How to Invoice as a Freelancer in Canada (2026 Guide)

To invoice as a freelancer in Canada, create a numbered invoice that shows your name or business name and contact details, your client's name and address, a unique invoice number, the invoice date, a clear description of the work, the amount for each line, a subtotal, any GST/HST you are required to charge, and the total due. If you are registered for GST/HST, you must also show your nine-digit GST/HST number. If you earn under CAD $30,000 in taxable revenue, you generally do not have to register for or charge GST/HST at all. Everything else below explains how to get each piece right and how to get paid on time.

Freelancing in Canada is straightforward once you understand two things: what a compliant invoice looks like, and when sales tax enters the picture. Get those right and you protect your income, stay on the good side of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), and look professional to every client.

Create a free Canada invoice in minutes with InvoiceSonic's Canada invoice generator — it builds a CRA-ready layout with tax fields already in place, so you can skip the formatting and just get paid.

What a Canadian freelance invoice must include

There is no single government-issued invoice template in Canada, but a professional invoice that supports your bookkeeping (and lets a registered client claim their input tax credits) should contain all of the following:

Your name or business name and contact details — your legal name or registered business name, plus an address, email, and phone number.
Your GST/HST number, if you are registered — the nine-digit Business Number followed by the RT program identifier (for example, 123456789 RT0001). This is mandatory on invoices once you register.
The client's name and address — who you are billing.
A unique invoice number — sequential numbers (such as 2026-001, 2026-002) keep your records clean and make follow-up easy.
The invoice date — and, ideally, the date the work was delivered.
A description of the goods or services — clear line items so the client knows exactly what they are paying for.
Amounts per line — quantity, rate, and the amount for each item.
A subtotal — the total before tax.
Tax — GST/HST (and provincial tax where it applies), shown as its own line.
The total amount due — the final figure, plus your payment terms and accepted payment methods.

If you are not registered for GST/HST, simply leave the tax line off and do not show a tax number. Charging tax you are not registered to collect is a compliance problem, so only add a tax line once you are actually registered.

The big question: do you have to charge GST/HST?

This is where most Canadian freelancers get stuck. The answer hinges on the CRA's small supplier rule.

The $30,000 small supplier threshold

You qualify as a small supplier — and are not required to register for or charge GST/HST — as long as your total taxable revenue stays at or below CAD $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters (or in a single calendar quarter). The threshold counts your worldwide taxable sales of goods and services, before expenses. It does not count employment income, so if you have a day job and freelance on the side, only the freelance revenue is tested.

Once you cross $30,000, you must register and begin charging GST/HST. You generally have to start charging on the sale that pushed you over the line, and you have 29 days from the date you exceeded the threshold to register. Note that the $30,000 figure is not indexed to inflation, so it has stayed the same year over year, including in 2026.

Tip: Even if you are under $30,000, you can choose to register voluntarily. The upside is that you can claim input tax credits to recover the GST/HST you pay on business expenses. The trade-off is added paperwork and the requirement to file returns. For many new freelancers, staying a small supplier until you approach the threshold is the simplest path.

Once you are registered, charge the right rate

Canada's federal Goods and Services Tax (GST) is 5%. On top of that, the rate you charge depends on your customer's province, because of the CRA's place of supply rules — you charge based on where the customer is, not where you are.

Here is how the provinces and territories break down in 2026:

Province / Territory	Tax type	Rate you charge
Ontario	HST	13%
New Brunswick	HST	15%
Newfoundland & Labrador	HST	15%
Prince Edward Island	HST	15%
Nova Scotia	HST	14% (reduced from 15% on 1 April 2025)
British Columbia	GST + PST	5% GST + 7% PST
Saskatchewan	GST + PST	5% GST + 6% PST
Manitoba	GST + RST	5% GST + 7% RST
Quebec	GST + QST	5% GST + 9.975% QST
Alberta	GST only	5%
Yukon, NWT, Nunavut	GST only	5%

In the HST-participating provinces (Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, PEI, and Nova Scotia), the federal and provincial portions are combined into a single Harmonized Sales Tax that the CRA administers. In the GST + PST provinces, the provincial sales tax is a separate tax with its own registration and rules — British Columbia has PST, Saskatchewan has PST, Manitoba has RST, and Quebec has QST. If you do significant business in one of those provinces, check whether you also need to register provincially, separately from your federal GST/HST registration.

Skip the manual math — use the free Canada invoice generator to set your client's province and let the tax line calculate itself.

Setting payment terms that actually get you paid

An invoice is only useful if it leads to money in your account. Payment terms set the expectation. Common options for Canadian freelancers include:

Due on receipt — payment is expected immediately. Best for small jobs and new clients.
Net 15 / Net 30 — payment is due 15 or 30 days after the invoice date. Net 30 is the most common business standard, though shorter terms get you paid faster.
Deposit or milestone billing — for larger projects, bill a deposit up front (for example, 30–50%) and the balance on delivery, or split the work into milestones.

Whatever you choose, state it plainly on the invoice, along with the due date as an actual calendar date rather than just "Net 30." Removing ambiguity removes excuses.

How to get paid faster as a Canadian freelancer

Late payments are the single biggest cash-flow headache for freelancers. A few habits make a measurable difference:

Invoice promptly. Send the invoice the moment the work is done — not at the end of the month. The clock to your due date only starts when the invoice lands.
Offer easy payment methods. In Canada, Interac e-Transfer is fast, low-cost, and familiar to most clients. For larger or international clients, card and online payment processors such as Stripe or PayPal reduce friction, though they take a percentage fee.
Ask for a deposit. Collecting part of the fee before you start protects you and signals that you run a real business.
Send polite reminders. A friendly nudge a few days before the due date, and again the day after if it passes, recovers a surprising amount of late revenue. Keep the tone professional.
Make the invoice clear and correct. A missing PO number, the wrong contact, or a math error gives clients a reason to delay. Clean invoices get paid sooner.

You can also consider a small late-payment fee stated in your terms, but the most effective tool is simply being consistent: invoice fast, follow up, and make paying you effortless.

Keep good records

The CRA expects self-employed Canadians to keep their business records, including copies of invoices, for six years. Save a copy of every invoice you send, track which are paid and unpaid, and set aside money for income tax and (once you register) for the GST/HST you collect — that tax is not your money to keep; you are holding it for the CRA until you remit it.

Start invoicing in the next five minutes

You do not need accounting software or a designer to send a professional, CRA-friendly invoice. Fill in your details, add your line items, set your client's province, and download a clean PDF.

Build and download your free invoice now with InvoiceSonic — no sign-up hoops, no cost, and a layout that ticks every box above. For a province-aware Canadian layout, start from the free Canada invoice generator.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to charge GST/HST as a freelancer in Canada?

Not necessarily. If your taxable revenue is CAD $30,000 or less over four consecutive calendar quarters (or in a single quarter), you are a small supplier and are not required to register for or charge GST/HST. Once you exceed $30,000, you must register and start charging the correct rate.

What GST/HST rate do I charge if my client is in another province?

You charge based on your client's province under the place-of-supply rules, not your own. For example, a freelancer in Alberta billing an Ontario client charges 13% HST. The rate table above shows the current 2026 rate for each province and territory.

Do I need a business number to invoice?

No. You can invoice under your own legal name without registering a business. You only need a Business Number with a GST/HST account once you are required (or choose) to register for GST/HST, and that number must then appear on your invoices.

What is the best way to get paid quickly?

Invoice as soon as the work is delivered, offer Interac e-Transfer or an online payment processor, request a deposit on larger projects, and send a brief reminder around the due date. Clear terms and a clean invoice remove the most common reasons clients delay.

How long do I need to keep my invoices?

The CRA generally requires you to keep your business records, including invoices, for six years. Save a digital copy of every invoice and keep your paid and unpaid records organized so tax time is painless.