Price Report of Accounting Services

Statistics Canada - Producer Prices Division

Purpose of this Survey

The data collected in this survey produces indexes that measure changes in the prices of accounting, audit, tax preparation and bookkeeping services. Businesses can use these indexes to benchmark their performance with similar companies and to analyze their costs. Statistics Canada uses these indexes to measure the volume of accounting services activity in Canada. To augment the information you provide, Statistics Canada will combine responses from your organization with the information you previously provided.

Confidentiality

Your answers are confidential

Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects which could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act. The confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act are not affected by either the Access to Information Act or any other legislation. Therefore, for example, the Canada Revenue Agency cannot access identifiable survey records from Statistics Canada.

Information from this survey will be used for statistical purposes only and will be published in aggregate form only.

Collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S19. Completion of this questionnaire is a legal requirement under this Act.

Your Participation is Important

Your participation is vital to ensuring that the information collected in this survey is accurate and comprehensive.

Fax or Other Electronic Transmission Disclosure

Statistics Canada advises you that there could be a risk of disclosure during the facsimile or other electronic transmission. However, upon receipt, Statistics Canada will provide the guaranteed level of protection afforded to all information collected under the authority of the Statistics Act.

Return Procedures…. Need Help?

Please return the completed questionnaire to Statistics Canada within 30 days of receipt by mail using the return envelope. You can also fax it to 1-888-883-7999 or email to business.surveys.unit.oid@statcan.gc.ca.

Lost the return envelope or need help?  Call us at 1-888-881-3666 or mail to: Statistics Canada, Business Survey Section/Central Region, 150 Tunney's Pasture Driveway, Ottawa ON K1A OT6

If necessary, please make address label corrections in the boxes below (please print)

  • Legal Name
  • Business Name
  • Title of Contact
  • First Name of contact 
  • Last Name of contact
  • Address (number and street)
  • City
  • Province/ territory or state
  • Postal Code/Zip Code
  • Country

Language Preference

  • English
  • French

Section A. Main Business Activity

Please check the first circle below if your company has operating revenue attributable to at least one of the three Classes of Services described. If none are applicable, please check the second circle, and return the questionnaire in the envelope provided.

  • Accounting Services: Includes business units whose main activity is to supply a range of accounting services, such as the preparation, review and auditing of financial statements, the design of accounting systems and the provision of accounting advice.
  • Tax Preparation Services:  Includes business units whose main activity is the provision of tax preparation services.
  • Bookkeeping, Payroll and Related Services:  Includes business units whose main activity is providing book-keeping, billing and payroll processing services.
  • None of the above:  Please describe the nature of your firm's main business activity. Please return the questionnaire in the envelope provided.            
    Thank you for your cooperation.

Please complete this report following the instructions and example provided at the beginning of each section. You will find definitions of the "Class of Services" in the Respondent's Guide accompanying this report.

Section B. Distribution of Revenue by Class of Services

The purpose of this section is to obtain the percentage share of your operating revenue by Class of Services.

Please follow the instructions below:

Step 1 and 2
In Step 1 and Step 2 below, please report the percentage share of your operating revenue by Class of Services for the fiscal year indicated.

Estimates are acceptable whenever actual figures are not available.

For definitions of Class of Services, please refer to the Respondent's Guide.

Step 1/Year 1
Step 2/Year 2

Class of Services

  • A. Audit, review and related services
  • B. Other assurance services
  • C. Bookkeeping, compilation and general accounting services
  • D. Tax preparation services for corporate clients
  • E. Tax preparation services for individuals and unincorporated businesses
  • F. Other services

Total

Section C. Provision of Services: Typical Engagement

The purpose of this section is to report information about prices and price changes for engagements that you will select to represent your firm's activities.

Please select a representative engagement for each Class of Service you identified in Section B, Page 2 and report them in Section C. If 100% of your revenue is from only one Class of Service, please provide two (2) representative engagements and report them in Section C. Do not include an engagement for service F- Other Services

The Engagements that you have selected to report should be:

  • Recurrent:  It is important that you choose engagements that have occurred in the past and are expected to be repeated in the future for the same client.
  • Stable:  The work performed under these engagements should be similar from year to year. If small changes occur within the engagement, please report explanations this in Step 5. If large changes occur within the engagement, please replace it with a new one and provide current and previous year's data.
  • Representative:  These engagements should account for a significant portion of your operating revenue and reflect the type of work that you typically perform in a given Class of Service.

How to enter the information requested (also, please see the example below):

Step 3 Each letter corresponds to the Class of Services provided under a given engagement.

  • A - Audit, review and related services
  • B - Other assurance services
  • C - Bookkeeping,compilation and general accounting services
  • D - Tax preparation services for corporate clients
  • E - Tax preparation services for individuals and unincorporated businesses

Step 4 This represents the year you started doing business with the client associated with the selected engagement.

Step 5 Identification number: It is your own reference number for the engagement. Briefly, outline the reason for any changes in the engagement from one year to the next (if applicable).

Step 6 Please enter the total value of the engagement (without taxes). The period of time in which the engagement is being fulfilled should be comparable from year to year. If you are a new respondent, please provide current and previous year's data.

Step 7 Indicate whether the change in the engagement's value  from year to year is due solely to a change in price. If Yes, please do not complete the last column of Step 7. If No, please identify in Step 7, to the best of your ability, the amount of change from year to year in the engagement's value that is due to a change in service and/or a change in price. Ensure that negative changes are also identified (with a negative sign or brackets).

Example

Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7
Engagement Year of first engagement with this client Your own identification number for the engagement and explanation of changes (if applicable) Value Is the year to year change in the value of the engagement due to a change in price only? If No, please indicate the change in value that is due to a change in service and in price.
Fiscal
Year 1		 Fiscal
Year 2
1.A 1998 #ID: 9816910898 $35,000 $32,000 Yes  
From past year to current year: Audit of financial statements that requires a smaller collection of appropriate evidence. Service Price
$(4,000) $1,000
No
2.B 1997 #ID: 9715473108 $150 $140 Yes Service Price
No $ $

Following the example on the previous page, please fill out the following table.

In order for Statistics Canada to produce relevant and accurate information on price movements, it is imperative that you provide data on the same selected engagements year over year.

Supplemental Engagement(s)

Note:  If you can no longer provide data for engagement(s) shown under Step 3 below, please Add new engagement(s) that will  be used to replace the engagement that can no longer be provided for.

Please provide data for the two years requested so that a price comparison can be made.

Step 3

  • Engagement

Step 4

  • Year of first engagement with this client

Step 5

  • Your own identification number for the engagement and explanation of changes (if applicable)

Step 6

  • Value
    • Fiscal Year 1
    • Fiscal Year 2

Step 7

  • Is the year to year change in the engagement's value due to a change in price only?
    • Yes
    • No
  • If No, please indicate the change in value that is due to a change in service and in price.
    • Service
    • Price

Comments

We welcome any suggestions that you may have for improving our Price Report of Accounting Services.

Certification I certify that the information contained herein is complete and correct to the best of my knowledge.

Signature of authorized person

  • Date Completed

Name of person to contact for further information (please print)

  • First Name
  • Last Name

Title

Telephone number

  • Extension
  • Fax No.
  • E-mail address

Time to complete questionnaire

How long did you spend collecting and reporting the information needed to complete this questionnaire?

  • Minutes

Pre-filled Questionnaire

In order to facilitate the completion of next year's questionnaire, we can provide you with a copy of the information you provided this year. Do you authorize us to send you next year a pre-filled questionnaire containing the information you provided this year?:

Please check

  • Yes
    • Please send a pre-filled questionnaire
  • No
    • Please send a blank questionnaire

Date:

Signature:

Please make a copy of this completed questionnaire for your records.

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