audit logging that tracks every access event. Client files are encrypted at rest using Microsoft Information Protection and backed up with 6-year retention in CRA-compliant immutable storage.
Related resources
Sources & references
- Canada Revenue Agency. Electronic Record-Keeping. canada.ca
- CPA Canada. Information Technology Guidance for CPA Firms. cpacanada.ca
- Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. PIPEDA and Financial Information. priv.gc.ca
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