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Starting a business in Canada? Generic startup templates leave out the rules that decide whether a Canadian business has cash in month six: when you must start charging GST/HST, how input tax credits on your fit-out come back, what CPP and EI really add to payroll, how the small business deduction and capital cost allowance change your tax, and what a Canada Small Business Financing Program loan costs. This Excel model builds all of that into a 60-month plan for an incorporated small business, in any province or territory.

Why this model

Choose your province and the model applies its sales tax, corporate tax and payroll rates. Every default is a published 2026 Canadian rule or a cited benchmark, listed on a Sources tab, so you can see where each starting value comes from before you replace it. The example is a Calgary café with three revenue streams, including a zero-rated one, so you can see every rule work with real numbers.

Canadian rules built in

GST/HST small supplier test: $30,000 in one calendar quarter or four consecutive quarters, with the correct month you must start charging tax, or voluntary registration from day one
Taxable, zero-rated and exempt sales; input tax credits; monthly, quarterly or annual filing with the matching payment and refund timing; HST, QST and non-recoverable PST
Employer CPP or QPP with the 2026 ceilings and CPP2, EI at 1.4 times the employee rate, no EI for shareholders over 40%, vacation pay, workers’ compensation and provincial payroll levies
Corporate tax for a Canadian-controlled private corporation: 9% federal plus the provincial small business rate up to the business limit, the general rate above it, rates that change by year, loss carryforward and the 3-month balance-due date
Capital cost allowance by asset: the Accelerated Investment Incentive, the proposed September 2026 immediate expensing, or the half-year rule; Class 13 leaseholds over the lease term
CSBFP term loan: 2% registration fee, prime plus up to 3%, the $500,000 non-real-property limit, plus an operating line that draws and repays automatically

Two editions

Feasibility Edition: 60 monthly columns with up to 3 revenue streams, 8 roles, 12 expense lines and 10 start-up items. It has the full GST/HST, payroll, CCA and corporate tax logic, the CSBFP loan and line of credit, an income statement, cash flow and balance sheet, an annual summary, break-even, debt service coverage, owner returns, a dashboard and integrity checks.
Due Diligence Edition: everything in the Feasibility Edition, plus:
Downside, Base, Upside and Custom scenarios for volume, price, costs, wages and an opening delay
up to 5 revenue streams, 12 roles and 14 start-up items, and a second term loan
DCF valuation with a live discount-rate and growth sensitivity grid
a lender sheet with debt service coverage, debt to EBITDA, CSBFP eligibility tests, break-even and the funding need with a buffer

Key outputs

Start-up budget, operating costs before the first sale, peak funding need and the lowest cash balance, with the month it happens
Monthly revenue, costs, EBITDA and cash; the first month of positive EBITDA; annual income statement, cash flow and balance sheet
GST/HST registration month, refunds and remittances; employer CPP/EI; corporate tax and CCA by year
Debt service coverage, break-even revenue per month and margin of safety
Owner IRR, NPV and equity multiple at an exit multiple of EBITDA
Dashboard charts: revenue and EBITDA by year, monthly cash and line of credit, revenue against costs, cost structure, taxes by year and funding sources

Built to modeling best practice

Inputs, calculations and outputs on separate sheets; color-coded inputs (blue on yellow), formulas (black) and cross-sheet links (green)
One formula per row across all 60 months; no macros, no circular references, no hidden or protected sheets, no external links
Checks sheet confirms the balance sheet balances every month, cash flow ties, the GST/HST account reconciles, CCA never exceeds cost and every selection is valid; warnings flag funding gaps, weak coverage and CSBFP limits
Contents sheet, step-by-step instructions, a glossary and a full source list

Default assumptions

Defaults describe a Calgary specialty café opening in month 3. Its start-up budget is $192,700, funded by $100,000 of owner equity, a $150,000 CSBFP loan at prime plus 3% and a $25,000 operating line. Rent is based on JLL’s Q1 2026 Calgary retail average and wages on Job Bank’s Calgary median for counter staff. In the Feasibility Edition, revenue grows from $392,161 in year 1 to $695,757 in year 5. EBITDA turns positive in month 9, and debt service coverage is at least 2.46x from year 2. The Due Diligence Edition adds a catering stream. Replace the defaults with your own quotes, leases and offers.

Compare the editions

The free PDF demo, the Feasibility Edition ($49) and the Due Diligence Edition ($89) side by side:

Canadian Small Business Start-up Financial Model: comparison of the Free PDF Demo, Feasibility Edition and Due Diligence Edition

What you get

One Excel workbook (.xlsx) for the edition purchased, built only with functions available since Excel 2010 (no dynamic arrays, no macros)
A free PDF demo showing the main sheets of the Due Diligence Edition

Support and customization

Questions about how the template works are answered by email. Launchwright can also adapt the model to your business, lender or investors, quoted at a fixed price in writing before work begins. Contact details are inside the model.

Important

This template is for planning and illustration. It is not tax, legal, accounting or lending advice. Tax rules and rates change; the proposed immediate expensing is draft legislation. Confirm your situation with your accountant and lender.

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