eTaxBC help guide for third-party accountants and bookkeepers

If you are an accountant or bookkeeper that has permission to file or pay your clients’ taxes, you may use eTaxBC as an effective tool to file or pay on their behalf.

To get started in eTaxBC, you must first get direct access or enrol for third-party access to eTaxBC.

Once you have access, you can:

• Request access to your client’s account if you have a third-party account
• Manage your clients’ return
• Manage payments on behalf of your clients
• Manage account access 

Request access to your clients' eTaxBC accounts

If you have a third-party eTaxBC account, you can send a request to access your clients’ account to file and/or pay on their behalf. Your client(s) must already have an eTaxBC account before you send the request.

To request access:

1. Log on to your eTaxBC account
2. Select Manage My Profile
3. Select More...
4. Select Request Access to Clients' Account under the Access Management panel
5. Select your client's account type from the drop down list and enter your client's account information
6. Select the Access Level you are requesting:
   • File Returns - You can only file returns on behalf of your client
   • File Returns and Make Payments - You can file returns and make payments on behalf of your client
   • Make Payments - You can only make payments on behalf of your client
   • View - You can only view your client's account
7. Select Next
8. Select Submit

You will need to complete steps 3 to 7 for each account for each client. This process sends a request to your client's eTaxBC account and an email to your client informing them of your request.

Once you have requested access, your client can log on to their account to change your access level (if desired) and approve or deny your request. You will receive an email when your client responds to your request.

Manage your clients' returns

If you enrolled for third-party eTaxBC access and have been granted access to your clients’ accounts, you will see your clients listed under Individuals and Businesses when you first log on. Select a client to see their accounts that you have access to.

The balance showing under the Alerts header at the top of the Home page is the total of all balances outstanding on all accounts you have access to. When you select a business, it will show the outstanding balance for all accounts you have access to for that business. When you select a specific account, it will show the outstanding balance for that account.

Learn how to:

• File your clients’ return
• Change your clients’ return
• Cancel your clients’ return

File your clients' returns

To file a return for a client:

1. Log on to your eTaxBC account
2. Select your client from the list of individuals and businesses you have access to
3. Select the appropriate account
4. Select File Return for the return you wish to file
5. Fill out the return form. If there is no PST collected, select Yes beside Is this a NIL return?
6. Select Submit

Change your clients' return

If your clients’ return has already been submitted, you can still make changes, including filing a Nil return. To change a return:

1. Log on to your eTaxBC account
2. Select your client from the list of individuals and businesses you have access to
3. Select the View Account for the appropriate account
4. Select View or Amend Return for the return you want to change
5. Select Amend
6. Make your changes
7. In the Reason for Amendment box, explain why you are changing the return
8. Select Submit

Cancel your clients' return

You can only cancel a return if it has a Submitted status. To cancel a return:

1. Log on to your eTaxBC account
2. Select your client from the list of individuals and businesses you have access to
3. Select View Account for the appropriate account
4. Select View Submission for the return you want to change
5. Select Withdraw
6. Select Yes to confirm
7. Select OK

If you cancel the return, you will need to file the return again.

Manage payments on behalf of your clients

You must have Make Payment or File Return and Make Payment access to your client's account if you want to make a payment on their behalf using eTaxBC.

Learn how to

• Set up a payment channel for your client
• Make a payment on your clients’ behalf
• Cancel a payment 

Set up your clients' payment channel

To set up a payment channel for your client:

1. Log on to your eTaxBC account
2. Select Manage My Profile
3. Select the More... tab
4. Select Manage Payment Channels under the Payment Channels panel
5. Select Setup new payment channel under the client you wish to add one for
6. Fill in the bank account information
7. Select Yes to agree to the terms and conditions of the Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD) Agreement
8. Select Save

 Make payments on your clients' behalf

You can make a payment in eTaxBC when you file a return or separately at a later time. Payments can only be made through Canadian Financial Institutions. You must add a payment channel (bank account information) to your client’s account if you don’t have one yet. Credit card payments are not accepted.

When you make a payment in eTaxBC, the payment will be effective on the date you enter as the Payment Date. For example, if you submit a payment on the due date before midnight Pacific Standard Time, your payment will be considered on time, even though we may not process it until the next day.

You can pay:

• A specific period
• An account payment 

Pay a specific period

When you pay a specific period, the payment is applied to debt on that period first, even if there is older debt owing on the account.

To pay a specific period:

1. Log on to your eTaxBC account
2. Select your client from the list of individuals and businesses you have access to
3. Select View Account for the appropriate account
4. Select the Periods tab
5. Select Make Payment beside the period you are paying. Note: If a return is required for the period, you must file the return before you will see the Make Payment link. To make a payment without filing a return, see account payments
6. Confirm the payment channel (bank account information). If you’re adding a new payment channel, you’ll need to agree to the Pre-Authorized Debit Agreement before you can submit the payment. To do this, select Yes at the bottom of the agreement
7. Confirm the Payment Date. This is the date the payment will be applied to the account
8. Confirm the amount of your payment
9. Select Yes to authorize the payment
10. Select Submit

The payment will have a status of Submitted until we send the request to your client’s financial institution. This usually takes one business day. However, it may take up to 5 business days for the payment to be transferred from your client’s bank account, especially if this is your first time making your client’s payment on eTaxBC. Payments made are not guaranteed until the amount is debited from their account. If a payment fails it may result in a dishonoured payment fee.

If you post-date the payment, it will remain in a Submitted status until that date.

Account payment

You can make an account payment for any amount. The payment is automatically applied to the oldest debts first.

To make an account payment:

1. Log on to your eTaxBC account
2. Select your client from the list of individuals and businesses you have access to
3. Select View Account for the appropriate account
4. Select Make a Payment
5. Confirm the payment channel (bank account information). If you’re adding a new payment channel, you’ll need to agree to the Pre-Authorized Debit Agreement before you can submit the payment. To do this, select Yes at the bottom of the agreement
6. Confirm the Payment Date. This is the date the payment will be applied to the account
7. Enter the payment amount
8. Select Yes to authorize the payment
9. Select Submit

The payment will have a status of Submitted until we send the request to your client’s financial institution. This usually takes one business day. However, it may take up to 5 business days for the payment to be transferred from your client’s bank account, especially if this is your first time making your client’s payment on eTaxBC. Payments made are not guaranteed until the amount is debited from your account. If a payment fails it may result in a dishonoured payment fee.

If you post-date the payment, it will remain in a Submitted status until that date.

Cancel a payment you made on your clients’ behalf

You can cancel a payment in eTaxBC if it has a status of Submitted and is not showing as Processing in the payment details screen. Requests are processed every evening or on the date you specified for the payment. Once the payment has been processed, you’ll need to contact your client’s financial institution for assistance.

1. Log on to your eTaxBC account
2. Select More... 
3. Select Search Submissions under the Submissions panel
4. Select the payment you want to cancel
5. Under More..., select Cancel Payment
6. Select Yes to confirm

Manage account access

Learn how to:

• Add employees to your eTaxBC account
• Cancel access to a client’s eTaxBC account
• Close a client’s account temporarily or permanently 

Add employees to your eTaxBC account

You can give your employees access to your eTaxBC account so they can view, file or make payments for your clients. To give your employee access:

1. Log on to your eTaxBC account
2. Select Manage My Profile
3. Select More...
4. Select Manage Additional Logons under the Other Users panel
5. Select the Add button
6. Complete the required fields
7. Select Next
8. Select the Type of Access you wish to give your employee to your business:
   • Full Access - Can manage other logon and third-party accesses, as well as change entity information
   • Account Manager - Can only manage account information on accounts they are granted access to
9. Select Grant Access beside any of the accounts you wish to provide the logon access to, then select the type of access from the drop down box:
   • File Returns - You can only file returns on behalf of your client
   • File Returns and Make Payments - You can file returns and make payments on behalf of your client
   • Make Payments - You can only make payments on behalf of your client
   • View - You can only view your client's account
10. Select Submit
11. Select OK

An email is sent to this person with further instructions. The link in the email must be used within 24 hours. If the link is not used within 24 hours, you can “Resend logon access email” from within your account. Your client(s) will be notified that a new logon has been given access to their account(s).

Cancel access to a client's eTaxBC account

If you no longer need access to a client's eTaxBC account, you can remove the account:

1. Log on to your eTaxBC account
2. Select Manage My Profile
3. Select More...
4. Select Manage My Access under the Access Management panel
5. Select Third-Party beside the Access Type of the business you want to remove your access to
6. Select Cancel My Access
7. Select OK

Close a client's account temporarily or permanently

You can close your client's account permanently or temporarily if you have access to file or pay returns for their account. You may want to close your client's account if they

• Close or sell the business
• Temporarily close the business
• Change the business so its activities are no longer taxable

To close a client’s account:

1. Log on to your eTaxBC account
2. Select your client from the list of individuals and businesses you have access to
3. Select View Account for the appropriate account
4. Select Close This Account
5. Complete the form
6. Select Submit