Canada

The Odoo Canada localization package provides tailored features and configurations for Canadian businesses.

A series of videos on the subject of Accounting are available through Odoo’s eLearning platform. These videos cover how to start from scratch, set up configurations, complete common workflows, and provide in-depth looks at some specific use cases.

Configuration

Below are the available modules in Odoo for accounting use in Canada.

Modules installation

Install the following modules to get all the features of the Canadian localization:

Name

Technical name

Description

Canada - Accounting

l10n_ca

Base accounting module for Canadian localization.

Canada - Accounting Reports

l10n_ca_reports

Adds Canadian accounting reports.

Canadian Checks Layout

l10n_ca_check_printing

Enables the printing of payments on pre-printed check paper. Supports the three most common check formats and works natively with the linked checks from checkdepot.net.

Chart of accounts

The chart of accounts (COA) for the Canadian localization, in Odoo, has accounts grouped into seven main categories, with corresponding numeric values that prefix individual journal entries:

  • Receivable: the balance of money (or credit) due to the business for goods or services delivered or used, but not yet paid for by customers. AR is indicated by the journal code labeled (or beginning) with 1.

  • Payable: the business’s short-term obligations owed to its creditors or suppliers, which have not yet been paid. AP is indicated by the journal code labeled (or beginning) with 2.

  • Equity: the amount of money that would be returned to a company’s shareholders if all of the assets were liquidated and all of the company’s debt was paid off in the case of liquidation. Equity is indicated by the journal code labeled (or beginning) with 3 or 9.

  • Assets: items listed on the balance sheet that contains economic value or have the ability to generate cash flows in the future, such as a piece of machinery, a financial security, or a patent. Assets are indicated by the journal code labeled (or beginning) with 1.

  • Liability: refers to a company’s financial debts or obligations that arise during the course of business operations. Liabilities are indicated by the journal code labeled (or beginning) with 2.

  • Income: synonymous with net income, this is the profit a company retains after paying off all relevant expenses from sales revenue earned. Income is indicated by the journal code labeled (or beginning) with 4 or 6.

  • Expenses: the cost of operations that a company incurs to generate revenue. Expenses are indicated by the journal code labeled (or beginning) with a 6.

Tip

Predefined accounts are included in Odoo, as part of the CoA that’s installed with the Canadian localization package. The accounts listed below are preconfigured to perform certain operations within Odoo. It is recommended to not delete these accounts; however, if changes are needed, rename the accounts instead.

Type

Account Name

Current Assets

Bank Suspense Account
Outstanding Receipts
Outstanding Payments
Liquidity Transfer
Stock Valuation
Stock Interim (Received)
Stock Interim (Delivered)
Cost of Production

Income

Foreign Exchange Gain
Cash Difference Gain
Cash Discount Gain

Expenses

Cash Discount Loss
Foreign Exchange Loss
Cash Difference Loss

Current Year Earnings

Undistributed Profits/Losses

Receivable

Account Receivable

Payable

Account Payable

Fiscal positions

Canadian tax rates and taxable items vary by province and territory. Default fiscal positions are automatically created when the Odoo Accounting application is installed. To manage or configure additional fiscal positions, navigate to Accounting ‣ Configuration ‣ Fiscal Positions.

The following fiscal positions are available by default:

  • Alberta (AB)

  • British Colombia (BC)

  • Manitoba (MB)

  • New Brunswick (NB)

  • Newfoundland and Labrador (NL)

  • Nova Scotia (NS)

  • Northwest Territories (NT)

  • Nunavut (NU)

  • Ontario (ON)

  • Prince Edward Islands (PE)

  • Quebec (QC)

  • Saskatchewan (SK)

  • Yukon (YT)

  • International (INTL)

The default fiscal positions for the Canada localization in Odoo Accounting.

Note

When considering what taxes to be applied, it is the province where the delivery occurs that matters. Therefore, delivery is the responsibility of the vendor and is accounted for at the customer location.

Example

  • A delivery is made to a customer from another province.

    Set the fiscal position on the customer’s record to the province of the customer.

  • A customer from another province comes to pick up products.

    No fiscal position should be set on the customer’s record.

  • An international vendor doesn’t charge any tax, but taxes are charged by the customs broker.

    Set the fiscal position on the vendor’s record to International.

  • An international vendor charges provincial tax.

    Set the fiscal position on the vendor’s record to your position.

Taxes

In Canada, tax rates and what is considered taxable vary by province and territory. Default Sales and Purchases taxes are created automatically when the Odoo Accounting application is installed. To manage existing or configure additional taxes, navigate to Accounting ‣ Configuration ‣ Taxes.

AvaTax

Avalara AvaTax is a cloud-based tax calculation and compliance software that integrates with Odoo for several localizations, including Canada. Integrating AvaTax with Odoo provides real-time and region-specific tax calculations when items are sold, purchased, and invoiced in the database.

Important

AvaTax is available for integration with databases/companies that have locations in Canada and/or the United States. Reference the Fiscal country documentation for more information.

See also

Refer to the documentation articles below to integrate and configure an AvaTax account with an Odoo database:

Reports

A number of report selections are readily available for the Canadian localization, under the Accounting app ‣ Reporting drop-down menu:

  • Balance Sheet: a “snapshot” of a company’s financial position at a specific point in time, which contains an overview of a company’s assets, liabilities, and equity.

    Be sure to select the Balance sheet (CA) option from the Report filter.

    Balance sheet report selection for CA localization in Odoo.
  • Profit & Loss: otherwise known as a P&L statement or income statement, provides a summary of a company’s revenues, expenses, and profits/losses over a given period of time.

    Be sure to select the Profit and loss (CA) option from the Report filter.

    Profit and loss report selection for CA localization in Odoo.
  • Cash Flow Statement: shows how much cash and cash equivalents a company has received and spent in a given period.

  • Executive Summary: an overview report that covers the key performance indicators of a company’s financial position, such as revenue, profit, and debt.

  • Tax Report: an official form filed for a tax authority that reports income, expenses, and other pertinent tax information. Tax reports allow taxpayers to calculate their tax liability, schedule tax payments, or request refunds for the overpayment of taxes. In Odoo, the tax report can be made monthly, every two months, quarterly, every 4 months, semi-annually, and annually.

Cash discount

Cash discounts can be configured from Accounting app ‣ Payment Terms. Each payment term can be set up with a cash discount and reduced tax.

Writing checks

The Canadian localization allows users to print checks for vendor payments. Be sure the Canadian Checks Layout (l10n_ca_check_printing) module for the CA localization is installed.

To enable check printing from Odoo, navigate to Accounting ‣ Configuration ‣ Settings and find the Vendor Payments section. From here, tick the Checks checkbox to reveal several fields for check configuration.

Select a Check Layout from the drop-down menu:

  • Print Check (Top) - CA

  • Print Check (Middle) - CA

  • Print Check (Bottom) - CA

Next, choose whether or not to enable the Multi-Pages Check Stub checkbox.

Optionally set a Check Top Margin, Check Left Margin, or Check Right Margin if required.

Tick the Print Date Label checkbox if a date label is required.

Once all check configurations are complete, Save the settings.

Tip

Some of the check formats may require pre-printed paper from a third party vendor. Pre-printed checks from checkdepot.net are recommended.

See also

Pay by checks

Receive pre-authorized debits

Pre-authorized debits are a method for receiving payments from customers, where the customer authorizes the business to withdraw funds from their bank account on a recurring basis. This functionality is commonly used for subscriptions, recurring invoices, and other regular payments.

In the Odoo Canadian localization, pre-authorized debits are facilitated through an integration with Stripe.