Canadian Tax Guides for Freelancers & the Self-Employed

Taxes are the price of working for yourself — but overpaying them isn't. These guides cover the T2125, mileage logs, every deduction you're entitled to, and the GST/HST system, written in plain language for Canadian freelancers, contractors, and sole proprietors.

Mileage & Vehicle Deductions

CRA Mileage Log Requirements for Canadian Freelancers What a compliant mileage log must contain, the employee-vs-self-employed difference, and the audit traps to avoid.
Free CRA Mileage Log Template (Excel & Google Sheets) The exact columns the CRA expects, a filled example month, and the year-end business-use math.
Best Mileage Tracker Apps in Canada (2026) CRA-ready mileage apps compared — auto-tracking, pricing, T2125 fit, and exports.
Automatic Mileage Tracking in InvoiceFast Your phone detects drives and builds a CRA-ready log that feeds your T2125 vehicle deduction.

Expenses & Deductions

Tax Write-Offs for Self-Employed Canadians: The Complete List Every deduction organized by T2125 line, the special rules, and the write-offs freelancers most often miss.
Home Office Deduction: Business-Use-of-Home on T2125 Eligibility, the workspace percentage, the no-loss limit, and how line 9945 actually gets calculated.
Meals & Entertainment: How the 50% Rule Works What qualifies, what doesn't, the matching 50% ITC cap, and the documentation that survives review.
Receipt vs Proof of Payment vs Invoice The three-document distinction and what counts as adequate receipt documentation for tax purposes.
Expense Tracking in InvoiceFast AI receipt scanning and bank statement classification, mapped to real CRA T2125 categories.

T2125 & Filing

Self-Employed Taxes in Canada: What Freelancers Owe CPP contributions, income tax instalments, and GST/HST remittances — the plain-language overview.
T2125 Form Guide: How Your Invoices Feed Your Tax Return A line-by-line walkthrough — where invoice subtotals land, the vehicle sub-calculation, home office, and CCA.
T2125 Industry Codes: Finding Your NAICS Code Why the CRA benchmarks you against your industry code, and the common codes freelancers use.
Your First Year of Self-Employed Taxes: A Complete Checklist A chronological checklist from your first invoice to your first filing — and the year-two changes to expect.
The T2125 Summary Generator in InvoiceFast A line-by-line T2125 summary built from your real records — PDF and CSV for your accountant.

GST/HST & Provincial Taxes

GST and HST Rules for Canadian Freelancers When to register, how to charge, and the input tax credits that reduce what you remit.
Quarterly GST/HST Remittance: Schedule, Mechanics, and Cash Flow Filing frequencies, due dates, instalments, and the GST34 reconciliation.
The GST/HST Quick Method, Explained How the Quick Method works, who actually saves money with it, and how to elect.
Place of Supply Rules: Which Province's Tax Rate Applies? Charging a client in another province? How to determine the correct rate.
PST and QST: Provincial Tax Guide for Freelancers BC, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Quebec each have provincial taxes separate from GST.
How to Include Your Business Number on Invoices Why your CRA Business Number belongs on invoices and how clients use it for ITCs.