Business Users
Calgary Dollars is a customer loyalty program for local business and a promotional network for your business. It seeks to help local businesses by encouraging people to shop and buy products and services locally from Calgary businesses. By using Calgary dollars, people are encouraged to spend at local businesses on a regular basis.
How do I post an ad on the app?
Check out this short video on how to post ads on the C$ app.
To post an ad online via browser/desktop click here.
How many Calgary Dollars do I have to accept for transactions?
Businesses and users may accept any amount of Calgary Dollars for any goods or services, starting at a minimum of 10%. Posted ads can be changed at any time, and can also be adjusted for specific days and promotions.
What businesses can use Calgary Dollars?
Any business based in and located in Calgary can spend and accept Calgary Dollars.
How can my business use Calgary Dollars?
C$ can be acquired and used digitally or physically, and can be used for a variety of goods and services listed in the C$ Marketplace, as a customer loyalty program, or even to pay a portion of your City of Calgary Business licence.
How can my business benefit from using Calgary Dollars as a reward system?
Calgary dollars, as a form of local and complementary currency, can be used as a type of reward system by your business. By accepting and giving 10% Calgary Dollars, you are encouraging your customers to come use Calgary Dollars at your business, either to gain rewards on their purchase, or to spend their Calgary Dollars at your business. Since Calgary Dollars can be used to pay for business necessities, be it reducing the cost of your business licence, or to pay for market rental fees at select community markets across the city, you can be confident that your Calgary Dollars will be able to be used in a constructive way by your business, while also encouraging consumers to shop locally and purchase your goods and services.
How do I use the app?
Check out this quick three minute walk-through on how to use the C$ App, tailored to our local businesses.
Learn how to:
0:22 – Receive a Customer Payment
1:08 – Check your Account
1:17 – Pay with Calgary Dollars
1:26 – Browse the Marketplace
1:41 – Issue C$ Rewards – Exclusive Business feature!
2:19 – Make a “Take Action Grants” Donation
How does Calgary Dollars affect my taxes, accounting and payroll?
CRA
Calgary Dollars is included by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) in their corporate barter memo: “The Department takes the view that barter transactions are within the purview of the Income Tax Act;” and that the taxation of “credit units possessing a notional monetary unit value used as a medium of exchange.”[1] C$ is not a federal cash transaction, or even a discount credit, but a barter dollar with equal value $1CAD for C$1.
How to Use C$ with GST and Payroll Deductions
Like Canadian dollars (CAD), Calgary Dollars (C$) is taxable. Tax (GST) is required only if you are registered for GST; ie, you are a regular business with transactions over $30K or $50k for non-profits. For more info on if you are eligible to register for GST, see the footnotes.[2] If you have a GST number, here’s an example:
If you are selling a product for $100, like a flat of organic juice, and if you accept 50% in C$, then first you must add tax onto the full amount so that the customer owes $105. The customer would pay C$50 and $55CAD (federal). For those paying employees in C$ (or a portion thereof), you need to deduct benefits (EI, CPP, Provincial & Federal Taxes) on the whole amount, which includes the C$’s (gross amount).
Accounting
You can download a CSV file of your C$ transactions at any time from your account on the C$ website. C$ should not be reconciled as an asset on the Balance Sheet, as it is not CAD currency, so you should not treat C$ like a bank account. So, what to do instead? Let’s use the example of what we do at Calgary Dollars. We put all the C$ transactions in one revenue account. Let’s use the $100 example with a 50% C$ acceptance.
– Credit your revenue (sales/service) account
– Credit GST payable for $5
– Debit your bank or receivable account for $55
– Debit your assigned C$ account (revenue account) 50C$
The natural course of a revenue account is a credit, but when you are accepting a payment into this assigned C$’s account it appears to be a negative. When you spend your C$’s with another vendor who accepts your payment, as a result it becomes a positive. So, for example: you’ve hired a community handy person to repair your sink and they accept 25% in C$’s:
*You must get an invoice/receipt in order to record your expense (this may or may not have GST) = $105.00*
– Debit your expense account $100
– Debit your GST paid $5
– Credit your assigned C$ account $25
– Credit your bank or payable account $80
Your payment in C$’s will now show a positive entry to your assigned revenue account. When your C$ account is showing a negative, you’ve taken in more C$ than you’ve spent.
All revenue and expense accounts get wiped clean at year end, so in order to continue using your unspent C$’s, you must transfer or “defer” to the following year:
– Debit the amount remaining in your assigned C$’s revenue account
– Credit an account from your liability section (payables) of your balance sheet (dated at year end)
– Do the opposite once you are in the new year (dated on the 1st day of that month)
Are Calgary Dollars taxable income?
Yes, income for your business in C$ is taxable 1:1 with the Canadian dollar.
How do I teach my staff to process Calgary Dollars?
Customers can use their C$ to pay part of their bill.
Give the customer their bill and your businesses username.
Inform the customer the percentage of C$ redeemable on their transaction total, between 10% and 100% of the price in C$.
The customer logs in to their C$ account on their device.
The customer selects ‘Pay with C$’ and fill in the fields accordingly:
Pay to your business username.
Enter the ‘Purchase amount (CAD)’.
Enter the ‘Percentage’ based on what you accept.
Review & Confirm the transaction.
Ask the customer to show you their payment confirmation page. It will tell you the exact amount of C$ the customer transferred to your account. The confirmation screen proves the transaction is complete, you have the option of confirming receipt in your business’ C$ account.
At that point, the staff can deduct the C$ paid from the original bill. Then, the server completes the transaction by taking payment for the bill as usual. When entering C$ on the POS, please use the new C$ tender button.
If you or customers have problems, take pictures of the receipts and send them to manager@calgarydollars.ca
To reward a customer with C$
Open the Calgary Dollars app or website.
Login
Login name:
Login password:
Select Issue C$ Reward.
Find customer in database by entering their First Name. The customer needs to have a C$ account.
Enter the ‘Sales amount (CAD)’. Note the decimal on the screen.
Review totals and confirm the First Name and User Name in brackets. Select Submit.
Confirm the transaction.
The customer has been rewarded and the C$ will appear in their account. Complete the transaction by taking the balance of payment as usual. Remind the customer to tip on the full value of the bill.
Google user data is only used by our applications for login purposes and is not used for any other purpose.
Business Licence FAQ
How do I pay 50% of my base business license in Calgary Dollars?"
Send your City of Calgary business licence number to Calgary Dollars staff and we’ll confirm the amount you can pay in C$ to the City, 50% of the base fee. Then pay this amount to the Take Action Grant user on Calgary Dollars via the app or website by clicking the “Pay User” button. Be sure to include “Business license fee” and your business licence in the description. We’ll confirm within 3 business days that your City account has been adjusted.
What should I say when I arrive to pay for the balance of my business licence?
Your businesses account will reflect a lower balance and you can pay it online or in person
How long will it take for my business licence payment to be processed?
Your account will be credited within 3 business days once your C$ payment has been made and the City is informed
Do I get the discount up front (at the counter), or a refund?
If a business is paying for their license for the first time they will receive a refund.
Can I pay online, in person or by phone?
You can pay your C$ portion digitally via our website or your phone and you can pay the City of Calgary balance online, in person or by phone
What are the terms of use and privacy policy for Calgary Dollars?
TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICIES:
Your participation in Calgary Dollars serves as your agreement to the fees, incentives, and terms of Calgary Dollars.
You agree to accept a minimum of 10% Calgary Dollars in payment for goods or services or post items for no charge.
Although Calgary Dollars can’t monitor all content, we retain the right to remove accounts and listings if they don’t reflect the spirit our our community and complementary currency goals.
Privacy – Your listings are shared on the internet and therefore may circulate beyond our website. Photos or media coverage may take place a public events. Calgary Dollars data will be kept in alignment with FOIP requirements.
The Calgary Dollars website and app applications may access, use, and store Google Map information if entered or share users Google data which has been shared with Calgary Dollars applications.
You agree to not hold Calgary Dollars or stakeholders responsible for the systems operations, communications, timeliness, quality, or availability of goods and/or services exchanged between participants or any losses that may result.
Inquiries can be sent from online within Calgary Dollars by messaging the Administration and the Calgary Dollars Support Centre is at info@calgarydollars.ca and 403-270-3200.
Calgary Dollars is a program of the Arusha Centre, funded by the City of Calgary – FCSS, Alberta government funders, and the Calgary Foundation. This Calgary Dollars software is cyclos.org built with the generous support of Ubiquat.com and is part of a global movement of complementary currencies.