Unified Enterprise Survey - Annual
Reporting Guide
This guide is designed to assist you as you complete the 2012 Survey of Service Industries. If you need more information, please call the Statistics Canada Help Line at the number below.
Your answers are confidential.
Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects which could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act.
Statistics Canada will use information from this survey for statistical purposes.
Help Line: 1-800-972-9692
Table of contents
B - Main business activity
C - Reporting period information
D - Revenue
E - Expenses
F - Industry characteristics
G - Personnel
H - Sales by type of client
I - Sales by client location
J - International transactions
K - Provincial/territorial distribution
General information
Survey purpose
Data-sharing agreements
Record linkages
1. Please describe the nature of your business.
To ensure that you have received the appropriate questionnaire, you are asked to describe the nature of your business. The description should briefly state the main activities of your business unit.
2. Please check the one main activity which most accurately represents your main source of revenue.
Below is a description of each main activity.
Professional accounting services
Business units primarily engaged in providing a range of accounting services such as the:
- preparation of financial statements;
- preparation of management accounting reports;
- review and auditing of accounting records;
- development of budgets;
- design of accounting systems;
- provision of advice on matters related to accounting.
These business units may also provide related services such as:
- bookkeeping services;
- tax return preparation services;
- payroll services;
- management consulting services;
- insolvency services.
Include:
- professional accountants;
- professional accounting services;
- offices of certified accountants;
- offices of public accountants;
- offices of registered industrial accountants;
- auditing accountants;
- chartered accountants.
Exclude:
- business units primarily engaged in providing tax return preparation services; and
- business units primarily engaged in providing bookkeeping, billing and payroll processing services.
Tax preparation services
Business units primarily engaged in providing tax return preparation services.
Include:
- income tax return preparation services;
- tax return preparation services.
Bookkeeping, payroll and related services
Business units primarily engaged in providing bookkeeping, billing or payroll processing services.
Include:
- billing and bookkeeping services; and
- payroll processing services.
If none of the above activities describes your main source of revenue, please call 1-800‑972‑9692 for further instructions.
Please report information for your fiscal year (normal business year) ending between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013. Please indicate the reporting period covered by this questionnaire.
A detailed breakdown may be requested in other sections.
1. Sales of goods and services (e.g., rental and leasing income, commissions, fees, admissions, services revenue) Report net of returns and allowances.
Sales of goods and services are defined as amounts derived from the sale of goods and services (cash or credit), falling within a business’s ordinary activities. Sales should be reported net of trade discount, value added tax and other taxes based on sales.
Include:
- sales from Canadian locations (domestic and export sales);
- transfers to other business units or a head office of your firm.
Exclude:
- transfers into inventory and consignment sales;
- federal, provincial and territorial sales taxes and excise duties and taxes;
- intercompany sales in consolidated financial statements.
2. Grants, subsidies, donations and fundraising
Please report contributions received during the reporting period.
Include:
- non-repayable grants, contributions and subsidies from all levels of government;
- revenue from private sector (corporate and individual) sponsorships, donations and fundraising.
3. Royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees
A royalty is defined as a payment received by the holder of a copyright, trademark or patent.
Please include revenue received from the sale or use of all intellectual property rights of copyrighted musical, literary, artistic or dramatic works, sound recordings or the broadcasting of communication signals.
4. Investment income (dividends and interest)
Investment income is defined as the portion of a company’s income derived from its investments, including dividends and interest on stocks and bonds.
Include interest from:
- foreign sources;
- bonds and debentures;
- mortgage loans;
- G.I.C. interest;
- loan interest;
- securities interest and deposits with bank interest.
Exclude:
- equity income from investments in subsidiaries or affiliates; these amounts should be reported in section E, at question 25.
5. Other revenue (please specify)
Include:
- amounts not included in questions 1 to 4 above.
6. Total revenue
The sum of questions 1 to 5.
1. Salaries and wages of employees who have been issued a T4 statement
Please report all salaries and wages (including taxable allowances and employment commissions as defined on the T4 – Statement of Remuneration Paid) before deductions for this reporting period.
Include:
- vacation pay;
- bonuses (including profit sharing);
- employee commissions;
- taxable allowances (e.g., room and board, vehicle allowances, gifts such as airline tickets for holidays);
- severance pay.
Exclude:
- all payments and expenses associated with casual labour and outside contract workers; please report these amounts in this section, at question 5.
2. Employer portion of employee benefits
Include contributions to:
- health plans;
- insurance plans;
- employment insurance;
- pension plans;
- workers’ compensation;
- contributions to any other employee benefits such as child care and supplementary unemployment benefit (SUB) plans;
- contributions to provincial and territorial health and education payroll taxes.
3. Commissions paid to non-employees
Please report commission payments to outside workers without a T4 – Statement of Remuneration Paid.
Include:
- commission payments to independent real estate agents and brokers.
4. Professional and business services fees
Include:
- legal;
- accounting and auditing;
- consulting;
- education and training;
- architect;
- appraisal;
- management and administration.
5. Subcontract expenses (include contract labour, contract work and custom work)
Subcontract expense refers to the purchasing of services from outside of the company rather than providing them in-house.
Include:
- hired casual labour and outside contract workers.
6. Charges for services provided by your head office
Include:
- parent company reimbursement expenses and interdivisional expenses.
7. Cost of goods sold, if applicable (purchases plus opening inventory minus closing inventory)
Report cost of purchased goods that were resold during the reporting period. If applicable, report cost of goods and material used in manufacturing of sold products.
Include:
- goods purchased for resale: purchases during the period (including freight-in) plus opening inventory less closing inventory;
- materials used in manufacturing of products sold: report only the material component of cost of finished manufactured goods that were sold during the reporting period.
Exclude:
- direct and indirect labour costs (salaries, wages, benefits, and commissions);
- overhead and all other costs normally charged to cost of goods sold, such as depreciation, energy costs, utilities, sub-contracts, royalties, transportation, warehousing, insurance, rental and leasing; these expenses should be reported elsewhere in the detailed categories provided.
8. Office supplies
Include:
- office stationery and supplies, paper and other supplies for photocopiers, printers and fax machines;
- diskettes and computer upgrade expenses;
- data processing.
Exclude:
- postage and courier;
- telephone, Internet and other telecommunications expenses (please report this amount in this section, at question 14).
9. Rental and leasing (include rental of premises, equipment, motor vehicles, etc.)
Include:
- lease rental expenses, real estate rental expenses, condominium fees and equipment rental expenses;
- motor vehicle rental and leasing expenses;
- rental and leasing of computer and peripheral expenses;
- studio lighting and scaffolding, and other machinery and equipment expenses;
- fuel and other utility costs covered in your rental and leasing contracts.
10. Repair and maintenance (e.g., property, equipment, vehicles)
Include expenses for the repair and maintenance of:
- buildings and structures;
- vehicles (including vehicle fuel);
- machinery and equipment;
- security equipment;
- costs related to materials, parts and external labour associated with these expenses.
Also include janitorial and cleaning services and garbage removal.
11. Insurance (include professional liability, motor vehicles, etc.)
Include:
- professional and other liability insurance;
- motor vehicle and property insurance;
- executive life insurance;
- bonding, business interruption insurance and fire insurance.
Insurance recovery income should be deducted from insurance expenses.
12. Advertising, marketing and promotions (report charitable donations at question 22)
Include:
- newspaper advertising and media expenses;
- catalogues, presentations and displays;
- meeting and convention expenses;
- tickets for theatre, concerts and sporting events for business promotion;
- fundraising expenses.
13. Travel, meals and entertainment
Include:
- passenger transportation, accommodation and meals while travelling;
- other travel allowances as well as meal, entertainment and hospitality purchases for clients.
14. Utilities and telecommunications expenses (include gas, heating, hydro, water, telephone and Internet expenses)
Include:
- diesel, fuel wood, natural gas, oil and propane;
- sewage.
Exclude:
- energy expenses covered in your rental and leasing contracts;
- vehicle fuel.
15. Property and business taxes, licences and permits
Include:
- property taxes paid directly and property transfer taxes;
- vehicle licence fees;
- beverage taxes and business taxes;
- trade licence fees;
- membership fees and professional licence fees.
16. Royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees
Include:
- amounts paid to holders of patents, copyrights, performing rights and trademarks;
- gross overriding royalty expenses and direct royalty costs;
- resident and non-resident royalty expenses;
- franchise fees.
17. Delivery, warehousing, postage and courier
Include:
- amounts paid for courier, custom fees, delivery and installation;
- distribution, ferry charges and cartage;
- freight and duty, shipping, warehousing and storage.
18. Financial service fees
Include:
- explicit service charges for financial services;
- credit and debit card commissions and charges;
- collection expenses and transfer fees;
- registrar and transfer agent fees;
- security and exchange commission fees;
- other financial service fees.
Exclude:
19. Interest expenses
Please report the cost of servicing your company’s debt.
Include interest on:
- short-term and long-term debt;
- capital leases;
- bonds and debentures and mortgages.
20. Amortization and depreciation of tangible and intangible assets
Include:
- direct cost depreciation of tangible assets and amortization of leasehold improvements;
- amortization of intangible assets (e.g., amortization of goodwill, deferred charges, organizational costs, and research and development costs).
21. Bad debts
A bad debt is the portion of receivables deemed uncollectible, typically from accounts receivable or loans.
Include:
Bad debt recoveries are to be netted from bad debt expenses.
22. All other expenses (please specify)
Include:
- amounts not included in questions 1 to 21;
- charitable and political expenses;
- research and development expenses;
- recruiting expenses.
23. Total expenses
The sum of questions 1 to 22.
24. Corporate taxes, if applicable
Include:
- federal, provincial and territorial current income taxes and federal, provincial and territorial provision for deferred income taxes.
25. Gains (losses) and other items
Include:
- realized gains/losses on disposal of assets and realized gains/losses on sale of investments;
- foreign exchange gains/losses, subsidiary/affiliate share of income/losses and other division
income/losses;
- joint venture income/losses and partnership income/losses;
- unrealized gains/losses, extraordinary items, legal settlements, and other unusual items;
- write-offs.
26. Net profit/loss after tax and other items
Total revenue less Total expenses minus Corporate taxes plus Gains (losses) and other items.
1. Auditing and other assurance services
Include:
- financial auditing;
- tax auditing;
- review of financial statements with orwithout compilation;
- agreed-upon procedures for financial information;
- other assurance and related services.
2. General accounting services (include financial statement compilation services)
Include:
- bookkeeping;
- compilation of financial statements.
A compilation engagement is one in which an accountant receives information from a client and arranges it into the form of a financial statement. The accountant assures that the assembly of information is arithmetically correct. However, the accountant does not attempt to verify the accuracy or completeness of the information provided, and no endorsement or expression of assurance is provided.
3. Bookkeeping services
A service consisting of general transaction entry.
Include:
- maintenance of all journals and ledgers;
- preparation of trial balances and bank reconciliations;
- production of management information reports;
- billing and collection of accounts receivable;
- processing of accounts payable.
May include payroll calculation but not the overall payroll services.
4. Payroll services
Include:
- payroll processing;
- withholding deductions;
- remitting deductions and employer’s contributions to government-mandated and other plans;
- filing reports.
5. Tax preparation and representation services for corporate and other clients
Services for corporate and other clients such as:
- preparation of income and other tax returns;
- review of returns prepared by others;
- filing of returns;
- preparation of supplementary documents associated with returns; and
- preparation for representation at tax audits and appeals.
Include compilation of financial statements when provided as a package with tax preparation for a single fee.
6. Tax preparation and representation services for individuals and unincorporated businesses
Services for individuals and unincorporated businesses such as:
- preparation of income and other tax returns;
- review of returns prepared by others;
- filing of returns;
- preparation of supplementary documents associated with returns;
- preparation for and representation at tax audits and appeals.
Include compilation of financial statements when provided as a package with tax preparation for a single fee.
7. Tax planning and consulting services
Planning and consulting in order to minimize the impact of taxation, and interpreting tax law.
8. Insolvency and receivership services
Include:
- overseeing the dissolution (bankruptcy) of a firm;
- payment of all creditors possible;
- filing of the necessary documents in compliance with government regulation.
9. Management consulting services
Management consulting services in the areas of strategic and organizational planning, finance, human resources, marketing and production.
10. Other sales
All other sales of services not specified elsewhere such as:
- business incorporation services;
- personal financial planning services;
- legal services;
- accounting training services;
- litigation support services;
- business valuation services;
- computerized accounting systems services.
(Please specify):
Please indicate any major items associated with the revenue reported for this category on the line provided. Sales from these goods and services, while not generally part of your principal source of revenue, complete the financial picture of the activities of your business unit.
11. Total sales
The sum of amounts reported at questions 1 to 10 above.
To fully measure the contribution of all human capital in this industry, we require information on the number of partners and proprietors as well as the number and classification of workers.
1. Number of partners and proprietors, non-salaried (if salaried, report at question 2 below)
For unincorporated businesses, please report the number of partners and proprietors for whom earnings will be the net income of the partnership or proprietorship.
2. Paid employees
a) Average number of paid employees during the reporting period
To calculate the average number employed, add the number of employees in the last pay period of each month of the reporting period and divide this sum by the number of months (usually 12).
Exclude:
- partners and proprietors, non-salaried reported at question 1 above.
b) Percentage of paid employees (from question 2a) who worked full time
Full-time employment consists of persons who usually work 30 hours or more per week. Please specify the percentage of paid employees who have been working full time by rounding the percentage to the nearest whole number.
3. Number of contract workers for whom you did not issue a T4, such as freelancers and casual workers (estimates are acceptable)
Contract workers are not employees, but workers contracted to perform a specific task or project in your organization for a specific duration, such as self-employed persons, freelancers and casual workers. These workers are not issued a T4 information slip. Please report the number of contract workers employed by your organization during the fiscal year.
This section is designed to measure which sector of the economy purchases your services.
Please provide a percentage breakdown of your sales by type of client.
Please ensure that the sum of percentages reported in this section equals 100%.
1. Clients in Canada
a) Businesses
Percentage of sales sold to the business sector should be reported here.
Include:
- sales to Crown corporations.
b) Individuals and households
Please report the percentage of sales to individuals and households who do not represent the business or government sector.
c) Governments, not-for-profit organizations and public institutions (e.g., hospitals, schools)
Percentage of sales to federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments should be reported here.
Include:
- sales to hospitals, schools, universities and public utilities.
2. Clients outside Canada
Please report the share of total sales to customers or clients located outside Canada including foreign businesses, foreign individuals, foreign institutions and/or governments.
Include:
- sales to foreign subsidiaries and affiliates.
Please provide a percentage breakdown of your total sales by client location (first point of sale).
Please ensure that the sum of percentages reported in this section equals 100%.
The percentage in question 14 must equal question 2 in section H.
This section is intended to measure the value of international transactions on goods, services, and royalties and licences fees. It covers imported services and goods purchased outside Canada as well as the value of exported services and goods to clients/customers outside Canada. Please report also royalties, rights, licensing and franchise fees paid to and/or received from outside Canada. Services cover a variety of industrial, professional, trade and business services.
This section is intended to collect information on the locations operated by your business during the reporting period.
Please report the number of business units or locations operating in Canada during the reporting period. Business unit is defined as the lowest level of the firm for which accounting records are maintained for such details as revenue, expenses and employment.
Please report data for the provinces or territories in which you have business units and indicate if you are reporting in Canadian dollars or percentages.
Statistics Canada conducts this survey to obtain detailed and accurate data on this industry, which is recognised as being an important contributor to the Canadian economy. Your responses are critically important to produce reliable statistics used by businesses, non-profit organizations and all levels of government to make informed decisions in many areas.
The information from this survey can be used by your business to benchmark your performance against an industry standard, to plan marketing strategies or to prepare business plans for investors. Governments use the data to develop national and regional economic policies and to develop programs to promote domestic and international competitiveness. The data are also used by trade associations, business analysts and investors to study the economic performance and characteristics of your industry.
To reduce respondent burden, Statistics Canada has entered into data-sharing agreements with provincial and territorial statistical agencies and other government organizations, which have agreed to keep the data confidential and use them only for statistical purposes. Statistics Canada will only share data from this survey with those organizations that have demonstrated a requirement to use the data.
Section 11 of the Statistics Act provides for the sharing of information with provincial and territorial statistical agencies that meet certain conditions. These agencies must have the legislative authority to collect the same information, on a mandatory basis, and the legislation must provide substantially the same provisions for confidentiality and penalties for disclosure of confidential information as the Statistics Act. Because these agencies have the legal authority to compel businesses to provide the same information, consent is not requested and businesses may not object to the sharing of the data.
For this survey, there are Section 11 agreements with the provincial and territorial statistical agencies of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and the Yukon.
The shared data will be limited to information pertaining to business establishments located within the jurisdiction of the respective province or territory.
Section 12 of the Statistics Act provides for the sharing of information with federal, provincial or territorial government organizations. Under Section 12, you may refuse to share your information with any of these organizations by writing a letter of objection to the Chief Statistician and returning it with the completed questionnaire. Please specify the organizations with which you do not want to share your data.
For this survey, there are Section 12 agreements with the statistical agencies of Prince Edward Island, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
For agreements with provincial and territorial government organizations, the shared data will be limited to information pertaining to business establishments located within the jurisdiction of the respective province or territory.
To enhance the data from this survey, Statistics Canada may combine it with information from other surveys or from administrative sources.
Please note that Statistics Canada does not share any individual survey information with the Canada Revenue Agency.
Please visit our website at www.statcan.gc.ca/survey-enquete/index-eng.htm or call us at 1-800-972-9692 for more information about these data-sharing agreements.
Thank you!
