TPC Tax Planning Centre is a small, long-running Canadian tax-preparation franchise — in business since the mid-1980s — which cuts both ways for a resale: the system has decades of precedent behind it, but with a leaner franchise network than the big national tax brands, the head office's own administrative process for a resale may be more individualized and less standardized than what a larger chain runs routinely. That's worth confirming directly rather than assuming, alongside the usual client-book and seasonal-timing considerations of any tax-prep resale.
TPC Tax Planning Centre resales follow the franchisor's own approval process on top of the usual purchase mechanics — here's how the two run together.
Getting approved
The offer sets price and terms, conditioned on franchisor consent and confirming which client relationships and records actually transfer.
1–2 weeks†Given TPC's smaller network, this review is often more direct and individualized than a large chain's standardized process — worth confirming the head office's actual precedent for a resale like yours early.
3–6 weeks, typically†A franchise disclosure document may still be required for this resale — Ontario courts read the resale-disclosure exemption narrowly, so franchisor involvement can trigger it even where it's called a private deal.
assessed early, in parallel†Getting to closing
Landlord's consent to assign the office lease, alongside confirming how client tax records and files are transferred and secured.
2–6 weeks†The incoming owner or manager completes required training, and preparer credentials and CRA authorizations are confirmed, before the franchisor signs off.
1–3 weeks, often overlapping†Funds, keys, and the new franchise agreement change hands together, ideally timed around — not during — peak filing season.
1 day, once conditions are met†CFA Look For A Franchise listing confirms an active Canadian franchise network, CFA member since 2008, 4 units in business since 1985
Ontario offices among its long-established but small Canadian tax-preparation franchise network (provincial breakdown not published)
This is the first real decision in a TPC Tax Planning Centre resale — and it changes what you're buying, what you're taking on, and how the franchise agreement moves.
| Question | Asset purchase | Share purchase |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | The office's assets — the client base and its records, leasehold improvements, equipment, and the existing franchise agreement, subject to consent. | The shares of the corporation operating the office — everything it owns, and everything it owes. |
| Franchisor consent & ROFR | Required for the specific office changing hands — with a smaller network, expect a more direct, less form-driven review than a major chain's. | Required for the change of control itself, with the franchisor reviewing who is actually taking over. |
| Client tax records & preparer authorization | Client tax records transfer with appropriate privacy safeguards, and the incoming preparer secures their own CRA authorization to represent clients — it isn't automatic. | The corporation's existing CRA registrations and authorizations generally continue, since the entity itself doesn't change. |
| The lease | Needs the landlord's consent to assign, timed alongside the franchisor's own consent. | Usually stays in place unless the lease has its own change-of-control clause. |
| Tax angle | Buyer gets a stepped-up cost base on the assets purchased. | Seller may access the lifetime capital gains exemption on qualifying shares. |
| Typical use | The default for a single office changing hands. | Less common — sometimes used where an operator holds multiple offices under one company. |
The office's assets — the client base and its records, leasehold improvements, equipment, and the existing franchise agreement, subject to consent.
The shares of the corporation operating the office — everything it owns, and everything it owes.
Required for the specific office changing hands — with a smaller network, expect a more direct, less form-driven review than a major chain's.
Required for the change of control itself, with the franchisor reviewing who is actually taking over.
Client tax records transfer with appropriate privacy safeguards, and the incoming preparer secures their own CRA authorization to represent clients — it isn't automatic.
The corporation's existing CRA registrations and authorizations generally continue, since the entity itself doesn't change.
Needs the landlord's consent to assign, timed alongside the franchisor's own consent.
Usually stays in place unless the lease has its own change-of-control clause.
Buyer gets a stepped-up cost base on the assets purchased.
Seller may access the lifetime capital gains exemption on qualifying shares.
The default for a single office changing hands.
Less common — sometimes used where an operator holds multiple offices under one company.
We tell you which structure fits — before you sign anything.
No open-ended hourly surprises — the cost is confirmed in writing before any work begins.
| Type of work | Fee | How it's confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Straightforward purchase or sale | Starting from $3,388.87 Our charges · taxes included | Confirmed in writing once we see the agreement. |
| Larger or more complex deal | Quoted to scope | Short call → fixed written quote before any work begins. |
| Searches, filings & third-party fees | At cost | Itemized on your invoice, not marked up. |
A single TPC office changing hands between one buyer and one seller, timed around tax season, with a lease and a direct franchisor consent conversation.
Start my file →An operator selling several TPC offices as one operating company, or a resale where the franchisor's own resale precedent and process need to be established before terms are final.
Book a consultation →Not sure which you are? That's our job to figure out, not yours. As a rough guide, most deals under a couple of million dollars are the first kind — above that, you're usually in Mergers & Acquisitions territory.
The core mechanics are similar — franchisor consent, client-record transfer, and preparer CRA authorizations all apply — but TPC's franchise network is considerably smaller than the major national chains, so its head office may not have a routine, high-volume resale process in place. We confirm the franchisor's actual precedent and point of contact for a resale like yours rather than assuming a large-chain playbook applies.
TPC's own published materials don't break out a province-by-province count, so we don't state a network size we can't verify — what we can confirm is that TPC has operated in Canada for decades and that Ontario offices exist within its franchise network. We'd verify current local presence directly as part of your diligence rather than relying on a published figure that doesn't exist.
Because most of an office's value and client activity concentrates in tax season, transfers are commonly timed to close either well before or shortly after peak filing months, so client service isn't disrupted mid-season and the new owner has clarity on which season's business they're actually buying.
Not necessarily. Ontario courts have read the resale-disclosure exemption narrowly, and franchisor involvement in matching a buyer to a seller can trigger a full disclosure requirement regardless of how the deal is framed — a smaller franchisor is not automatically exempt from this.
This depends on your role — whether you'll be preparing returns yourself or hiring preparers — but confirming the necessary CRA authorizations and any franchisor-required training are in place before your first season is a standard part of the transfer, regardless of the brand's size.
Related
Where we close franchise resale deals
Treadstone Law is an independent law firm. We act for buyers and sellers of franchise businesses. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or retained by TPC Tax Planning Centre or its franchisor.
Tell us about your TPC Tax Planning Centre resale — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.