Comox Valley Regional District

A bookkeeper for Courtenay businesses

Courtenay is the commercial hub of the Comox Valley, and we keep the books for owners there online from Port Alberni, without either side making the drive up the Inland Island Highway.

Who it’s for

Downtown Courtenay shops, cafés and restaurants with daily sales to reconcile
Trades and contractors working across Courtenay, Comox and Cumberland
Farm, food and agri-food producers in the Comox Valley
Artists, studios and creative small businesses
Owner-operated service businesses that have outgrown a shoebox of receipts

What’s included

Monthly bookkeeping, from $150/month, with each package’s capacity stated up front
Catch-up and clean-up for months or years of outstanding books
Payroll, remittances, T4s and Records of Employment
GST/HST prepared and filed on your reporting period
Personal tax returns for individuals, couples and sole proprietors

How it works

Get an estimate
About three minutes online, or call 1 (250) 731-7931.
Connect your books online
You share access to your bookkeeping software and documents securely. Nothing has to be dropped off.
Books kept current
Scope and fees confirmed in writing, then a steady monthly schedule.

Get an Estimate

Small business in Courtenay

The Comox Valley Regional District describes Courtenay as the commercial hub of the Comox Valley, with an arts community, a wide range of restaurants, local businesses and community organizations. The City's own business pages point to a downtown revitalization program and a 5th Street complete-street pilot, so a good share of the city's small businesses are storefronts that live on steady, day-to-day sales.

Every business operating in Courtenay needs a City business licence, applied for through the City's online form only. Licences run for the calendar year, renew automatically, and renewal notices go out by mail starting in November. Contractors, trades, cleaners and other mobile businesses can add an inter-community business licence that also covers Comox, Cumberland, Campbell River, Parksville, Nanaimo, Duncan and other participating central Island communities.

The Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce, based in Courtenay, describes the Valley's economy as agriculture, aquaculture, tourism, resource industries, local services, trades, arts and small businesses. That mix shows up in the books: seasonal swings for tourism and food businesses, subcontractor payments for the trades, and inventory for retail.

Working with us from Courtenay

We work with Courtenay businesses entirely online. From Port Alberni the road runs east on Highway 4 past Cameron Lake to Highway 19 at Qualicum Beach, then north on the Inland Island Highway to the Comox Valley exits, which is why we do not offer drop-offs or meetings in Courtenay. Our in-person work stays in the Alberni Valley.

Instead, you share documents through secure upload, we work in your QuickBooks Online, Xero or Sage file (with AutoEntry for receipts if it helps), and we talk by phone or video when something needs a conversation. Monthly bookkeeping, catch-up work, payroll with T4s, ROEs and remittances, GST/HST filing and personal tax returns all run the same way from here.

We are based in Port Alberni. See bookkeeping in Port Alberni for more about us, or how our pricing works.

Useful local resources for Courtenay businesses

City of Courtenay: business licences: How to apply online for a Courtenay licence, renewal timing, and the inter-community licence for mobile businesses.
City of Courtenay: business resources: The City's hub for licences, selling to the City, downtown revitalization and related permits.
Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce: The Courtenay-based chamber for the whole Valley, with networking, training, advocacy and a business hub downtown.
Comox Valley Regional District: City of Courtenay: The regional district's profile of Courtenay, one of its member municipalities.

Sources

Common questions

Can we meet in person in Courtenay?

No. We only meet clients in person in Port Alberni and the Alberni Valley. Courtenay clients work with us by secure document sharing, cloud accounting software, phone and video, and most owners find they never need a meeting room.

I hold an inter-community business licence for jobs around the Comox Valley. Does that change anything for my books?

Not much. Your Courtenay licence and the inter-community add-on are business expenses we record each year, and we can track income by job or by community if you want to see where your work comes from. The licence itself is between you and the City.

My shop in downtown Courtenay has busy summers and quiet winters. Can monthly bookkeeping handle that?

Yes. Monthly reconciliations make the seasonal pattern visible, so you can see what a slow month really costs and plan staffing and cash around it. Your package is priced from your transactions and accounts, and our published monthly packages show where you would land.

I'm a few years behind on my books. Can you catch me up from Port Alberni?

Yes. Catch-up bookkeeping is done the same way as monthly work: you send bank and card statements and whatever receipts you have, and we rebuild the records in your accounting software. We scope it with you first so you know what is involved before we start.

Do you do corporate tax returns for Courtenay companies?

We are bookkeepers, not accountants. Corporate returns go through our retained accountant and are quoted separately, and we do not do financial statement audits or reviews. We can act as your authorized CRA representative, including through a CRA audit or review.

Related services and guides

Bookkeeping for Courtenay businesses

Get an estimate in about three minutes, or call 1 (250) 731-7931.

Get an Estimate Call 1 (250) 731-7931