Regional District of Nanaimo

A bookkeeper for Parksville businesses

The City of Parksville names tourism, retail, services, construction and light industry as its main industries. We keep the books for businesses like these online, from Port Alberni at the other end of Highway 4.

Who it’s for

Accommodation, campground and tourism operators with a busy season and a quiet one
Retail shops and service businesses in and around downtown Parksville
Construction contractors and trades, including mobile businesses working across Oceanside
Light-industry and owner-run businesses that need payroll and GST/HST handled every month
Start-ups and family-owned businesses setting up their books properly from the beginning

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 Parksville

Parksville sits on the Salish Sea (Strait of Georgia) on Vancouver Island's east coast. The City counted 13,642 residents in the 2021 census, with 31,054 across the wider Oceanside region. Its own history traces the visitor economy back to the 1901 rail extension, which brought Islanders to the beaches at Parksville Bay, and the City still lists tourism first among its main industries, ahead of retail, services, construction and light industry.

The Parksville & District Chamber of Commerce reports more than 380 member businesses and runs an Entrepreneur Hub, a consulting division that works with start-ups, small and family-owned businesses, nonprofits and social enterprises across Oceanside. The chamber's economic data page lists sales and service, trades and transport, and health care and social services as the area's largest groups of workers.

Every business operating in Parksville needs a City business licence, and the City suggests checking before you lease or buy a property that a licence can be issued for that site. Mobile businesses such as trades, cleaners and landscapers that move between Island communities can add an inter-community licence to their principal one; Qualicum Beach, Nanaimo and Port Alberni are among the participating municipalities.

Working with us from Parksville

Our office is in Port Alberni, and the only place we meet clients face to face is the Alberni Valley. Highway 4 joins the Valley to the Oceanside coast through Cathedral Grove, which BC Parks places 16 km east of Port Alberni, but working with us from Parksville never depends on that drive. Everything runs online.

We work directly in your QuickBooks Online, Xero or Sage file, pull in receipts and bills with AutoEntry, and swap statements and payroll records through secure document sharing. When a question needs talking through, we call or set up a video meeting. Monthly bookkeeping, catch-up work, payroll, GST/HST filing and personal tax returns all fit this way of working.

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

Useful local resources for Parksville businesses

City of Parksville: business licences: The application form, brochures for regular and home-based licences, payment options and the City's business licensing contact.
City of Parksville: inter-community business licence: Who qualifies for the mobile-business add-on and which Island municipalities take part.
Parksville & District Chamber of Commerce: Advocacy, networking events and member benefits for Parksville and district businesses.
Parksville & District Chamber: Entrepreneur Hub: The chamber's consulting division for start-ups and small businesses in the Oceanside region.
Community Futures Central Island: Small business loans and advisory services for central Island communities, Parksville included.

Sources

Common questions

Will you come to my business in Parksville?

No. We meet clients in person only in Port Alberni and the Alberni Valley. Parksville clients share documents securely, we work in their cloud accounting file, and we talk by phone or video.

My resort or campground does most of its business between spring and fall. How does monthly bookkeeping work for that?

Each month is reconciled as it closes, so by the time the season winds down you can see exactly what it brought in and what the off-season will cost. That is also the information you want in hand when GST/HST filing comes due.

I run a trade from Parksville and have a small crew. Can you take over payroll?

Yes. We run payroll, make the source deduction remittances, and prepare T4s at year end and ROEs when someone leaves. Payroll is an add-on, quoted with your package based on your payroll.

I just got my Parksville business licence. When should I bring in a bookkeeper?

Before the first few months of receipts pile up is ideal, because setting up the accounts and the software correctly is easier than fixing them later. If you are already behind, our catch-up bookkeeping brings the books current first.

Related services and guides

Bookkeeping for Parksville businesses

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

Get an Estimate Call 1 (250) 731-7931