Find the hourly rate you need to hit your income goal as a Canadian freelancer — after expenses, time off, and a buffer for income tax, CPP, and slow months.
How much you want to earn annually before income tax.
Software subscriptions, tool costs, insurance, bookkeeping fees, etc.
Plan for admin time, sales calls, and learning blocks that you can't bill directly.
Weeks off you take each year — holidays, sick time, and breaks.
Cushion for taxes, business development, slow months, and emergencies.
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Outputs update instantly based on inputs.
Enter your assumptions to calculate.
Enter your assumptions to calculate.
Note: Adjust inputs to model different workload and income scenarios.
🛡 Freelance Planning Standard
This calculator distinguishes billable hours from overhead time, so your rate covers the work you actually invoice. Once you determine your rate, try our free Invoice Generator to bill clients.
Add the take-home income you want to your annual business expenses, then divide by the hours you can realistically bill in a year (weeks worked × billable hours per week), and add a buffer on top. Because Canadian freelancers pay income tax and CPP contributions on their net self-employment income, build those into the buffer so your rate truly covers them. This calculator does the math for you.
Many sole proprietors set aside 25–30% of their income for federal and provincial income tax plus CPP contributions — and as a self-employed worker you pay both the employee and employer share of CPP. Move that money to a separate account each time you invoice so there are no surprises at tax time.
Once your worldwide taxable revenue passes CAD $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters, you must register for GST/HST and charge it on top of your rate. That tax is collected for the CRA and remitted to them — it is not part of your earnings, so leave it out of the rate this calculator produces. Use our free Sales Tax Calculator to add GST/HST to an invoice.
It depends on your situation, but many Canadian freelancers use 15–30% to cover income tax, CPP contributions, unpaid time, and reinvestment in the business. Set aside taxes separately and treat the buffer as protection, not profit.
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