The Canadian automation landscape
Over 73% of accounting firms have adopted practice management solutions, with cloud-based systems commanding 68% of the market in 2026. The firms seeing the biggest gains aren't just using one tool—they're building an integrated automation stack.
Typical automation workflow for Canadian firms
Document
Capture
AI
Extraction
Workflow
Automation
Tax
Prep
CRA
Filing
Here are the five tools that form the backbone of most modern Canadian accounting practices:
1. Karbon — Practice management & workflows
Karbon
30,000+ firmsThe leading practice management platform for accounting firms. Combines work management, client communication, and workflow automation in one place.
Key automation features:
-
Auto-assign tasks when work status changes -
Automated client reminders and chasing -
Template-based workflow cloning -
AI-powered email triage
Integrations:
Starting from
$59/user/mo
Average time saved
18.5 hrs/week
Best for
Growing firms (5+ staff)
Canadian advantage: Karbon's 2026 partnership with Ignition and SmartVault creates an integrated ecosystem that works well with Canadian tax deadlines and GIFI requirements.
2. Dext — Document capture & OCR
Dext
700K+ businessesAI-powered document capture that extracts data from receipts, invoices, and bank statements with 99.9% accuracy. The industry standard for receipt processing.
Key automation features:
-
99.9% OCR accuracy on receipts -
Auto-categorization with supplier rules -
Duplicate detection -
Mobile app for client submissions
Capture methods:
Starting from
~$20/client/mo
Documents processed
320M+/year
Best for
High-volume bookkeeping
Canadian advantage: Dext connects to over 11,500 Canadian banks and integrates directly with Xero and QBO. Firms report 3-4x efficiency gains in bookkeeping workflows.
3. Zapier / Make.com — Integration glue
Zapier / Make.com
8,000+ appsThe "glue" that connects your tools together. Create automations between apps that don't have native integrations—no coding required.
Popular automations for CPAs:
-
Send W-9/T4A requests to new vendors -
Create client folders on new signup -
Notify team of new QBO transactions -
Sync invoices to spreadsheets
Comparison:
Starting from
Free tier
Paid plans
~$20-50/mo
Best for
Custom integrations
Start simple
New to automation? Start with Zapier's free tier and a single "Zap"—like auto-creating Google Drive folders when you add a new client in QBO. Expand from there.
4. Ignition — Proposals & billing
Ignition
8,000+ businessesAutomates the entire client engagement process: proposals, e-signatures, engagement letters, and recurring billing. Get paid faster, reduce scope creep.
Key automation features:
-
Proposal to payment in one flow -
Auto-charge on engagement start -
Recurring billing automation -
Late payment reminders
Works with:
Starting from
$99/mo
Payment collected
$5B+
Best for
Client onboarding & billing
Canadian advantage: Supports CAD billing and Canadian payment processors. The Karbon + Ignition integration creates a seamless handoff from signed engagement to work delivery.
5. TaxCycle — Canadian tax with automation
TaxCycle
Made for CanadaThe leading Canadian-built tax software. Handles T1, T2, T3, and slips with deep CRA integration and automation features other platforms can't match.
Key automation features:
-
CRA Auto-fill my return (AFR) -
One-click EFILE -
Quick Fix error resolution -
Xero GIFI import (T2/T1)
Canadian-specific:
Starting from
$400/year
Carryforward from
DT Max, ProFile, etc.
Best for
Tax-focused practices
Canadian advantage: Built specifically for Canadian tax law. The Xero GIFI import pulls financial data directly into T1 (T2125/T776) and T2 returns—no manual mapping required.
Find your automation starting point
Answer a few questions to find which tool should be your first automation investment: