Accounting Software with HST Filing Online

Customer

The customer is a Canadian provider of online tax filing software for HST (harmonized sales tax). The software helps companies manage their income and expenses, generate tax reports online, and operate several businesses within one digital environment.

Challenge

The client had been running a simple solution with minimal features that didn’t satisfy customers’ demands. The client wanted to improve the solution and make online services possible. HQSoftware’s experts assisted the customer in choosing the optimal software architecture, functionality, and development approach to reduce project costs, while maintaining high quality in the end product. To simplify the process of tax management, the customer needed a solution that would help users easily manage finances, invoices, payroll, and reports; track rental properties; and calculate and file HST online.

Solution

The final product is a web app that allows companies and business owners to calculate and file tax reports online. It is a one-click HST business eFiling app, with real-time reporting and a complete bookkeeping SaaS solution. Users get access to the app by subscription, at a cost depending on the number of users and generated reports.

Before the project started, the client provided the development team with the relevant solution code to build brand new features for the app.

After examining the customer’s needs, the project manager elicited detailed requirements for the accounting software. Based on the collected data, our developer elaborated on an optimal architecture, feature set, and implementation tech stack for the solution. To cover the customer requirement, HQSoftware developed the following functionalities:

• add employee;
• add option;
• create T5 summary;
• T-slips to be e-transmitted (T4, T4A, T5, T5018);
• monthly remittance;
• generate XML files;
• send XML files to CRA;
• save the result after sending files to CRA;
• permanent solution for integration with CRA (Selenium);
• set up Selenium; 
• save and display the confirmation number of filed forms;
• add the report code (canceled, amended) to T4, T4A, and T5018;
• avoid sending duplicate forms (T4, T4A, T5, T5018).

HQSoftware’s team integrated new features with the customer’s existing software ecosystem. The client has modernized its services by implementing online services with rich functionality, such as:

• automatically calculating taxes and ITCs (investment tax credits);
• filing HST online;
• tracking rental property expenses;
• managing employees;
• managing multiple companies;
• generating and printing payrolls and pay stubs;
• creating and sending invoices;
• real-time reporting;
• creating an organizing chart of accounts;
• company dashboarding.

The software helps avoid sending duplicate tax forms, frees users from routine actions, eliminates time-consuming filing tasks, and improves the speed and accuracy of calculating payments and reporting.

Process

To develop the application, HQSoftware formed a team that included a project manager and a Python developer. The development team chose the Kanban methodology for quick and efficient task management. It took about seven months to complete the application, which covers a large spectrum of operations, and make it fully functional. 

Since the basic features had been implemented, the developer proceeded with building in the app’s functionality, including tax, invoices, and payroll forms.

HQSoftware provided full-cycle software development services, resulting in an enhanced web application. The customer got a comprehensive accounting solution built from provided source code, according to its specific business requirements. 

Technologies, platforms, and tools

Python, Django, Unicorn, Selenium

Team

• 1 Python developer
• 1 Project manager

Results

HQSoftware’s high-level professionals helped the client develop an online e-filing application to replace its outdated version. Now the software is available on the market to quickly generate calculations online. More than 2,000 business users have already tried the app to help manage and grow their small and midsize businesses. Our client has significantly expanded the number of service users and thereby received additional profit, experiencing a quick return on investment for the software development.

HST filing online services have the potential to attract more clients and take the lead in the financial services industry. Currently, the client continues to cooperate with HQSoftware on delivering updates and fixes and adding new features to the application, such as a system to avoid sending duplicate forms (T4, T4A, T5, T5018).

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