Canada Small Business Hub — connector documentation

MCP endpoint: https://ca-smb.connectorbay.com/mcp
REST API: POST https://ca-smb.connectorbay.com/v1/tools/{tool_name}, described by the OpenAPI 3.1 spec at https://ca-smb.connectorbay.com/openapi.json
Transport: Streamable HTTP, stateless, MCP specification 2025-06-18 or later
Authentication: none required. An optional Authorization: Bearer <key> raises rate limits.
Health: https://ca-smb.connectorbay.com/health · Tool schemas: https://ca-smb.connectorbay.com/tools.json
Publisher: Unify Dynamics LLC · connectorbay.com/ca-smb · agent@connectorbay.com

What Canada Small Business Hub is for

The one connector to add for a small business in Canada. It fronts the best tools of twenty-one Canada connectors (filing calendar, GST/HST/PST/QST rates and thresholds, quick method, CRA prescribed interest, CPP/EI/QPP/QPIP payroll rates, Quebec employer costs and French-language duties, minimum wage, Ontario and BC Employer Health Tax, workers' compensation premium rates, vehicle expense limits, business number tools, registry guide, anti-spam rules, invoice requirements, federal tenders and award notices, funding programs, Bank of Canada daily exchange rates, CIPO trademark fees) and composes them into ten tools that answer what an owner really asks: what is due (monday_brief, whats_due), what changed (whats_changing), am I over the line (am_i_over_the_line), what does a first hire cost (first_hire_costs), is this invoice ready (invoice_ready), which federal tenders fit and what similar contracts awarded (grow_with_bids), can I trust this supplier's number (supplier_check), what funding fits (funding_check) and what does a late payment cost (late_payment_cost). Answers are compact by default: each source once in sources, repeated caveats once in common_caveats, every item with its own status, as_of and verification; anything that could not be checked is listed in not_checked and anything the hub has no connector for (for example Revenu Quebec's own filings, provincial sales tax return dates or the workers' compensation rates of other provinces) in not_covered. The owner's profile is passed on every call and never stored. Read-only: it never files, pays, registers or sends. Outils en français pour le Québec : RRQ, RQAP, FSS, TPS/TVQ, francisation. General information only, not tax, legal or payroll advice; not affiliated with or endorsed by any government body or by any platform.

Ask your assistant things like:

"Every Monday morning tell me what is due in the next two weeks for my Ontario corporation with 3 employees and what changed."
"Chaque lundi matin, dites-moi ce qui est à payer ou à produire dans les deux prochaines semaines pour mon entreprise au Québec, et ce qui a changé."
"What GST/HST, payroll remittance, T4 and Employer Health Tax dates do I have in the next 30 days? I file quarterly and I am a regular remitter."
"My taxable sales were 9,000, 11,000, 12,000 and 9,500 in the last four quarters and my Ontario payroll is 1.4 million: am I over the small supplier line or the Employer Health Tax exemption, and would the quick method suit me?"
"What does my first employee at 60,000 a year cost me in CPP, EI, Employer Health Tax and workers' compensation, and is 22.50 an hour above the minimum wage?"
"Check the invoice my accounting app drafted: prepare the tax lines and footer for a 2,400 invoice to a customer in Quebec and tell me what the buyer needs for an input tax credit."
"Which federal tenders for snow removal close in the next two weeks, and what did similar contracts award for?"
"A supplier on my unpaid bills gave me GST/HST number 123456789RT0001: does it have the right shape, how do I confirm it, and has the company won federal contracts?"
"I am an Ontario business with 850,000 in revenue and want a 150,000 term loan: does it fit the Canada Small Business Financing Program, and what export funding exists?"
"My GST/HST remittance of 12,000 was due on 15 July and I pay on 30 September: what interest does that add?"

What it does

monday_brief: The scheduled one: an ordered, read-out-loud list of what is due in the next N days and what changes, from the filing calendar, minimum-wage, payroll-rate and sales-tax components, with next_run_hint. Each item's status says whether the rule applies today: in_force does; enacted_not_in_force, announced (a date the publisher states, no enactment read), proposed and expected_amount_unpublished do not yet, so a scheduler reading status treats announced like enacted_not_in_force
whats_due: Every filing and payment due in the next N days for the profile: GST/HST returns, payroll remittances, T4/T4A, T2, instalments, BC Employer Health Tax, annual returns, with rollover and the reason each item appears.
whats_changing: Dated changes that affect the profile: minimum wage increases, CPP/EI/QPP/QPIP parameter changes with their status (proposed, enacted, in force), provincial sales tax rate news, and changes that took effect recently. Each item's status says whether the rule applies today: in_force does; enacted_not_in_force, announced (a date the publisher states, no enactment read), proposed and expected_amount_unpublished do not yet, so a scheduler reading status treats announced like enacted_not_in_force
am_i_over_the_line: Thresholds in one answer: GST/HST small-supplier 30,000 test (with the Revenu Quebec version for QC, TPS/TVQ), quick method limit, assigned reporting period, run-rate watch, and the Quebec 25-person francisation threshold.
first_hire_costs: What the first employee adds: employer CPP/CPP2/EI (or RRQ, RQAP, EI, labour standards and FSS in Quebec), the minimum wage check, BC Employer Health Tax bands, and the first payroll dates.
invoice_ready: Everything an invoice needs in one answer: GST/HST/PST/QST lines for the province and date, the fields the buyer needs for an input tax credit, a check of a draft invoice, the registration number shape and a footer (en or fr).
grow_with_bids: Federal tenders on CanadaBuys that close soon or were published recently, matched to your keywords, UNSPSC prefixes and the profile's province, with the value of past awards for the same keywords, read live from the official open-data files.
supplier_check: Checks before dealing with a supplier or customer: the shape of its business number and how the CRA says a GST/HST account number is confirmed, federal awards under a similar name (potential matches only), and the register to consult for its province; nothing is looked up about a person and no result says a supplier is clear.
funding_check: What funding to look at for the profile: a pre-check against the published Canada Small Business Financing Program limits, matching programs of the open Business Benefits Finder dataset for the province and federally, and the CanExport SMEs intake note for exporters; pre-screens for information, lenders and programs decide. Each matching program item has status listed_in_dataset: the program appears in the open dataset, which carries no deadline, status or eligibility field, so it is not a rule, an offer or an eligibility result today and the program's own page decides (a scheduler reading status treats it like any status other than in_force).
late_payment_cost: What a late payment to the CRA costs in prescribed interest: each quarter's published rate applied to the days overdue, daily compounding (stated by the CRA for GST/HST, payroll and corporate income tax amounts, named in amount_kind, which is required; other kinds are not covered) shown next to simple interest; estimate only, penalties are not included.
tax_get_sales_tax_rates: GST, HST, PST, RST or QST rates that apply in a province or territory on a date, with source, verification level and caveats.
tax_extract_tax_from_total: Back the tax out of a tax-included total for a province and date and split it into subtotal, GST/HST and PST/QST that add up to the total.
dates_classify_remitter: Payroll remitter type from the average monthly withholding amount (quarterly, regular, accelerated threshold 1 or 2).
dates_gst_hst_due: GST/HST return and payment date for a reporting period end or fiscal year end and filer type.
payroll_cpp_contribution: Employee and employer CPP for one pay period from pensionable earnings and year-to-date contributions (outside Quebec).
payroll_ei_premium: EI employee premium and employer 1.4 times amount for one pay period, federal or Quebec rate.
payroll_qpp_contribution: Quebec Pension Plan base, first additional and second additional contribution for one pay period.
payroll_qpip_premium: QPIP employee and employer premiums for one pay period with the year's maximum insurable earnings.
minimum_wage: General hourly minimum wage of a province or the federal rate on a date, with effective date, next scheduled change and source.
check_hourly_rate: Test an hourly pay rate against the general minimum wage of a province on a date and show any shortfall.
gst_registration_deadline: When registration takes effect and the 29-day application window after the threshold is crossed in one quarter or over four quarters.
casl_consent_basis_check: Classify a consent basis as express or implied and test whether it covers a message on a date.
bids_search_open_tenders: Search the open federal tender notices by keyword, UNSPSC or GSIN code, region, category and closing window.
quickm_compare_regular_vs_quick: Side by side: regular GST/HST net tax (tax collected less input tax credits) against the quick method remittance for the same sales and the purchases entered.
vehicle_allowance_for_km: Tax-exempt per-kilometre allowance for the kilometres driven in a year: first 5,000 km at the higher rate, the rest at the lower rate, provinces or territories, 2025 or 2026.
boc_convert_amount: Convert an amount between CAD and a listed currency, or between two listed currencies through CAD, with the rate date.
tm_filing_fee: Compute the CIPO application fee for N classes, online or by other means, for a date in 2026 or 2027, with the other method's total for comparison.
eht_ontario_estimate: Ontario employer health tax for a calendar year from total Ontario remuneration: exemption test with the $5 million rule, rate band and tax.
eht_bc_liability: British Columbia employer health tax for a calendar year from total B.C. remuneration: exempt band, reduced-rate band (5.85%) or full rate (1.95%).
wcb_wsib_class_rate: WSIB 2026 premium rate per $100 for a rate class (A to P subclasses and rate group 755), or a text search of class descriptions.

Data sources

Reference data from official sources (canadabuys.canada.ca, open.canada.ca, donnees-data.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca, www.bankofcanada.ca); every answer states its source, date and validity period. The live reads are in the Privacy Policy: only the minimum lookup value (a currency pair and a date window for the Bank of Canada; nothing for the file downloads) leaves our server.

What it is not

Canada Small Business Hub is independent; not affiliated with, endorsed by or operated by any government body, central bank, standards body or scheme operator. Names of rails, schemes and standards are used only to say what a tool works with. It is read-only: it never sends, pays, files or signs anything for you, and it never looks up private individuals.

Not advice. General information only, not legal, tax, accounting or payment advice. Canada Small Business Hub is an independent tool: it is not affiliated with, endorsed by or operated by any government body, central bank, standards body or scheme operator. Rates, thresholds and rules change; check the cited official source and confirm with a qualified professional before you rely on a result.

Built for: Canada. Languages: English.

Tools

Look up & validate

check_hourly_rate — Test an hourly pay rate against the general minimum wage of a province on a date and show any shortfall per hour. Use for "Is $17.75 an hour legal in Ontario on October 1, 2026?". Args: province, hourly_rate, on_date, federally_regulated.

Reference & guides

monday_brief — The scheduled one: an ordered, read-out-loud list of what is due in the next N days and what changes, from the filing calendar, minimum-wage, payroll-rate and sales-tax components (plus CIPO's trademark fee adjustment for a profile with plans_trademark_filing), with next_run_hint. Each item's status says whether the rule applies today: in_force does; enacted_not_in_force, announced (a date the publisher states, no enactment read), proposed and expected_amount_unpublished do not yet, so a scheduler reading status treats announced like enacted_not_in_force. Use for "Every Monday morning tell me what is due in the next two weeks for my Ontario corporation with 3 employees and what changed", "Chaque lundi matin, dites-moi ce qui est à payer ou à produire dans les deux prochaines semaines pour mon entreprise au Québec, et ce qui a changé". Args: profile, on_date, horizon_days, extra_holidays, check_live_rates, verbose.

whats_due — Every filing and payment due in the next N days for the profile: GST/HST returns, payroll remittances, T4/T4A, T2, instalments, Ontario and BC Employer Health Tax, annual returns, with rollover and the reason each item appears. Use for "What GST/HST, payroll remittance and T4 dates do I have in the next 30 days? I file quarterly and I am a regular remitter", "Chaque lundi matin, dites-moi ce qui est à payer ou à produire dans les deux prochaines semaines pour mon entreprise au Québec, et ce qui a changé". Args: profile, on_date, horizon_days, extra_holidays, verbose.

whats_changing — Dated changes that affect the profile: minimum wage increases, CPP/EI/QPP/QPIP parameter changes with their status (proposed, enacted, in force), provincial sales tax rate news, CRA prescribed interest rate changes, the CIPO trademark fee adjustment for a profile with plans_trademark_filing, and changes that took effect recently. Each item's status says whether the rule applies today: in_force does; enacted_not_in_force, announced (a date the publisher states, no enactment read), proposed and expected_amount_unpublished do not yet, so a scheduler reading status treats announced like enacted_not_in_force. Use for "Which minimum wages, payroll rates or sales tax rates change in the next 90 days for my Nova Scotia business". Args: profile, on_date, horizon_days, lookback_days, check_live_rates, verbose.

am_i_over_the_line — Thresholds in one answer: GST/HST small-supplier 30,000 test (with the Revenu Quebec version for QC, TPS/TVQ), quick method limit, assigned reporting period, run-rate watch, and the Quebec 25-person francisation threshold. Use for "My taxable sales were 9,000, 11,000, 12,000 and 9,500 in the last four quarters: am I over the small supplier line, and can I use the quick method". Args: profile, quarters, latest_quarter_end, current_quarter_to_date, on_date, verbose.

first_hire_costs — What the first employee adds: employer CPP/CPP2/EI (or RRQ, RQAP, EI, labour standards and FSS in Quebec), the minimum wage check, Ontario or BC Employer Health Tax, the workers' compensation average rate (Ontario, BC) and the first payroll dates. Use for "What does my first employee at 60,000 a year cost me in CPP and EI, and is 22.50 an hour above the minimum wage in Alberta", "Combien coûte un premier employé à 55 000 $ par année au Québec (RRQ, RQAP, assurance-emploi, normes du travail, FSS)". Args: profile, annual_earnings, pay_periods_per_year, hourly_rate, sector, year, on_date, verbose.

invoice_ready — Everything an invoice needs in one answer: GST/HST/PST/QST lines for the province and date, the fields the buyer needs for an input tax credit, a check of a draft invoice, the registration number shape and a footer (en or fr). Use for "Prepare the tax lines and footer for a 2,400 invoice to a customer in Quebec and check the invoice has what the buyer needs". Args: profile, subtotal, registration_number, invoice, language, on_date, verbose.

grow_with_bids — Federal tenders on CanadaBuys that close soon or were published recently, matched to your keywords, UNSPSC prefixes and the profile's province, with the value of past awards for the same keywords, read live from the official open-data files. Use for "Which federal tenders for snow removal close in the next two weeks, and which are new this week". Args: profile, keywords, unspsc, closing_within_days, published_within_days, limit, all_regions, award_context, on_date, verbose.

supplier_check — Checks before dealing with a supplier or customer: the shape of its business number and how the CRA says a GST/HST account number is confirmed, federal awards under a similar name (potential matches only), and the register to consult for its province; nothing is looked up about a person and no result says a supplier is clear. Use for "My new supplier gave me GST/HST number 123456789RT0001: does it have the right shape and how do I confirm it", "Has Northern Lights Cleaning won federal contracts and where do I check its registration in Ontario". Args: profile, bn, supplier_name, supplier_province, incorporated_under, on_date, verbose.

funding_check — What funding to look at for the profile: a pre-check against the published Canada Small Business Financing Program limits, matching programs of the open Business Benefits Finder dataset for the province and federally, and the CanExport SMEs intake note for exporters; pre-screens for information, lenders and programs decide. Each matching program item has status listed_in_dataset: the program appears in the open dataset, which carries no deadline, status or eligibility field, so it is not a rule, an offer or an eligibility result today and the program's own page decides (a scheduler reading status treats it like any status other than in_force). Use for "I am an Ontario business with 850,000 in revenue and want a 150,000 term loan: does it fit the small business financing program, and what export funding exists". Args: profile, need, query, loan_type, loan_amount, limit, on_date, verbose.

late_payment_cost — What a late payment to the CRA costs in prescribed interest: each quarter's published rate applied to the days overdue, daily compounding (stated by the CRA for GST/HST, payroll and corporate income tax amounts, named in amount_kind, which is required; other kinds are not covered) shown next to simple interest; estimate only, penalties are not included. Use for "My GST/HST remittance of 12,000 was due on 15 July and I pay on 30 September: what interest does that add". Args: amount, start_date, end_date, rate_type, method, amount_kind, profile, on_date, verbose.

tax_get_sales_tax_rates — GST, HST, PST, RST or QST rates that apply in a province or territory on a date, with source, verification level and caveats. Use for "What sales taxes apply to a sale in Nova Scotia today?". Args: province, on_date.

tax_extract_tax_from_total — Back the tax out of a tax-included total for a province and date and split it into subtotal, GST/HST and PST/QST that add up to the total. Use for "A Quebec customer paid 114.98 all-in: how much of it was GST and QST?". Args: total, province, on_date, scope.

dates_classify_remitter — Payroll remitter type from the average monthly withholding amount (quarterly, regular, accelerated threshold 1 or 2). Use for "My average monthly withholding two years ago was 4,200: which remitter type am I?". Args: average_monthly_withholding, account_age_months, perfect_compliance_record.

dates_gst_hst_due — GST/HST return and payment date for a reporting period end or fiscal year end and filer type. Use for "When is my GST/HST return for the quarter ending 30 September 2026 due?". Args: filer_type, period_end, extra_holidays.

payroll_cpp_contribution — Employee and employer Canada Pension Plan contribution for one pay period from pensionable earnings and year-to-date contributions (outside Quebec). Use for "What CPP do I deduct and match on a $2,500 biweekly paycheque in 2026?". Args: pensionable_earnings, pay_periods_per_year, year, ytd_contributions.

payroll_ei_premium — Employment Insurance employee premium and the employer amount (1.4 times) for one pay period, at the federal or the reduced Quebec rate. Use for "How much EI do I withhold and owe on top for a $2,500 paycheque, and does Quebec differ?". Args: insurable_earnings, region, year, ytd_employee_premiums.

payroll_qpp_contribution — Quebec Pension Plan contribution for one pay period: base plus first additional at 6.30% (2026) and the second additional 4% above the maximum pensionable earnings. Use for "What QPP do I withhold and match on a $3,000 monthly salary in Quebec in 2026?". Args: pensionable_earnings, pay_periods_per_year, year, ytd_contributions, ytd_pensionable_earnings, ytd_second_additional.

payroll_qpip_premium — Quebec Parental Insurance Plan employee and employer premiums for one pay period with the year's maximum insurable earnings. Use for "How much QPIP do I withhold and owe on a $2,500 Quebec paycheque in 2026?". Args: insurable_earnings, year, ytd_employee_premiums, ytd_employer_premiums.

minimum_wage — General hourly minimum wage of a province (or the federal rate) on a date, with the effective date, the next scheduled change and the source. Use for "What is the minimum wage in Ontario on October 1, 2026?". Args: province, on_date.

gst_registration_deadline — When registration takes effect and the 29-day application window after the threshold is crossed in one quarter or over four quarters. Use for "I passed 30,000 on 2026-08-14 in one quarter: what date must I be registered by?". Args: trigger, on_date.

casl_consent_basis_check — Classify a consent basis as express or implied (existing business or non-business relationship, inquiry, published address) and test whether it covers a message on a date. Use for "A customer bought from us on 15 March 2025: can I email them a promotion on 29 September 2026?". Args: basis, event_date, on_date, ongoing.

bids_search_open_tenders — Search the open federal tender notices by keyword, UNSPSC or GSIN code, region, category, closing window and publication window. Default answer about 10 KB (detail=summary, at most 12 compact notices); detail=full returns up to limit complete notices, about 30 KB at 25. Use for "Which open federal tenders for laptops deliver to British Columbia?". Args: keywords, unspsc, gsin, region, category, closes_from, closes_to, published_from, published_to, limit, on_date, detail.

quickm_compare_regular_vs_quick — Side by side for one period: regular net tax (GST/HST in the sales less the input tax credits you enter) against the quick method remittance. Use for "For $45,000 of sales including HST and $2,500 of GST/HST paid on purchases, would the quick method remit less than the regular method?". Args: sales, pe_province, supply_kind, itc_regular, itc_allowed_under_quick, eligible_sales_ytd_before, supply_date.

vehicle_allowance_for_km — Tax-exempt per-kilometre allowance for the business kilometres driven in a year (2025 or 2026): the first 5,000 km at the higher rate, the rest at the lower, provinces or territories. Use for "What is the highest per-kilometre allowance I can pay an employee for 8,000 business km in 2026 without it being taxable?". Args: total_km, region, year.

boc_convert_amount — Convert an amount between CAD and a listed currency, or between two listed currencies through CAD, with the rate date. Use for "How many Canadian dollars is USD 1,000 at the Bank of Canada rate of 2026-09-28?". Args: amount, from_currency, to_currency, on_date, use_previous_if_unpublished.

tm_filing_fee — Compute the CIPO application fee for N classes, online or by other means, for a date in 2026 or 2027, with the other method's total for comparison. Use for "How much does CIPO charge to file a trademark application online for two classes?". Args: classes, method, on_date.

eht_ontario_estimate — Ontario employer health tax for a calendar year (2020 to 2028) from total Ontario remuneration: the $1,000,000 exemption, the $5 million rule, the rate band chosen before the exemption, and the tax. Use for "My Ontario payroll was $1,300,000 last year: do I owe employer health tax and how much?". Args: ontario_remuneration, year, registered_charity, claims_exemption, associated_group_remuneration.

eht_bc_liability — British Columbia employer health tax for a calendar year (2024 to 2026) from total B.C. remuneration: exempt up to $1,000,000, 5.85% of the excess up to $1,500,000, 1.95% of the total above that. Use for "My B.C. payroll for 2026 is $1,200,000: how much employer health tax is that?". Args: bc_remuneration, year, associated_employers.

wcb_wsib_class_rate — WSIB 2026 premium rate per $100 for a rate class (A to P subclasses and rate group 755), or a text search of class descriptions. Use for "What is the 2026 WSIB rate for specialty trades construction?". Args: class_code, query, on_date.

Conventions

Read-only. Every tool reads public data or computes; nothing is written anywhere and nothing about the user is stored.
Result envelope. ok: true with data, or ok: false with a structured error (bad_input, not_found, upstream_error). degraded lists optional sources that were unreachable.
Rate limits. Free tier 60 tool calls/minute and 300/day per user (keyed on the user identifier supplied by the host agent, else client IP); Pro keys raise this. Over-limit calls return HTTP 429 with Retry-After. initialize and tools/list are never counted.

Support

agent@connectorbay.com · connectorbay.com/ca-smb/support