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A simple, step-by-step guide to bringing people on board the right way using WagePoint.
You're builders, not accountants. WagePoint lets you pay people properly without learning tax law.
WagePoint does the math for you. Every time you pay someone, the government takes a cut for CPP (Canada Pension Plan), EI (Employment Insurance), and income tax. Figuring out the right amounts is a headache. WagePoint calculates all of it automatically.
It files your paperwork with CRA. CRA is the Canada Revenue Agency — the tax people. Every month, you owe them the deductions from your employees' pay. WagePoint sends the money and files the forms for you. You don't have to think about it.
It costs about $20/month plus $4 per employee per pay run. That's it. No hidden fees. No surprises.
Think of it like having a payroll accountant on autopilot. It does everything a $200/month accountant would do — but for a fraction of the price and without any back-and-forth emails.
What about hiring an accountant for payroll? Most charge $150–$300/month. That's fine if you want someone to talk to. But WagePoint does the same work for $44/month. Save the accountant for your year-end taxes.
Before your first employee starts work, you need these accounts ready to go. Do this now so you're not scrambling later.
This is your account with the government for sending employee tax deductions. You might already have one. If not, register at canada.ca/business. It takes 5–10 business days to get set up, so don't wait.
Think of it like a mailbox where you send the government their share of your employees' pay. You need the mailbox before you can send anything.
You already have this from when you incorporated. It's the 9-digit number CRA uses to identify your business. You'll need it when setting up your payroll account. Check your incorporation papers if you can't remember it.
You need this BEFORE anyone starts work. WCB stands for Workers' Compensation Board. It's insurance that covers your employees if they get hurt on the job. In Alberta, it's mandatory for construction. No exceptions.
Sign up at wcb.ab.ca. You'll pay a rate based on your payroll — usually $2–$5 for every $100 you pay in wages.
Sign up at wagepoint.com. Connect your business bank account so WagePoint can pull money for payroll and send it to your employees via direct deposit. The setup takes about 15 minutes.
Collect all of this on their first day, or even before. Every item has a reason.
Exactly as it appears on their government ID. This goes on their tax forms. Nicknames don't count.
This is the 9-digit number every Canadian has. CRA uses it to track their income tax. You're legally required to collect it. Keep it safe — never email it.
Needed for CRA records and for calculating CPP contributions (they start at age 18).
Goes on their T4 slip at the end of the year. Make sure it's their current address.
This form tells you how much income tax to hold back from their pay. They fill it out, you keep it on file. It's one page. You can download it from the CRA website. Most people just check the "basic personal amount" box and sign it.
Same idea as the federal one, but for Alberta provincial tax. Also one page. They fill it out at the same time as the federal one.
You need three numbers: institution number (3 digits), transit number (5 digits), and account number. These are on the bottom of their cheques, or they can get a direct deposit form from their bank.
This confirms their bank info is correct. A void cheque is a blank cheque with "VOID" written on it. If they don't have cheques, their bank can print a direct deposit form for free.
Name and phone number of someone to call if they get hurt. You're in construction — this matters.
A simple document that says what they're getting paid, their hours, their role, and that either side can end the job with notice. Always get this signed before they start work.
Once you have all their paperwork, this takes about 10 minutes. Here's every step.
Go to wagepoint.com and sign in with your account.
You'll find this in the Employees section. Hit the button and a form pops up.
Full legal name, SIN, home address, and date of birth. Use exactly what's on their paperwork.
Hourly or salary — whatever you agreed on. For construction, hourly is most common. Enter the dollar amount per hour.
Institution number, transit number, and account number. This is how they get paid via direct deposit.
Upload their TD1 forms or type in the claim amounts. Most people claim the basic personal amount — WagePoint will walk you through it.
Every 2 weeks is standard for construction. Pick your pay period and payday. WagePoint will remind you when it's time to run payroll.
WagePoint handles everything from here. You just enter their hours each pay period and click a button.
This is what you'll do every two weeks. It's simple once you've done it once.
WagePoint sends you a reminder. Log in a couple days before payday so the money has time to transfer.
Type in how many hours each person worked this pay period. If someone is on salary, just confirm it.
One button. That's it. WagePoint does the rest.
Gross pay (their total before deductions), CPP (pension), EI (employment insurance), income tax, and net pay (what hits their bank account). You'll see a clear breakdown before it sends.
WagePoint pulls the money from your business account and deposits it into each employee's account. Automatic.
WagePoint sends the deductions to CRA for you. No extra steps. No forms to fill out.
WagePoint creates a pay stub for each employee. You can share these digitally. Employees can see exactly what they earned and what was deducted.
Think of it like online banking. You log in, type a few numbers, hit confirm, and the money moves. The hard part (tax math, government forms) happens behind the scenes.
Here's every job WagePoint does so you don't have to. This is what you're paying $20/month for.
Calculates both the employee's share and your share as the employer. Yes, you pay a portion too.
Employment Insurance. Employees pay a portion, and you pay 1.4x what they pay. WagePoint handles the math.
Takes the right amount of federal and provincial tax off each paycheque based on their TD1 forms.
Every February, employees need a T4 showing what they earned. WagePoint creates these automatically.
When someone leaves or gets laid off, you need to file an ROE. WagePoint creates it and files it with Service Canada.
The money you owe CRA from each pay run gets sent and reported on time. No late fees. No paperwork.
Every pay run generates a clean pay stub for each employee. Shows gross pay, every deduction, and net pay. Professional and clear.
No surprises. Here's what you'll actually pay.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| WagePoint base fee | ~$20/month | Covers the platform, CRA filing, and support |
| Per employee, per pay run | $4 | Each time you run payroll for that person |
| WCB Alberta | ~$2–$5 per $100 of payroll | Rate depends on your industry code (construction is higher) |
WagePoint
$44/month
$20 base + (3 x $4 x 2 pay runs)
Accountant (same work)
$150–$300/month
Typical payroll accountant fees
You save $100–$250/month compared to hiring an accountant for payroll. That's $1,200–$3,000 a year back in your pocket.
These are the things that get small construction companies in trouble. Don't learn these the hard way.
CRA audits construction companies more than almost any other industry. They know it's common. If they catch you, the fines include back taxes, penalties, and interest — often tens of thousands of dollars. It's not worth the risk.
If someone gets hurt on your job site and you don't have WCB, you pay their medical bills. All of them. A broken leg, a back injury, surgery — that's your bill. Plus fines from WCB for not being registered. Register before anyone starts work.
Every month (or every pay period for larger amounts), the deductions from your employees' pay need to go to CRA. WagePoint does this for you. But if you were doing it yourself, late remittances get hit with a 10% penalty plus interest. It adds up fast.
This is a big one. If you set their hours, give them tools, and tell them how to do the work — they're an employee, not a subcontractor. CRA cares about this a lot. Getting it wrong means you owe back CPP, EI, and penalties. See Section 9 below.
CRA looks at the real relationship, not what you call it on paper. Here's how to tell which is which.
Think of it this way: if you hire a plumber to rough-in a basement, they show up with their own van and tools, do the work their way, and send you a bill — that's a subcontractor. If you hire someone to show up at 7am every day, use your tools, and do whatever you tell them — that's an employee.
The bottom line: If CRA decides someone you called a "subcontractor" was actually an employee, you'll owe all the CPP, EI, and tax you should have deducted — plus penalties. When in doubt, treat them as an employee.
Check these off one by one. When they're all done, you're officially an employer.
CRA payroll account set up — registered at canada.ca/business and received your RP number
WCB Alberta account active — registered at wcb.ab.ca before anyone starts work
WagePoint account created and bank connected — signed up and linked your business bank account
Employee's SIN, TD1 forms, and bank info collected — all paperwork from Section 3 gathered
Employment agreement signed — pay rate, hours, and role all agreed on paper
Employee added to WagePoint — all their info entered, pay schedule set
First payroll run successfully — hours entered, payroll run, money deposited
Pat yourself on the back — you're a real employer now. Seriously. This is a big step.