GST/HST Calculator for Self-Employed Canadians
Work out how much GST/HST to charge your clients — and whether the CRA Quick Method would put more money in your pocket than the regular method. Built for freelancers, contractors and sole proprietors.
For services, the rate you charge usually follows your client's province, not yours. An Alberta designer billing a Toronto company charges 13% HST.
Things like software, equipment, subcontractors and rent — the spending you would claim input tax credits (ITCs) on under the regular method.
Your numbers
Regular method
Quick Method
Estimates only. The Quick Method comparison assumes all your sales go to clients in one province and your expenses are taxed at your own province's rate. Quebec clients also bring QST (9.975%), which is handled separately with Revenu Québec and is not included here. This is general information, not tax advice.
How this works, in plain English
Once your self-employment income passes $30,000 in taxable sales, you must register for GST/HST, charge it on your invoices, and send the government what you collected — minus the GST/HST you paid on business expenses (your input tax credits). That is the regular method, and it means tracking the tax on every receipt.
The Quick Method is the CRA's shortcut for smaller businesses (up to $400,000 a year in taxable sales). You still charge your clients the full rate, but you remit only a fixed percentage of your tax-included sales and keep the difference. In exchange, you give up input tax credits on most expenses — which is why the Quick Method wins when your expenses are low, and loses when they are high. You also get a 1% credit on your first $30,000 of sales each year.
Common questions
Do I charge my province's rate or my client's?
For most services, the client's province — the rate follows the place of supply, which for services is normally your client's business address. Goods follow the province where they are delivered. See the full rate table.
Do I have to register at exactly $30,000?
You stop being a "small supplier" when your taxable sales pass $30,000 over the last four consecutive calendar quarters (or in a single quarter). Registration is then mandatory. Many freelancers register voluntarily earlier so they can claim input tax credits. Details on the $30,000 rule page.
Can everyone use the Quick Method?
No. Some professions are excluded — including bookkeeping, accounting, tax preparation, legal and financial consulting services. The full list and the rates are on the Quick Method page.
What about clients outside Canada?
Services sold to clients outside Canada are often zero-rated (0%) — you charge no GST/HST, and those sales stay out of the Quick Method calculation. The rules depend on the type of service, so check before you invoice.
This site is maintained by Periscope Bookkeeping, a Calgary-based online bookkeeping service for Canadian small businesses and self-employed professionals. Monthly bookkeeping, catch-up work and GST/HST preparation — flat monthly pricing, quoted in writing.