Dates and location
Pricing
Hours
Dates and location
Pricing
Hours
Description
Participants will develop a practical framework for advising owner‑managers on compensation mix, comparing salary and dividends from both the corporate and shareholder perspectives, and integrating related inter‑company and shareholder‑level transactions. Participants will apply concepts through scenario‑based examples that consider different shareholder profiles, corporate types, and planning goals to support sound, defensible recommendations. Please be aware that participants should have paper and a calculator available to work through examples as a group, or a computer with Microsoft Excel.
Topics include:
- Compensation building blocks: employment income vs. property/dividend income; payroll and corporate considerations.
- Integration and tax‑rate mechanics across salary and dividend choices.
- Dividend types and planning levers; salary timing and accrual strategies.
- Shareholder loan rules and practical considerations.
- Inter‑company items: management fees, rents, and common small‑business structures.
- Case‑based planning: single, spousal, and unrelated shareholder scenarios; CCPC and non‑CCPC contexts; balancing tax and personal objectives.
NOTE: This course description has been revised and reflects updates for 2026. If you have any questions, please contact pdevents@cpaontario.ca.
Key Takeaways
By the end of this course, participants should be able to:
- Compare the after‑tax impacts of salary versus dividends for corporations and shareholders, and articulate trade‑offs clearly.
- Select and document an appropriate compensation mix based on objectives such as cash needs, RRSP room, borrowing requirements, and benefit eligibility.
- Identify implications of dividend types (eligible, non‑eligible, capital dividends) and timing considerations for salary accruals and payments.
- Advise on related items that affect owner‑managers, including shareholder loans, management fees, rent, and inter‑company transactions.
- Incorporate relevant case‑law themes and common CRA positions when communicating planning choices and risks.
Who Will Benefit
- Practitioners who advise owner‑managed and small‑business clients on compensation and related planning.
Prerequisite(s)
- Working familiarity with common personal and corporate tax matters.
- At least one year of experience in corporate and personal tax (recommended).
How to Access the Course
This course is delivered as a live webinar. To receive verifiable CPD hours, you must attend the session live. We recommend joining at least 5 minutes before the scheduled start time. For the best interactive experience, please use a computer equipped with a camera and microphone.
A reminder email with the Zoom link and course details will be sent two business days before the session. If you do not receive it, please check your spam or junk folder.
The same information, including any available materials, will also be posted in advance on our Blackboard LMS.
Registration, cancellation, withdrawal and all other CPA Ontario PD policies can be found here.
Speaker(s)
Milan Legris, LL.B., LL.M, TEP, is a tax and estate planning lawyer in Ancaster, ON. Milan restricts his work to consulting with other professional advisors for high-net worth individuals, senior executives and key employees, as well as owner-managers and their families. Milan was called to the Ontario bar in 1986 and is also an advisor and author of reference materials on taxation for the Law Society of Ontario’s (LSO) Professional Development and Competence Department. Milan was a lecturer and instructor for the LSO’s Bar Admission Course on taxation.