Contact Us

NEWS

Accounting Software for Veterinary Practices in Canada: CPA Field Test

by

Accounting software for veterinary practices in Canada

Accounting Software for Veterinary Practices in Canada: CPA Field Test

QuickBooks Online Advanced (2025 release)

Best for: Clinics > $2 M revenue or planning multi-location.

  • Built-in Custom Approval Workflows—head vet signs off on every inventory order before the bill posts.
  • Connects directly to most vet PMS (eVetPractice, Cornerstone) via Zapier—charges push nightly as invoices.

Price: $170 CAD/mo.

Xero Premium + VetChart add-on

Best for: Single-location, 2–5 vet practices that want unlimited users.

  • VetChart add-on ($19/mo) drops a pre-built veterinary chart of accounts + automatic locum contractor vs employee flag.
  • Hubdoc capture: snap a photo of Idexx invoice, reads line items, posts to right GST/PST codes.

Downside: Inventory module is light—if you carry >300 SKUs of retail food, you’ll still need a side spreadsheet.

Wave (Free) – But Only If…

You run a mobile or locum-only practice with no inventory and you’re OK manually separating PST. Bank-feed reconciliation is solid, GST reports export to CRA My-Business in 2 clicks, and the price is $0. You get what you pay for: no multi-currency, no purchase-order workflow, no vet-specific templates. Still, for side-hustle house-call vets, it beats Excel.

What About Vet-Specific PMS Accounting?

AVImark, ImproMed, and eVetPractice all advertise “full accounting.” Reality: their GL dumps require a 30-column cleanup before import; you’ll pay us $1,200+ just to map last year. Use your PMS for medical records, use a real bookkeeping app for taxes.

My 3-Minute Setup Checklist (Send to Your Bookkeeper)

  1. Create separate income accounts: Vaccine, Surgery, Dentistry, Boarding, Food/Retail.
  2. Map each provincial tax component: GST 5%, BC-PST 7%, AB-none.
  3. Turn on bank-feed AI rules: auto-code Idexx, Covetrus, VetDrug to “Cost of Goods Sold – Medical Supplies.”
  4. Lock periods: nobody can touch prior quarter once filed.

Bottom Line

Pick QBO Advanced if you want growth-proof horsepower; choose Xero for lean, user-friendly value; stick with Wave if you’re a solo locum keeping overhead at zero.