Changing Accountants

[Suzie_Homemaker]

1) The first year, we did not need to pay into CPP or EI. This year, we were told that paying into CPP is not an option. In fact, I must pay twice, one for being the employee and once for once for being the employer.

This is correct. But you not really double paying. As employee, you will contribute with your employer based on your earning for that employment time only. Then as a self employed person, you will pay the self-employed rate for the rest of the tax year.
You are still just paying one - year round, just like if you stayed in one job you pay year round.

2) The first year, I was told that told that expenses would carry over, since I paid more to open up then I made that year. This year, I was told that there is no carry over claimable and what is lost is lost.

If you operated at a loss the first part year, then you wouldn't have had to pay tax or CPP because you didn't earn anything for those few short months. But your expenses from last year were your expenses from last year. Just like, if you earn a whack of money in a given financial year, you can't just declare some income and pay tax on only some income and carry the rest over to another time, you can't carry expenses forward either.

3) How much do you pay your accountant approx? Not for book keeping, just straight imputing numbers.

I don't. I wouldn't pay a private surgeon to give me a bed bath - over qualified to the task and over expensive. Much much cheaper to pay for an hour of accountants time, to learn what YOU need to do to input information. That's a one off cost. I wouldn't pay accountant fees for data entry.

4) Approx. on an gross income of $20,000 - $25,000 how much should we be prepared to pay out?

Totally impossible to answer. Basically, you can deduct your allowable expenses from your gross business income to end up with the profit you made. But then, your own personal tax allowances will vary depending on personal situation, married or not, kids or not, student loans or not, single parent or not - it's too variable.
If you save the income from one day care child, whether you have 4 or 6, that should be enough to cover tax, CPP and EI (if you are opting in to paying EI).