Overview of Self-Employment Taxes in Canada

Self-employed individuals are responsible for keeping track of their gross income figures and expenses and then submitting them to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). From there, you are required to pay the income tax that you owe.

When are you Considered Self-Employed?

In order for the federal government to consider you to be self-employed, you have to fall under one of the categories below.

• You carry on a trade or profession or even own a small business as an independent contractor or a sole proprietor.
• You are part of a partnership that carries on a business or even a trade.
• You have your own business. This includes freelancing or operating a business part-time.
• You have a side hustle online.

Anything made from these sources is considered to be taxable income, and you are required to claim it when tax season comes around.

The Taxes That You Pay

If you are self-employed and responsible for your individual tax obligations, there are a few different taxes you need to pay besides income taxes on your self-employed income. These include federal taxes, provincial taxes, CPP (Canada Pension Plan) contributions and EI (Employment Insurance) contributions (these are optional). You are also responsible for paying GST (Goods and Services Tax), HST (Harmonized Sales Tax), and/or PST (Provincial Sales Tax) if they are required.

Self-Employed Tax Rates

As a self-employed person, how much you pay in taxes is going to depend on the tax rate. How the system works is based on income. This number is difficult to determine before you file your yearly tax return, but below we show you how it is calculated. Keep in mind that there are provincial tax rates as well. These rates vary from province to province. The ones shown below are the federal rates.

Federal Tax Brackets for 2026 

Self-Employed Tax Benefits

One of the benefits of paying self-employed taxes is that you can write off any business-related expenses. What you are able to write off differs depending on the type of business you operate, but here are some examples.

• Advertising expenses (online marketing)
• Travel
• Utilities
• Phone bills
• Office Supplies
• Bank fees
• Vehicle expenses such as fuel and maintenance
• Insurance
• Legal expenses
• Property taxes
• Rent
• Salaries, Wages and Benefits
• Allowable meals and expenses
• Professional fees
• Registration fees

How to Report Self-Employment Income

Reporting self-employment income isn’t that much different from reporting regular income, except for the fact that it does not require you to input any expenses or anything else you need to save money on your taxes. 

Reporting the income itself, though, you just enter your gross and net income amounts on lines 13500 and 14300 of your income tax and benefit return. In this case, your gross income is your income before deductions, and your net income is your income after deductions. 

You should also make sure that you are using the form T2124, Statement of Business and Professional Activities. Determining what is considered a deduction and what isn’t can be the difficult part. If you aren’t quite sure what deductions are allowed and what aren’t, there is a list above, but you can also speak to a tax professional. 

When you are filing your income tax return, it is important to be sure that everything you enter is correct. If it is ever determined that you entered something that isn’t an expense, you could end up being on the hook for that money or even end up being audited. On the other hand, you could end up paying way more income tax than necessary if you don’t deduct expenses that you’re eligible for. 

Other Ways to Save on Taxes

When you are self-employed, other than just your business expenses, there are other things you can claim in order to save yourself money. If you have saved 25-30% of your earnings, then you should have enough to cover them, but who wants to spend all of that money if you don’t have to?

Here are a few things to consider, but remember, you can always speak to a tax professional. They will look at your individual tax situation and help you save as much money as you can.

Home Office

If your business is operated from your home, there are expenses that you can write off, in addition to just your supplies. Things like:

• Mortgage interest
• Utilities
• Maintenance and repairs

Really, anything that is required for you to effectively run your business is eligible. That being said, how much of these expenses is claimed is based on what you use for your business. This area should be dedicated to your business only. The CRA may require your home’s floor plans in order to prove this.

Lease a Vehicle

If you require a vehicle to operate your business, then leasing a vehicle is a great way to save money on taxes. The monthly lease amount that you are able to deduct is $800 plus taxes. Anything above that can’t be deducted. Along with the leasing charges, you are able to deduct:

• Maintenance costs
• Insurance
• Parking Fees
• Toll fees

These are just a few examples. You can deduct any vehicle-related fees directly related to your business. In order to calculate how much of these fees you are able to deduct, it is based on the km you drive that are business-related. For every business-related trip, you should write down your km’s. If you do this for every trip all year, you will discover how many kilometres were work-related and how many weren’t, which will determine how much of your costs are considered deductible expenses. Along with the kilometres, you should also keep track of dates, locations and purposes for each trip.

Incorporate Your Business

You may notice that many small businesses choose to incorporate. There is a reason for this. Incorporated businesses have a tax rate of 15%, which is much lower than that of a business that isn’t incorporated. However, there is a downside. 

Instead of the income being considered business income, it is personal income, so it is subject to those tax rates. Depending on your yearly earnings, you could end up paying more in taxes. Because you are incorporated, though, you may be able to use more deductions than if you weren’t. One of these is income splitting. Before you make any decisions, it is important to weigh your options and figure out the best tax solution for you and your business’s needs.

When You Start Paying Taxes on Self-Employed Income

Taxes on a business are similar to those you pay when you are employed. The less you make, the less you pay in taxes, and, just like employment income, there is a minimum you can make before you start having to pay taxes. As of 2026, this minimum is $16,482. It does change every year, though, so keep that in mind.

GST/HST for Self-Employed Individuals

Now that we have talked about basic self-employed taxes and expenses, how do taxes work in regard to GST/HST? Well, aren’t all goods required to be charged GST?HST is on, and not all businesses are required to charge it. There are a lot of factors to keep in mind to figure out if you need to charge, collect and remit the tax.

 The first is the $30,000 rule, also known as the small supplier rule. How this works is if your business makes at least $30,001, then you are no longer a small supplier and are required to register for GST/HST. This $30,001 has to occur in a single quarter or the last 4 quarters. 

You are then required to register right away, and the first sale you make after this point should include GST/HST. Keep in mind that the Canada Revenue Agency breaks down goods and services into three different categories: taxable, zero-rated, and exempt. 

Figuring out what category your business falls under will help you to determine your GST/HST requirements as well. If you find yourself in a position where you need to pay GST/HST, there are quite a few ways that you can remit sales taxes. You can contact the CRA or look on their websites for detailed instructions.

Tax Deadlines for Businesses

While personal income tax returns for a tax year are required by April 30 (or the next business day if it falls on a weekend), most businesses don’t have to complete their yearly tax returns until the filing deadline of June 15 (or the next closest business day). This is only if the business’s fiscal year matches the calendar year. If it doesn’t, their returns are required to be filed by 6 months after their fiscal year ends.

Do Self-Employed Workers Receive Tax Slips?

Whether you earn business income from your own business or as a contractor will make a difference as to whether or not you receive any tax slips. Those who own their own businesses don’t receive tax slips and have to keep receipts and financial statements for all of their business or professional activities in order to claim their tax deductions. 

Self-employed Canadians who are contractors may receive T4A Slips for tax purposes in order to claim their net self-employed income for their self-employed business. You may also receive tax slips for any Canada Pension Plan CPP contributions and other pensionable employment income that you may have made as a self-employed individual. However, if you are a contractor, you still need to manually claim all eligible business expenses as well as all your income. 

Filing Self-Employment Taxes in Canada

If you’re your own boss and file your own personal tax returns, you don’t have to go through the long process of a paper return. You can file your return through an online tax program. These programs have their own options for self-employed workers to claim the appropriate deductions and tax credits they’re entitled to based on their annual income. 

Online tax programs follow the tax rules based on your professional income for your annual tax return. It not only allows you to enter income earned through self-employed means but also allows you to add in any other income you earn. You can also add in earned income for your common-law partner or spouse, which allows you to calculate your combined tax payable, not just the taxes owed by you. 

Deductions for Self-Employed Individuals

When it comes to self-employed business income, there are deductions that you can make in order to reduce your net self-employment income. In turn, this also reduces your net tax owing. While we already mentioned you can claim vehicle and lease payments, and home office expenses, there are other deductions that you can claim as well. 

When it comes to self-employment expenses and filing self-employed taxes, it’s important that you only claim reasonable expenses and that you provide documentation for those expenses. You have to follow Canadian tax laws and are only able to claim business-related expenses. 

How Cost Capital Allowance Works

In Canada, Cost Capital Allowance allows business owners to claim depreciable assets on their income tax returns. How it works is you can gradually write off the cost over several years instead of claiming the full cost all at once. The amount that is deducted for each item is based on the fair market value of the capital expenses and the asset class it falls under. 

What you can claim using the CCA is calculated using the declining balance method. Only the portion calculated for the year can be deducted. The balance will continually decrease over time until there is no balance left. 

Strategies to Reduce Self-Employment Taxes

As a business owner, there are other ways you can reduce your net tax owing. One of the most popular is to make Registered Retirement Savings Plan accounts. This works because all contributions made to RRSPs are tax-deferred. This means that you don’t start paying taxes until you start withdrawing from them in retirement. 

Another widely popular strategy is to utilize tax-advantaged accounts. These types of accounts include Tax-Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs) and Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs). These allow you to get tax-free growth on your money, which can save you money on your taxes. 

Record Keeping for Self-Employed Individuals

When it comes to small business owners, or business owners in general, how you maintain your records is extremely important. In fact, you have to keep your records for income tax purposes for six years, just in case those records are ever requested. This includes essential documents like:

• Receipts
• Invoices
• Bank Statements

Many tax experts also recommend that you have a separate account for all of your business expenses. This makes it easier to track your annual expenses at tax time, as well as organize your monthly business expenses. While for many, paper expenses are recommended, you can also choose to record these expenses electronically. 

Canada Pension Plan Contributions for Self-Employed Individuals

In Canada, everyone pays into the Canada Pension Plan based on their annual earnings. If you’re self-employed in Canada, then you have to contribute 11.9% of your net pensionable earnings to the CPP program. This amount is then added to your income taxes payable and will be paid at the same time that your annual income taxes are due. 

Final Thoughts

When you’re a business owner in Canada, you’re not only responsible for the payroll taxes of your employees, but you’re also responsible for your own taxes. When it comes to the reporting period of your taxes, they have to be done by around April 30.

In order to save money and reduce your tax burden, you can input tax credits as well as any other deductions that you qualify for. How self-employed individuals file their taxes, though, is up to them. They can choose to do them themselves or have them done by a tax professional