ceascape.business.solutions div. of CJ Hamilton Ltd

 OFFICE POLICIES

ACCOUNT INFORMATION

  • Accounts are due when rendered. Unfortunately, I am not in the position to offer financing and this includes credit. I accept cheques, cash, e Transfer, and credit card in person. For bookkeeping clients paying by credit card, Please note that there is a processing fee (min. greater of $5 or 3% ) for credit card to cover my time in setting this up with Square. Returned cheques are subject to a $45 fee to cover time and charges for recovery. If you have an outstanding balance at the time monthly statements are issued, there will be a semi-monthly statement charge equal to 1.25% of the total outstanding balance.
  • If you require an estimate as to what you require, please be sure to be specific so you will not be surprised when invoiced for work done, but not included in the estimate.
  • Please note that accounts must be paid in full before any compliance item can be filed. Please be aware that just because you have signed your return, it may not be filed if you have an outstanding balance. You are responsible for any penalties and interest due to unfiled returns caused by outstanding accounts.
  • Any accounts outstanding for more than 15 days are subject to a hold on further work until the account has been paid in full, without exception.
  • With tax returns, generally it is my policy to give you back documents used in the preparation of preparing your return once your account is settled. In addition, I generally give you a cover letter and T1 jacket and the most popular schedules. For the majority of my clients, that is all they want as they endeavor to keep their return cost to a minimum. If you would like more details, specific schedules or the entire return, please tell us in advance. I would be more than happy to print off more detail and the additional pages will be reflected slightly in your return. The standard photocopy charges may apply for schedules requested after your return has been printed and filed
  • I no longer offer summary returns.
  • With electronic returns, I do not produce a paper return. If you need both an electronic return and paper return there is an additional printing fee. Please note electronic returns are automatically encrypted with the last six digits of your social.
  • With Consulting or other work, I invoice shortly after mid-month.  It is expected your account will be settled before I continue.  This is to ensure that you have looked at any documents provided in order to give us feedback and to encourage a conversation about your information.
  • Effective August 1, 2023, regular bookkeeping and monthly client projects billed on a time basis are rounded to the next nearest half hour. Flat fee projects are not affected by this change.
  • Effective September 1, 2024, if you are not a regular full bookkeeping client – that is we have a monthly or quarterly bookkeeping / consulting engagement, all time is rounded to the next nearest hour. Flat fee projects are not affected by this change.
  • A retainer in the amount of the expected fee is required for all work unless previous arrangements have been made.
  • Costs of Responding to Government or Legal Processes   In the event I am required to respond to a subpoena, court order, government agency or other legal process for the production of documents and/or testimony relative to information I obtained and/or prepared during the course of this engagement, you agree to compensate me at my normal hourly rates for the time I expend in connection with such response and to reimburse me for all of my out-of-pocket costs (including applicable GST) incurred.
  • Disagreements:  The Client agrees that:
    • a) any dispute that may arise regarding the meaning, performance or enforcement of this engagement will, prior to resorting to litigation, be submitted to mediation; and
    • b) The Client will engage in the mediation process in good faith once a written request to mediate has been given by any party to the engagement.
  • Any mediation initiated as a result of this engagement shall be administered within the Province of British Columbia by a member of the CPABC, according to its mediation rules, and any ensuing litigation shall be conducted within such province, according to provincial law. The results of any such mediation shall be binding only upon agreement of each party to be bound. The costs of any mediation proceeding shall be shared equally by the participating parties.
  • Limit of Liability:  The client hereby agrees that any liability of CJ Hamilton, Ltd including all employees, shareholders and directors shall be limited to the most recent monthly amount billed for services agree to hereunder as its exclusive remedy.  The client agrees that it shill not make any claim against CJ Hamilton, Ltd including all employees, shareholders and directors beyond such amount of monthly account and div CJ Hamilton, Ltd including all employees, shareholders and directors may rely on this paragraph as a complete bar to any such claim.
  • Further and more specifically, the Client agrees that against CJ Hamilton, Ltd including all employees, shareholders and directors are not, and shall not be deemed to be liable for any losses resulting from advice provided by them or any of them, or from work done by them, or for loss of profits of the Client or of any other party which may flow there from, whether it be direct or incident, whether or not they have been advised of the possibility of such damages, and the Client acknowledges and agrees to same hereto.
  • Neither party may bring any action arising out of the services under this agreement, regardless of form, more than one year after the date of the last services provided under this agreement.
  • Indemnification:  The Client agrees to release, indemnify and hold CJ Hamilton, Ltd including all employees, shareholders and directors, (their partners, executors, heirs, successors and assigns) harmless from any and all liability and costs resulting from any known misrepresentations or fraud participated in by management or any of them, or such errors resulting from incomplete or inaccurate information provided by management, and such indemnity shall not be limited to the term of this contract but shall be ongoing even after its termination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, my maximum liability relating to services rendered under this letter (regardless of form of action, whether in contract, negligence or otherwise) shall be limited to the fees received by me for the last invoice issued and paid. The provisions set forth in this paragraph shall survive the completion of the engagement.
  • Relevant Parties   The client will not assert any claim for damages against my firm unless the client has concurrently or previously asserted a claim against all other persons who might reasonably be liable in relation to that claim.  Any release, waiver, or covenant to otherwise not sue or enforce any remedy known to law given by the client to a third party shall be deemed to apply in favour of our firm.
  • Confidentiality: CJ Hamilton, Ltd confirms their duty of confidentiality with respect to client affairs. Accordingly, except for information that is in the public domain, CJ Hamilton, Ltd will not provide any third party with confidential information concerning the affairs of the Client. In order to complete any engagement, CJ Hamilton, Ltd may require access to certain personal information. The client hereby represents to us that they have obtained all consents that are required under applicable privacy legislation for the collection, use, and disclosure to us of personal information. We will manage all personal information in compliance with The Client’s Privacy Code which can be found on our website.
  • Not Liable For Any Failures or Delays Beyond Our Control: CJ Hamilton, Ltd will use all reasonable efforts to complete the engagement as described in this letter within the agreed-upon time frames. However, CJ Hamilton, Ltd shall not be liable for failures or delays in performance that arise from causes beyond our control, including the untimely performance by the Client.
  • Consequential Loss: CJ Hamilton, Ltd and its partners, officers or employees will not be responsible for any consequential loss, injury or damages suffered by the Client or its clients including but not limited to loss of use, earnings and business interruption, or the unauthorized distribution of any confidential document or report prepared by or on behalf of our company, including the partners, officers or employees of our company for the exclusive use of the client.

DISCOUNTS

  • I offer two discount periods only: Feb 25-March 15 and May 5-10. The purpose of this is to assist our low-income seniors.
  • If you collect both CPP and OAS and no more than one other pension, and have all your information to me by March 15 I offer 10% senior discount on the T1 preparation only.
  • This does not apply to any other schedules including the medical and donation schedule. It applies to the base price only.
  • All information must be in by March 15 and must be signed off and paid by 5 days after that ( March 20).
  • There are no discounts offered for the March 16-April 30 period, and no other discounts offered.
  • There are no discounts offered for returns that are picked up.

APPOINTMENTS

  • While I try to make office appointments at your convenience, there are times when extraneous factors interfere. It is always appreciated if you confirm your appointment, or let us know if you need to reschedule.
  • If you have made an appointment and have not had a confirmation email at least 24 hours before, I ask that you kindly confirm to make sure something didn’t get lost in translation.
  • If you have made an appointment and are not there at the appointed time, and I have not had a call that you have an unexpected delay, I reserve the right to cancel it after 15 minutes. Unfortunately, during the busy season, I am often booked up back to back and holding appointments longer than that may not be an option.
  • I am happy to come to your home or office at a mutually convenient time. Please note, however, that while I endeavor to do my utmost to arrive at the designated time, all out call appointment times are subject to a plus/minus half-hour leeway – that is, I reserve the right to show up somewhere within the half hour either side of your appointment time. Unfortunately, I cannot always predict things like traffic, or office calls.  Additionally, any appointment outside my regular hours of Monday to Thursday, 9am-4pm, or outside of the Fraser Valley / Ridge Meadows area may be charged travel.