GTA-based · Virtual across Canada & beyond
Grow what you’ve built.
sycamore NAMED FOR A TREE THAT GROWS FOR GENERATIONS Why the name?
Accounting and tax compliance, planning and advisory for physicians, other healthcare professionals and owner-managed businesses across Canada, plus the Canadian side of cross-border work.
No cost, no obligation. See how our fees work
5.0 from 26 Google reviews (Oct 2026)For physicians & healthcare professionals
Certain sections of the Income Tax Act apply specifically to your practice. We know them well.
Physicians face rules most small businesses never meet, and so do dentists, pharmacists, therapists and clinic owners. These are the questions we work through with healthcare clients every year.
Should I incorporate?
When a professional corporation makes sense for your practice, and what it costs to run one properly.
Salary or dividends
Balancing personal tax, RRSP room, CPP and cash needs across the family.
Life insurance or RRSP?
Whether corporate-owned life insurance or RRSP savings better fits your retirement and estate plans, and what the sales pitch leaves out.
Passive income
Keeping corporate investments from eroding the small business deduction.
HST for clinics
Which of your services are exempt or taxable, input tax credits, and cost-sharing between practitioners.
Exit and estate
Winding down a practice, moving surplus out of the corporation and planning an estate that carries into the next generation.
A second opinion is welcome too. If you’ve been offered an insurance or surplus-strip strategy, we’ll review it before you sign.
Book a free 15-minute call →Who we serve
Advice built around how you actually earn.
We work best with people whose tax picture has moving parts: a corporation, a clinic, family shareholders, or income on both sides of the border. Wherever you are in Canada, we work with you by video and secure portal.
Healthcare professionals & clinics
For physicians and every healthcare practice
Incorporation, compensation, clinic structures, associate and cost-sharing arrangements, and the HST questions that come with patient care, whether you practise on your own or run a multidisciplinary clinic.
- Physicians & specialists
- Dentists
- Pharmacists
- Psychologists
- Physiotherapists
- Chiropractors
- Registered massage therapists
- Clinic owners
- Other regulated health professionals
Owner-managed
Service businesses
Bookkeeping, T2s, HST and planning for small and mid-sized companies.
Individuals & families
Personal returns and sole proprietors
Estates, trusts, rental property, retirement and succession.
Cross-border
Non-residents & cross-border
The Canadian tax side of working, investing or moving across the border, for individuals and companies.
Services
Year-round, not just at tax time.
We go beyond return preparation. Every engagement pairs the filing with the planning behind it, so decisions get made before the year closes.
Tax planning & advisory
Structure first, then file. We model the options and put the recommendation in writing.
- Tax planning for individuals and corporations
- Salary versus dividend and compensation strategy
- Retirement, estate and succession planning
- Corporate reorganizations
- Structuring start-ups, mergers and acquisitions
- SR&ED claims
Returns & compliance
Accurate, on-time Canadian filings for practices, businesses and families.
- Corporate T2 returns
- Personal T1 returns
- Estate and trust T3 returns
- Not-for-profit returns
- Non-resident and part-year returns
- HST filings
Bookkeeping & accounting
Clean records all year, so year-end is a review and not a rescue.
- Managing all accounting transactions
- Bank and credit card reconciliations
- Balance sheets, income statements and cash flow statements
- Organized records that support decisions
- Financial plans and forecasts
- Regulatory and tax reporting support
CRA audits & reviews
When a letter arrives, we handle the correspondence and build the support file with you.
- Income tax audits and reviews
- Payroll account reviews
- HST audits and reviews
- Responses to CRA information requests
Cross-border
Coming to Canada for work? Start with the Canadian tax.
We advise non-residents and their advisors on what Canada taxes, what gets withheld, and how to recover or reduce it. We coordinate with your home-country accountant to help you avoid double tax.
A US actor filming a production in Canada
The treaty threshold, the flat 23% withholding on acting fees, and whether an elective Canadian return at graduated rates costs less.
Producers, directors and crew working in Canada
Regulation 102 and 105 withholding, waiver applications, and foreign tax credits back home.
A non-resident who owns Canadian rental property
Part XIII withholding, section 216 returns and the clearance certificate when you sell.
Moving into or out of Canada
Residency, departure tax, part-year returns, and coordination with your US or home-country preparer.
How we work
From first call to long-term advisor.
Free discovery call
Fifteen minutes, no charge. We learn your structure, your goals and what’s keeping you up at night.
Engagement & onboarding
A clear engagement letter, then documents exchanged through the secure client portal.
Plan, then file
We review the planning opportunities before preparing returns, not after.
Year-round access
Questions answered as they come up, with a check-in before every year-end.
About the firm
A boutique firm that stays close to its clients.
Sycamore Tax & Advisory is the operating name of Brian Li CPA Professional Corporation, incorporated in 2024 by Brian Li, CPA, CA, who has been advising individuals and business owners since 2011. We handle the accounting, tax and long-term planning for healthcare professionals, owner-managed businesses and families with cross-border ties.
We work with a focused group of clients, so the people preparing your file are the same people who know your history, your goals and what we discussed last year.
- Advising clients since
- 2011
- Firm incorporated
- 2024
- Based
- Greater Toronto Area & virtual
- Clients
- Across Canada & beyond
- Focus
- Healthcare, owner-managed businesses, cross-border
Why Sycamore
Deep roots. Wide shelter. Growth that lasts.
The sycamore is a patient tree. It anchors itself well below the surface, spreads a broad canopy over what grows beneath it, and adds a little more every year. That’s what we want to be for our clients: helping them build strong foundations, protect what they’ve earned, and grow it for the long run, not just from one tax season to the next.
A nod to medicine. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, is said to have taught his students under a plane tree, a close cousin of the sycamore, on the Greek island of Kos.
A little tax story. Remember Zacchaeus? He was the chief tax collector in Jericho, short enough that he had to climb a sycamore to see over the crowd. That day changed him. He gave half of what he had to the poor and paid back anyone he had overcharged four times over. A tax man who climbed a sycamore and came down doing things the right way is a good story to build a firm on.
From Brian’s desk
#1 Amazon.ca Best Seller · Paperback and Kindle
Tax Court Tales
What every business owner and aspiring entrepreneur must know
Stories from Canada’s Tax Court, and the lessons they hold for anyone running a business or thinking about starting one. Both the paperback and Kindle editions reached #1 on Amazon.ca in Small Business Taxes and in Tax Accounting.
Client words
Trusted by healthcare professionals, owners and families.
Brian is a very knowledgeable accountant. He is professional and very accessible whenever I have questions. This gives me confidence that my finances are in good hands.
Brian has been wonderful to work with. He made the entire process smooth and stress-free, was extremely organized, and communicated everything clearly. It’s rare to find someone so thorough and easy to work with. Highly recommend Brian Li CPA to anyone looking for a reliable and professional accountant.
Brian has been our expert accountant for both personal and professional taxes for over five years.
My first experience of working with Brian was beyond satisfactory. Brian’s genuine and caring approach, combined with his extensive knowledge and professionalism, helped make me feel at ease.
We own a chiropractic clinic and Brian has been our accountant since 2019. He’s extremely knowledgeable in tax.
It is always such a great experience to work with Brian. I am completely impressed with the professionalism and customer service.
Brian came recommended from a friend and I couldn’t be happier with him. He supported my corporate and personal needs.
Brian has helped me with tax filing and business advice for my company and has been fantastic to work with.
I have known Brian for many years and he has always been my #1 go to when it comes to accounting and tax advice.
Brian is my favorite accountant! Not only is he professional and knowledgeable, he is so responsive and easy to talk to. As a filmmaker based in LA, it’s really intimidating to navigate taxes for jobs in another country, but Brian always finds a way to make me feel at ease (that does so much for someone who finds these processes overwhelming). I always refer friends who end up working in Canada to him, so for whatever tax related issue you have, he’s your guy!
I had an excellent experience working with Brian. He is professional, pays attention to detail, and manages my taxes effortlessly. I highly recommend Brian if you’re looking for a highly skilled, reliable, and trustworthy accountant.
Canadian tax calendar
The dates we watch for you.
Standard federal deadlines for calendar-year individuals and corporations. Your own dates depend on your fiscal year-end. Quebec residents also file provincially with Revenu Québec.
When a deadline falls on a weekend or public holiday, CRA accepts the filing or payment on the next business day. This calendar is general information. Ask us about the dates that apply to you.
Questions
Before you call.
Straight answers to what new clients ask us most.
Who is Sycamore Tax & Advisory?
Sycamore Tax & Advisory is the operating name of Brian Li CPA Professional Corporation. Same firm, same team, same client portal. The name comes from the sycamore, a tree that grows steadily for generations, which is how we approach planning.
What does it cost to get started?
Your first 15-minute discovery call is free. Monthly packages for professional corporations start at $250 + HST. If you want specific advice on your situation, an initial consultation is $300 + HST for up to an hour, and that fee is waived if you engage us for regular tax preparation or consulting work. See our fees.
Should I incorporate?
Often, but not always. Incorporating can defer tax when your business earns more than you need to live on, but it adds costs, filings and a second set of books. We look at your income, what you could leave in the company, your family situation and your plans, and we will tell you if it is not worth it yet.
CRA sent me a letter. Can you help?
Yes. We handle audits and reviews for income tax, payroll and HST, including the correspondence with CRA and the supporting documentation.
Do I need to be in Ontario?
No. We are a mostly virtual firm and work with clients across Canada, as well as non-residents with Canadian tax obligations. Meetings happen by video, and documents move through a secure client portal. Our office is in Mississauga.
I’m not a Canadian resident. Can you help?
Yes. We advise on the Canadian tax side of cross-border situations, such as performers and crew working on Canadian productions, foreign companies with staff here, and non-residents who own Canadian property. We work alongside your home-country advisor.
News & Articles
Notes from the practice.
Case law, planning ideas and lessons from real files, written by Brian Li, CPA, CA.
No articles in this topic yet.
Have a question one of these raised for your situation?
Ask Brian →Team
The people behind the numbers.
A small team, which means you always know who is working on your file.
Founder · Business and Tax Advisor
Brian Li, CPA, CA
Big 4 trained, mentored by a Toronto tax lawyer, and an Associate Tax Partner before starting the practice in 2024. Brian handles the planning, the complicated files and the calls to CRA that nobody else wants to make. He has read the Income Tax Act more times than any novel, and insists he enjoys it.
- 2011Accounting and Financial Management, University of Waterloo
- 2015CPA, CA designation at a Big 4 firm
- 2016CPA Canada In-Depth Tax Course, three years
- 2024Associate Tax Partner, then founded Brian Li CPA Professional Corporation
- 2026Practice begins operating as Sycamore Tax & Advisory
Off the clock Scuba diving (the one place nobody asks him about RRSPs), travel, sports, volunteering, and keeping up with two boys.
Senior Tax Associate · Chartered Accountancy student
Amna Naeem
Amna prepares personal and corporate returns and the working papers behind them, and reviews the numbers before they reach Brian’s desk. Her rule: every number gets a tick mark, and every tick mark gets a reason. Spreadsheets that don’t balance tend to confess quickly around her.
Executive Assistant
Dianne Negapatan
Dianne keeps the practice running: welcoming new clients, booking meetings, collecting documents and making sure every slip lands in the right file. If you’ve had a friendly reminder that your T4s are still missing, that was Dianne. She will follow up. Politely. Until they arrive.
Fees
Fees quoted up front.
We quote a fixed fee wherever the work allows and confirm it in your engagement letter before we start. All fees are in Canadian dollars, plus applicable HST.
Discovery call
Free
15 minutes
Tell us what’s going on. We’ll tell you whether we can help and what the work involves.
Book your free call →Initial consultation
$300 + HST
Up to one hour with Brian
Specific advice on your situation. The fee is waived if you engage us for regular tax preparation or consulting work.
Ongoing work
Fixed fee
Quoted before we start
Returns, bookkeeping, planning and advisory projects, each at a fixed fee set out in your engagement letter.
Physicians & incorporated healthcare professionals
Monthly packages for your professional corporation
One predictable monthly fee covers your corporation and your personal return, with planning built in. We confirm your package in the engagement letter after a free discovery call.
The Check-Up
from $250 /month + HST
For professional corporations that keep their own books
- Corporate T2 return and year-end financial statements
- Your personal T1 return
- T4 and T5 slips for salary and dividends
- Annual salary and dividend plan
- Annual HST return, if registered
- Deadline reminders and CRA correspondence
- Email questions answered all year
The Practice
Custom quote
For practices that want the books handled too
- Everything in The Check-Up, plus:
- Monthly or quarterly bookkeeping and reconciliations
- Payroll for staff
- Quarterly HST filings
- Spouse’s or common-law partner’s T1 return
- Passive income tracking to protect the small business deduction
- A mid-year planning meeting
The Clinic
Custom quote
For clinic owners, holding companies and families
- Everything in The Practice, plus:
- Clinic and cost-sharing accounting between practitioners
- Holding company and family trust returns
- Remuneration planning across family members
- Retirement, insurance and estate planning reviews
- Two planning meetings a year
All packages billed monthly, plus applicable HST. Residents and fellows: ask about personal return pricing.
Find your package: book a free call →Personal tax returns
Starting prices for T1 returns
Starting prices, plus applicable HST. Each level includes everything in the one before it.
The Essentials
from $200
Employment income, CPP and OAS, and tuition credits.
The Standard
from $250
Adds investment income, RRSP contributions, child care and medical expenses.
The Sophisticated
from $400
Adds pension splitting, capital gains and losses, and caregiver amounts.
The Complete
from $600
Adds business or rental income and employee stock options.
Add-ons and special filings
- Each additional business or rental schedule
- $200
- Part-year or non-resident return
- $250
- T1135 foreign property
- from $250
- T1134 foreign affiliates
- from $750
- Section 216 return (non-resident rental)
- $750
- Section 217 return (non-resident pension and benefits)
- $500
- T2062 / T2062A clearance certificate
- $750 each
- Voluntary Disclosures Program
- from $1,250
All prices plus applicable HST. Complex files may carry time charges at $250 per hour.
Corporations and businesses
A fixed quote after your discovery call
Business work depends on your size, your records and what you need, so we quote it after we’ve talked.
- Corporate T2 returns and financial statements
- Monthly or quarterly bookkeeping
- HST returns
- Tax planning and reorganizations
- Estate and trust (T3) returns
- SR&ED claims
CRA audits and reviews are billed hourly, because nobody knows up front how long CRA will take.
Privacy Policy
How we handle your personal information.
Your financial information is some of the most personal information you have. This policy explains what we collect, why, and how we protect it, in line with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and our professional obligations as a CPA Ontario-licensed firm.
Last updated: October 6, 2026
Who we are
Sycamore Tax & Advisory is the operating name of Brian Li CPA Professional Corporation (“we”, “us”), a CPA firm registered with CPA Ontario. Brian Li, CPA, CA is our Privacy Officer and is accountable for our compliance with this policy.
What we collect
- When you contact us or book a call: your name, email, phone number, the type of client you are, and anything you choose to tell us in your message.
- When you become a client: the information needed to provide our services, such as identification required under anti-money-laundering rules, Social Insurance Numbers, income and financial records, corporate records, and information about family members or shareholders where it bears on your tax affairs.
- When you use this website: basic technical information such as your browser type, device and pages visited, collected through essential cookies and our hosting provider’s server logs.
Please don’t send SINs, account numbers or tax documents through the website form or by regular email. We’ll collect them through our secure client portal.
Why we collect it
We use personal information to respond to enquiries, schedule calls, prepare engagement letters, provide accounting, tax and advisory services, file returns and elections with the Canada Revenue Agency and other authorities on your behalf, bill for our services, and meet our legal and professional obligations. We do not sell, rent or trade personal information, and we do not use it for marketing unrelated to the services you asked about.
Consent
By contacting us, booking a call or engaging us, you consent to our collecting, using and disclosing your information for the purposes above. Where we need information about another person, such as a spouse or common-law partner, we rely on you to have their permission to share it. You may withdraw consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual limits; if you do, we may not be able to continue providing some services.
Who we share it with
We share personal information only as needed to provide our services or as required by law:
- The Canada Revenue Agency, provincial tax authorities and other government bodies when we file on your behalf or when you authorize us to represent you.
- Service providers who help us run the firm, such as our website host, email and document storage, secure client portal, tax and accounting software, the form service that delivers website enquiries to our inbox (FormSubmit) and our booking tool (Calendly). They may use your information only to provide their service to us.
- Other advisors, such as your lawyer, financial planner or foreign accountant, only with your direction or consent.
- CPA Ontario, as part of professional practice inspection, which is itself bound by confidentiality.
Some of our service providers store or process information outside Canada, including in the United States. Information held outside Canada is subject to the laws of that country and may be accessible to its courts and authorities.
How we protect it
We use safeguards suited to the sensitivity of the information, including encrypted portals for document exchange, multi-factor authentication, restricted access on a need-to-know basis, and confidentiality obligations for everyone on our team. CPA Ontario’s Rules of Professional Conduct also require us to keep client information confidential.
How long we keep it
We keep client records for as long as professional standards and tax law require, and securely destroy them afterwards. Enquiries from people who do not become clients are deleted once they are no longer needed.
Cookies
This website uses essential cookies to function and remembers your cookie choices. Any non-essential cookies are used only with your consent, which you can change through the cookie banner at any time. Our pages also load fonts from Google Fonts, which receives your IP address when it serves them.
Your rights
You may ask to see the personal information we hold about you, ask how it has been used or disclosed, and ask us to correct anything inaccurate. We’ll respond within 30 days. Some information may be withheld where the law allows, for example if it would reveal information about another person.
Questions or concerns
Contact our Privacy Officer at info@brianlicpa.ca or 226-259-9999, or write to 5-600 Matheson Blvd W, Mississauga, ON L5R 4C1. If we can’t resolve your concern, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows when it last changed.
Get in touch
Let’s grow something that lasts.
Start with a free 15-minute discovery call, or tell us a little about your situation and we’ll reach out.
- Phone
- 226-259-9999
- info@brianlicpa.ca