How Onboarding Works, and What Documents We Need
What happens after you accept your Sansar proposal: the welcome email, your document checklist, CRA authorization, follow-ups, and when the 1-month turnaround starts.
Once you accept your proposal, you get a welcome email from our onboarding team with a document checklist built from the services you chose. Your accountant is copied in from day one. We follow up on anything outstanding until it's in, and our guaranteed 1-month turnaround starts once all your documents are received.
The five steps
- You accept your proposal. Proposals are sent and signed through Ignition. That's where your all-inclusive flat rate and scope are confirmed.
- Welcome email from onboarding@sansarsolutions.com. Your Onboarding Manager introduces themselves, and the accountant or team who owns your file is cc'd and follows up with their own introduction. You can book a call with onboarding any time.
- Your personal checklist. It's built from the services you signed up for, so a corporation catching up three years of T2s and HST gets a different list from a sole proprietor filing T1s. You upload through your own secure checklist page or simply reply to the email with attachments. If an item doesn't apply to you, tell us and we take it off the list.
- Follow-ups until everything is in. We send short reminders listing exactly what's still missing. If something is hard to get (closed bank accounts, an old accountant who won't respond), we help you find another way.
- The 1-month clock starts. Once all documents are received, turnaround is guaranteed within 1 month. Multi-year catch-up usually finishes in 1–2 months. Delays on your side, waiting on banks, or CRA processing can extend it.
The typical checklist
Documents to send - PDF bank statements and credit card statements for every month of every year we're catching up, for each account the business used - E-transfer history reports (sent and received), where you use e-transfers - Previously filed T2 corporate returns and/or T1 personal returns, notices of assessment, and any CRA letters - A copy of valid ID - Payroll records (if you have staff): payroll reports, remittance history, T4s - Receipts and invoices for larger expenses, and loan or lease statements, where relevant
Things to tell us - Business name, Business Number and fiscal year-end - Province and the sales tax you charge (HST, GST, or GST + PST) - Whether your corporation's annual report is up to date - The accounting software you use, if any - For personal returns: marital status, residency status, foreign property over $100,000, and any foreign income
CRA access - Authorize Sansar as your representative through the CRA's Represent a Client service (or form AUT-01 for businesses). We'll walk you through it. See how to authorize a bookkeeper with the CRA.
Missing something?
That's normal. Read what if I lost my bank statements, how to get old statements from your bank, and how to get records from a previous accountant.
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Onboarding FAQ
When does the 1-month turnaround start? Once all the documents on your checklist have been received. Multi-year catch-up typically takes 1–2 months, and bank or CRA delays can extend it.
Do I need to send paper receipts? Usually not up front. Bank and card statements come first. We'll ask for specific receipts or invoices where they're needed.
Who will I be working with? An Onboarding Manager collects your documents, and the accountant or team owning your file is cc'd from the welcome email onward.
What if an item on the checklist doesn't apply to me? Tell us and we'll take it off your list.
Is uploading my documents secure? Yes. You upload through your own secure checklist page, or you can reply to the onboarding email with attachments if you prefer.