POS, accounting and payroll software for Ontario businesses
Ontario’s 13% HST looks simple until you hit point-of-sale rebates, and its payroll adds EHT, WSIB and the public holiday formula. SeroPOS, SeroBooks and SeroPayroll handle all of it for businesses from Toronto to Thunder Bay.
Ontario, handled by Sero
13% HST in one return
HST is a single harmonized tax filed with the CRA, and SeroBooks tracks collected HST and input tax credits for the return.
Point-of-sale rebates
Set the 8% provincial portion off on qualifying items, such as prepared food and drinks of $4 or less, using a dedicated tax code.
Ontario EHT
SeroPayroll tracks Ontario remuneration for Employer Health Tax so you can see your payroll against the exemption.
WSIB premiums
Insurable earnings are kept per pay run, ready for WSIB reporting and premium calculation.
44-hour overtime
Ontario overtime starts after 44 hours in a week, and averaging agreements can be recorded where they apply.
Public holiday pay
Nine public holidays, each paid by the ESA formula: the prior four work weeks’ wages and vacation pay divided by 20.
One company, one login, three products that share their numbers
SeroPOS
The point of sale built for the rush.
Point of sale for restaurants and retail — tables, kitchen tickets, inventory, loyalty and online ordering on iPad, Android, Windows and Mac.
SeroBooks
The books, the store, the bank. One ledger.
Accounting that runs the whole business — invoicing, inventory, banking, sales tax, payroll and year-end for Canada and the United States.
SeroPayroll
Payroll for every province. Right to the cent.
Canadian payroll for all 13 provinces and territories — CPP, EI, QPP, vacation, stat holidays, remittances, T4s and ROEs.
HST in Ontario, and the rebates that trip people up
Ontario charges 13% HST, made up of a 5% federal part and an 8% provincial part, filed as a single tax with the CRA. That is simpler than the GST-plus-PST provinces, but Ontario gives point-of-sale rebates of the 8% provincial portion on certain items. A cashier charging 13% on a $3 coffee is overcharging.
SeroPOS handles this with item tax codes. A coffee shop sets prepared food and drinks under the $4 threshold to charge 5%, while the same shop’s retail mugs and bags of beans follow their own rules. SeroBooks collects it all in one HST account, tracks input tax credits on purchases, and the Sales Tax Centre produces the figures for your HST return.
- Prepared food and beverages sold for $4 or less: provincial portion rebated
- Children’s clothing, footwear, car seats and diapers: provincial portion rebated
- Printed books: provincial portion rebated
- Most other goods and services: full 13% HST
Ontario payroll: EHT, WSIB and the Health Premium
Ontario’s Employer Health Tax applies to an employer’s total Ontario remuneration. Eligible private-sector employers get an annual exemption on the first $1 million of payroll, so many small businesses owe nothing, but associated companies share the exemption and growing businesses cross it. SeroPayroll tracks EHT among its employer levies and keeps Ontario remuneration ready for the annual return.
WSIB premiums are another employer cost, based on insurable earnings and your rate group. SeroPayroll keeps those earnings per pay run. On the employee side, Ontario income tax includes the Ontario Health Premium, which is withheld through the payroll tax formulas, and SeroPayroll calculates it under the CRA’s T4127 method along with CPP and EI.
Employment Standards Act: hours, overtime and holidays
Under Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, overtime is paid at 1.5 times the regular rate after 44 hours in a work week. There is no daily overtime rule as in BC, and averaging agreements can spread hours over more than one week where the employee agrees in writing. Vacation pay is 4% for under five years of service and 6% from five years.
Ontario has nine public holidays: New Year’s Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The Civic Holiday in August is not a public holiday under the ESA. Public holiday pay equals regular wages plus vacation pay earned in the four work weeks before the holiday, divided by 20, and SeroPayroll applies that formula per employee.
Toronto, Ottawa and the rest of Ontario
Ontario is Canada’s largest small business market, and it is varied: restaurants and bars on Queen West, cafés in Ottawa’s Glebe, convenience stores in Brampton and Mississauga, grocers in Markham, repair shops in London and wholesalers in Vaughan and Hamilton. SeroPOS serves the restaurant and retail counters; SeroBooks takes the wholesale, inventory and e-commerce books; SeroPayroll pays the staff.
Sero is based in British Columbia and serves Ontario remotely, with no Ontario office. Support is by phone, email and in-app chat. Many Ontario businesses arrive from QuickBooks Desktop, and SeroBooks imports QuickBooks Desktop data with a dry run first, then keeps the familiar desktop-style menus so the bookkeeper is not starting over.
What it costs in Ontario
Prices are in US dollars and every product has a 14-day free trial. SeroPOS is $29.99 a month on Standard or $49.99 on Pro. SeroBooks starts at $79.99 a month, with Pro at $300 adding payroll, forecasting, job costing and the audit trail. SeroPayroll on its own starts at $25 a month for up to 10 employees.
Multi-location Ontario operators can add locations at $100 a month each on SeroPOS or SeroBooks. Accountants and bookkeepers get free practice seats in SeroBooks, and SeroPayroll has an accountant plan covering unlimited companies and employees for $1,200 a year. Employees who are only paid, and never log in, do not need an admin login on any SeroPayroll plan.
Frequently asked questions
What is the HST rate in Ontario?
Ontario’s HST is 13%: 5% federal and 8% provincial, filed as one tax with the CRA. Some items qualify for a point-of-sale rebate of the 8% provincial portion, including prepared food and drinks sold for $4 or less, children’s clothing and printed books. SeroPOS handles these with item tax codes.
Do I have to pay Ontario EHT?
Employer Health Tax applies to total Ontario remuneration. Eligible private-sector employers are exempt on the first $1 million of annual payroll, and associated employers must share that exemption. SeroPayroll tracks Ontario remuneration as an employer levy so you can see where you stand.
When does overtime start in Ontario?
Ontario pays overtime at 1.5 times the regular rate after 44 hours in a work week. There is no daily overtime threshold under the ESA, though an averaging agreement can change how hours are counted. SeroPayroll applies the 44-hour rule from timesheets or the time clock.
Is the August Civic Holiday a paid holiday in Ontario?
Not under the Employment Standards Act. Ontario’s nine public holidays are New Year’s Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Boxing Day. Many employers give the Civic Holiday by policy, and you can add it as a company holiday in SeroPayroll.
Can I move my Ontario business off QuickBooks Desktop?
Yes. SeroBooks imports QuickBooks Desktop data with a dry run so you can check balances before committing, and its workspace keeps familiar desktop-style menus. Sero has verified a $0.00 variance against a live seller’s QuickBooks Desktop file during migration. The original file stays untouched.