Simplify Accounting

What Simplify Accounting does

Simplify Accounting operates as Simplify Professional Corporation, a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) firm licensed in both Alberta (CPA Alberta) and British Columbia (CPA BC), headquartered at 9929 100 Avenue in Grande Prairie, Alberta. The firm serves small business owners across two Canadian provinces, with explicit vertical specialization in oil and gas contractors, construction and trades, healthcare professionals, and real estate professionals. Its positioning centers on reducing accounting complexity, optimizing tax outcomes for incorporated SMBs, and replacing paper-based bookkeeping with cloud-based workflows delivered to clients virtually or in person.

The core product is fixed-price monthly cloud accounting packages delivered on the Xero accounting platform with Hubdoc for receipt imaging and electronic document management. Subscription tiers range from 'The Basics' at CA$415+ per month to 'Full Support' at CA$585+ per month and 'Higher-Volume' at CA$1,150+ per month, bundling capacity or recurring bookkeeping, corporate tax filings (T2), personal tax filings (T1), GST filings, payroll setup, dividend tax slips, and dedicated CPA access. Complementary one-off services include standalone corporate tax preparation (CA$500–CA$4,000+), personal tax preparation (CA$350+ for individuals, CA$485+ for couples), and catch-up bookkeeping (CA$4,500–CA$6,900+). An optional Audit Insurance add-on, provided through Accountancy Insurance's Audit Shield underwritten by Lloyd's of London, covers up to CA$10,000 in CRA audit fees. The firm has also launched online courses on the Thinkific platform, including 'Mastering Bookkeeping & Taxes for Sole Proprietors' (25 lessons) and a planned course for real estate investors.

Go-to-market is sales-led and supported by a content-marketing engine spanning a YouTube channel, blog, email newsletter with a free business expense guide lead magnet, and organic social presence on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Distribution is primarily direct, via website booking through a Google Form, phone (+1 780 296 4613), email ([email protected]), and in-person consultations at the Grande Prairie office. The eight-person team includes Founder/CEO Shawn Gander (CPA, CMA), Manager Tayler Lloyd (CPA), Tax Manager Melissa Gallant (CPA, CA, with CPA Canada's In Depth Tax Specialist program), office administrator Hayley Lane (with prior banking and financial planning experience), Lead Accounting Technician Haley Butcher, and accounting technicians Jayde Penner, Alicja Boron, and Larissa Teichman. The firm is privately held with no disclosed external investors, funding rounds, or parent entity.

Name

Simplify Accounting

Legal name

Simplify Professional Corporation

Website

https://simplifyaccounting.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Simplify Accounting is a privately held Canadian CPA firm licensed in Alberta and British Columbia, providing fixed-price monthly cloud accounting, tax, and bookkeeping services to small businesses in oil and gas, construction, healthcare, and real estate verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Accounting Services

NAICS

Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211), Other Accounting Services (541219)

akta.pro primary industry

Fixed Assets Accounting (Capitalization, Depreciation, Asset Register) (BPAAAGAF)

Keywords

• Cloud accounting services
• Small business bookkeeping
• Corporate tax preparation
• Personal tax preparation
• Monthly accounting packages

Headquarters

HQ city

Grande Prairie

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Monthly Accounting Plans: Fixed-price monthly subscription plans (The Basics CA$415+, Full Support CA$585+, Higher-Volume CA$1,150+) that include ongoing bookkeeping, corporate tax filings, personal tax filings, GST filings, and salary/dividend tax slips. Revenue is recurring with 30-day cancellation notice.
2. Personal Tax Preparation: One-time tax preparation services for individuals (CA$350+) and couples (CA$485+), with additional charges for complex situations like self-employment income, rental properties, and capital gains
3. Corporate Tax Preparation: One-off corporate year-end services at competitive prices: smaller companies CA$2,200+, advanced/complex CA$4,000+, nil corporate tax returns CA$500+
4. Catch-Up Bookkeeping: One-time bookkeeping services for corporations behind on filings: Basic CA$4,500+ for small one-person companies, Involved CA$6,900+ for small to mid-size companies with high transaction volume
5. Online Courses: Educational courses on bookkeeping and tax topics for sole proprietors and real estate investors sold through Thinkific platform

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Simplify Accounting is a CPA-licensed professional accounting firm that sells fixed-price monthly cloud accounting packages bundling bookkeeping, corporate tax filing, personal tax filing, GST filings, payroll setup, and CPA advisory for small business owners. It also offers standalone one-time services for corporate tax returns, personal tax returns, and catch-up bookkeeping, plus optional audit insurance and online educational courses on bookkeeping and tax topics.

Product overview

Simplify Accounting operates as a cloud-based accounting firm offering an integrated suite of services built around monthly subscription plans. The core offering consists of fixed-price monthly cloud accounting packages (from CA$415-$1,150/month) that bundle ongoing bookkeeping, corporate tax filing (T2), and personal tax filing (T1) services. These services are delivered using Xero accounting software and Hubdoc receipt management tools. The company also offers standalone corporate tax services, personal tax preparation, catch-up bookkeeping, and educational online courses. An optional Audit Insurance add-on provides CRA audit coverage. All services are oriented toward small business owners in oil & gas, construction, healthcare, and real estate sectors in Alberta and British Columbia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Monthly Cloud Accounting Plans

Quantifiable outcome

• Missed transactions could cost over 50% in extra taxes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• XerocoreTechnology or IntegrationXero is the primary cloud accounting software platform used by Simplify Accounting for client bookkeeping, invoicing, bank reconciliation, and financial reporting. Xero provides the core infrastructure for their cloud-based accounting services.
• HubdoccoreTechnology or IntegrationHubdoc is used for receipt imaging and document management, enabling clients to capture receipts via mobile app and store them in the cloud for CRA audit proofing.
• Accountancy Insurance (Audit Shield)coreOthersAudit Shield provides optional audit insurance coverage up to $10,000 for clients to cover professional fees when dealing with CRA audits and reviews. Service is underwritten by Lloyd's of London.
• ThinkificsupportingTechnology or IntegrationThinkific is the online course platform used to deliver educational bookkeeping and tax courses to clients and prospects, including courses for sole proprietors and real estate investors.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Botkeeper: AI/automation-driven bookkeeping platform serving accounting firms and SMBs directly — a potential disruptor that could compress the manual bookkeeping portion of Simplify's monthly plans over time.

Direct peers

• Xendoo: Cloud-based bookkeeping and accounting subscription service for SMBs — a direct model competitor using tiered monthly pricing comparable to Simplify's CA$415–CA$1,150 tier structure.
• Bookkeeper360: Cloud-based bookkeeping and accounting firm for SMBs built on Xero and QuickBooks with subscription plans — shares Simplify's Xero-centric tech stack and SMB-targeting subscription model.
• Bench: Tech-enabled bookkeeping and tax firm for SMBs using a subscription pricing model on a cloud platform — the closest scaled analog to Simplify's fixed-price monthly accounting packages, though operating primarily in the US at materially larger scale.
• Pilot: Subscription-based bookkeeping, tax, and CFO services for startups and SMBs with tiered monthly pricing — directly comparable to Simplify's Higher-Volume bundle of bookkeeping plus tax preparation.
• 1-800Accountant: Virtual accounting, tax, and bookkeeping services for small businesses with a mix of monthly advisory and one-off tax engagements — comparable in service mix (recurring + transactional) to Simplify's monthly plans plus standalone tax work.

Broad incumbents

• KPMG Spark: KPMG's virtual accounting service for SMBs combining cloud bookkeeping with on-demand CPA access — a Big-4 incumbent's SMB-focused offering that overlaps Simplify's cloud-accounting-plus-CPA delivery model at a much larger scale.
• Wave Financial: Cloud accounting platform (owned by H&R Block) targeting very small businesses with self-serve bookkeeping, invoicing, and payments — adjacent competitor addressing a slightly smaller end of the SMB market than Simplify serves.

Regional players

• BDO Canada: Large Canadian accounting and advisory firm with national SMB services — direct competitor for incorporated SMB clients in Alberta and BC that could absorb Simplify's target customers through bundled audit-advisory offerings.
• MNP LLP: Major Canadian accounting firm with deep Western Canadian roots and significant SMB practice — competes with Simplify for Canadian SMB clients in Alberta and BC and represents the closest large-scale regional incumbent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@simplifyaccounting
• Instagraminstagram.com/simplifyaccounting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/simplifyaccounting
• Xx.com/simplifycpa
• Facebookfacebook.com/Simplifyaccounting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Simplify Accounting