Canadian industry

541215 Bookkeeping, payroll and related services

Services de tenue de livres et de paye et services connexes

Official definition

This Canadian industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing bookkeeping, billing or payroll processing services. These establishments do not provide accounting services, such as the preparation of financial statements, the preparation of management accounting reports, and the review and auditing of accounting records.

Classification Reference

Official classification fields for this page

Official classification fields taken from the current StatCan source bundle.

Characteristic Description
Official titleBookkeeping, payroll and related services
ClassificationNAICS Canada 2022 Version 1.0
Publishing authorityStatistics Canada
Hierarchical levelCanadian industry
Parent code54121 - Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services
International correspondenceM6920*
Sourcehttps://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/subjects/standard/naics/2022/v1/index
Source verification2026-05-05
Canada Business Context

Canada-wide tax and filing context

Canada-wide business, tax, and filing context from the local country pack and tax pack.

Characteristic Description
Tax authorityCanada Revenue Agency (CRA)
Business identifierBusiness Number (BN): 9-digit identifier with program account suffixes such as RT0001 for GST/HST, RP0001 for payroll, and RC0001 for corporate income tax.
Filing requirementsBusiness Number registration; Form T2125 (Statement of Business or Professional Activities) attached to T1; Form T2 (Corporation Income Tax Return); Form T5013; Form GST34
Sector authorityNo cluster authority recorded in the local country pack.

Exclusions

  • providing a range of accounting services (See 541212 Offices of accountants (CAN))
  • providing tax return preparation services, without also providing accounting or auditing services (See 541213 Tax preparation services (US))

Examples

  • billing, bookkeeping or payroll processing services
  • bookkeepers, offices or private practice
  • payment services, talent, entertainment industry

Classification Confidence Score

5 of 6 factors passing

8/ 10
Verified official sourcenaics-scian-2022-structure-v1-eng.csv (2026-05-05)
International crosswalkISIC Rev. 4 mapping: M6920*
Previous edition migrationNAICS 2017 to 2022 continuity confirmed
Complete hierarchy5 levels confirmed in hierarchy
Size or threshold documentedSME thresholds documented in federal tax pack
Trade or export matchNo direct HS code correspondence in current bundle
Legacy crosswalkLegacy system (SIC 1980) retired in this region
Business Profiles

When you might need code 541215

These role examples come from the official title and example wording attached to this code.

01 541215
Bookkeeping, payroll and related services

Use this page when the business is directly described by the official title or definition for 541215 Bookkeeping, payroll and related services. It is the closest source-backed checkpoint before BN registration, GST/HST review, banking onboarding, or internal classification work.

02 541215
billing, bookkeeping or payroll processing services

Use this page when the activity is described in the official StatCan example wording as billing, bookkeeping or payroll processing services. Compare the definition, exclusions, and nearby codes here before attaching 541215 Bookkeeping, payroll and related services to a business file.

03 541215
bookkeepers, offices or private practice

Use this page when the activity is described in the official StatCan example wording as bookkeepers, offices or private practice. Compare the definition, exclusions, and nearby codes here before attaching 541215 Bookkeeping, payroll and related services to a business file.

04 541215
payment services, talent, entertainment industry

Use this page when the activity is described in the official StatCan example wording as payment services, talent, entertainment industry. Compare the definition, exclusions, and nearby codes here before attaching 541215 Bookkeeping, payroll and related services to a business file.

Business Map

Business categories in this branch

A rotating set of business activity examples linked to this part of the Canadian hierarchy.

Research workLegal advisoryDesign servicesAccounting supportSoftware consulting

In this section

Commonly confused with

541212 — Offices of accountants

providing a range of accounting services (See 541212 Offices of accountants (CAN))

541213 — Tax preparation services

providing tax return preparation services, without also providing accounting or auditing services (...

ISIC Rev. 4 correspondence

M6920*Accounting, bookkeeping and auditing activities; tax consultancy

Approximate correspondence

Bookkeeping, payroll and related services

US NAICS referenceNo exact same-code US entry appears in the local reference workbook.

Source row

541215Bookkeeping, payroll and related services

This page mirrors the source row from the structure CSV and the matching rows from the elements and crosswalk files.

Frequently asked questions

What does code 541215 cover?

Bookkeeping, payroll and related services: This Canadian industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing bookkeeping, billing or payroll processing services. These establishments do not provide accounting services, such as the preparation of financial statements, the preparation of ma...

Which level of the hierarchy is 541215?

It is a canadian industry page in the NAICS Canada 2026 hierarchy.

What is the parent of 541215?

It rolls up to 54121 Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services.

Should I stop at 541215 or go lower?

This page already points to the exact six-digit Canadian industry in the current site structure.

Are official inclusion notes attached to 541215?

No inclusion rows are attached to this page in the local elements file.

Are there exclusion notes for 541215?

Yes. 2 exclusion note(s) help separate this page from nearby codes.

Does 541215 include illustrative examples?

Yes. 3 example row(s) are available for boundary checking.

What kinds of businesses often start from this page?

Examples in this branch include Research work, Legal advisory, Design services, Accounting support, Software consulting.

Is there an ISIC mapping for 541215?

Yes. The page shows M6920* Accounting, bookkeeping and auditing activities; tax consultancy.

Does this page show a US NAICS reference?

No same-code US NAICS reference row is attached on this page.

Why are both English and French titles shown?

NAICS Canada is bilingual, so the page keeps both language titles visible for comparison and lookup.

Where does the page text come from?

From the local StatCan structure file, elements file, ISIC crosswalk, and the bundled US 6-digit reference workbook.