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TAX FILING FOR SELF EMPLOYED

Self-employed tax filing made easy

Are you a small business owner, independent contractor, freelancer, or have a side hustle? Do your taxes your way and keep more of your hard-earned money.

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Get every tax dollar you deserve

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Step-by-step guidance

Tell us about your year and we’ll add all the forms you need for self-employed, freelance, and rental property income and expenses.

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Never miss a tax break

Home office, vehicle, subscriptions and more— if there’s a self-employment deduction you can get, we’ll help you claim it.

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Choose Assist & Review to get unlimited expert help as you do your taxes, or Full Service to have an expert do them for you.

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Self-Employed

Prepare and file your income taxes by yourself

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  • Report self-employment, contract, and side gig income
  • Report rental income  

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Self-Employed

Personal and business income taxes, with unlimited expert help

$110

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Features

  • A tax expert helps find expenses and deductions for your business
  • Get a final review by a tax expert to ensure 100% accuracy* and best result

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Self-Employed

A tax expert prepares and files your income taxes

$250

per return

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Features

  • A tax expert prepares, reviews, and files your taxes from start to finish
  • A tax expert prepares and files your GST/HST return

What you need to know about filing self-employed income taxes

Determine if you’re earning self-employed income

According to the CRA, you are self-employed if you act as an independent contractor, a sole proprietor or a business partner, and provide a service or product with an expectation of profit. This includes freelancers, small business owners, consultants, and side giggers.

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Claim every self-employed deduction

No matter how much self-employed income you’re earning, you can deduct your business expenses to lower the amount of tax you owe. Use our self-employment expenses tax calculator to get an estimate on your taxes.

Know what information you need to track and report

If you’re self-employed in Canada, you’re responsible for tracking all your business income and expenses. This will help you file on time with the right deductions. Download our self-employed tax checklist to help you get organized.

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Get the best outcome with an expert, guaranteed*

Need to speak with a real tax expert? With TurboTax Assist & Review, you get unlimited tax expert help and a final review of your return before filing. Or, choose TurboTax Full Service to have your taxes done and filed by an expert for you—from start to finish.

Frequently asked questions

If you're self-employed, you have until June 17, 2024 to file your tax return. But remember, any balance owed must still be paid by April 30, 2024. If you have self-employment income, it's a good idea to prepare your tax return well before April 30 to calculate if you have a balance owed. This will help you avoid any late-payment penalties.


Everything from office supplies to vehicle costs can be written off, providing the expense is related to your business, you have the supporting documentation and the expense is reasonable.

 

It depends on your situation, but a good benchmark is to set aside 25% to 30% of your income earned to cover self-employed taxes including federal income tax, provincial income tax, and GST/HST sales tax.

 

CPP contributions from self-employment are based on the net income of your self-employment.

You make contributions only on your annual earnings between minimum and maximum amounts. These are called your pensionable earnings. The minimum amount is frozen at $3,500. In 2022, the CPP earnings ceiling is $64,900. The self-employed contribution rate on these pensionable earnings is 11.4%.

Self-employed workers do not have to pay EI premiums, unless you opt into the EI benefits for self-employed program.

 

Yes. You can be an employee and an independent contractor (i.e. self-employed) at the same time. It’s very common to have more than one job, or do a side hustle along with your full-time employment.

To determine if you’re considered an employee or an independent contractor, it depends on the:

  • Nature of the work relationship
  • Level of control over who does the work
  • Ownership of tools and equipment
  • Opportunity of profit or risk of loss

 

 

Side gigs, freelance work, and contract payments are all forms of income that need to be reported on your self-employed tax return. If you’re carrying on some form of business activity, report it—even if you’re not profitable yet.

 

To file your GST/HST return you need to take care of some things first including:

  • registering for your GST or HST number
  • selecting an accounting method
  • confirming the due dates for your return

 

To do the calculations for your GST/HST return you need the following info:

  • Total sales and other revenue
  • Total tax you’ve collected
  • Total tax you’ve paid
  • Any other credits or debits

 

This info helps you calculate if you owe money to the CRA or if you will receive a refund.

To submit your GST/HST return to the CRA:

  • You can file a paper return with the CRA. For this option, you need the GST34-2 filing information package.
  • You can file online through GST/HST NETFILE or GST/HST TELEFILE. For this option, you’d need a GST/HST Access Code from the CRA.

 

If you choose to get your taxes done by a tax expert (through TurboTax Live Full Service Self-Employed), they’ll do your GST/HST return at no additional cost.

Why customers love TurboTax

TurboTax has empowered over 1 million people.

Includes reviews for TurboTax from previous years.

Tips for self-employed tax filers

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SELF-EMPLOYED

The Beginner’s Guide to Self-Employed Taxes

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FREELANCERS

Freelance Taxes in Canada: 9 Things You Need to Know

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SMALL BUSINESS

The Big List of Small Business Tax Deductions

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SELF-EMPLOYED

The Complete Guide on Collecting GST/HST for Self-Employed Canadians

TURBOTAX ONLINE/MOBILE OFFERS & PRICING

The following TurboTax Online offers may be available for tax year 2024. Intuit reserves the right to modify or terminate any offer at any time for any reason in its sole discretion. Unless otherwise stated, each offer is not available in combination with any other TurboTax offers. Certain discount offers may not be valid for mobile in-app purchases and may be available only for a limited period of time.

  • Pay When You File: For paid TurboTax online and mobile offerings, with the exception of TurboTax Live Full Service, you may start using the tax preparation features without paying upfront, and pay only when you are ready to e-file, print, file by mail, or purchase add-on products or services. Actual prices for paid versions are determined based on the version you use and the date and/or time you print or e-file, and are subject to change without notice. If you use TurboTax Live Full Service, you will be charged when you first sign up for the service, before our experts start work on your return.
  • TurboTax Online Free: Simple personal tax returns only. You understand and agree that the free version or edition of the Services does not include all tax forms, and Intuit does not provide technical support for free versions or editions of the Services. You must choose a version or edition of the Services that includes all of the tax forms you need, which may require you to upgrade to a different, paid version of the Services in order to complete and file your tax returns. A simple personal tax return only includes certain limited types of income and certain limited tax credits. See Terms of Service for details.
  • Assist and Review $60 Offer: Offer is valid for customers with a new Intuit account who did not file with a TurboTax product for their tax year 2023 return. Must file by offer expiration date on April 15, 2025. Audit Coach and Extended Expert Coverage are available for tax year 2024 returns until December 2027. Unlimited access to experts subject to availability during hours of operation. Offer cannot be combined with any other TurboTax offers.
  • 25 Or Under $20 Offer: Offer applies to the cost of (i) upgrading to Assist & Review from TurboTax Online Free, or (ii) TurboTax Deluxe, Premier, and Self-Employed, with optional upgrade to Assist & Review at no additional cost. For 2024 personal taxes only. To be eligible, customer must be born on or after January 1, 1999 and file their personal tax return by April 30, 2025. Excludes TurboTax Full Service, TurboTax Desktop, and TurboTax U.S. products. Offer cannot be combined with any other TurboTax offers.

TURBOTAX ONLINE/MOBILE

  • Anytime, anywhere: Internet access required; standard data rates apply to download and use mobile app.
  • Expert Availability: TurboTax experts are typically available from 9 a.m. to 12:00 midnight ET, 7 days a week for English, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET for French during tax season (from February 20 to April 30, 2025). After April 30, English and French hours of operation will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., ET, Monday to Friday (except holidays). Service, area of expertise, experience levels, and wait times vary, and are subject to restriction and change without notice.
  • Unlimited Expert Support: Unlimited access to TurboTax Assist and Review and TurboTax Live Full Service experts refers to an unlimited quantity of contacts available to each customer for the duration of the service, but does not refer to hours of operation or service coverage. Service, area of expertise, experience levels, wait times, hours of operation and availability vary, and are subject to restriction and change without notice.
  • Audit Defence: Internet connection and acceptance of product update is required to access Audit Defence. Does not include GST/HST and other non-income tax audits and reviews unless the issues are ancillary to the income tax review itself. Includes field audits through the restricted examination of books but does not include the "detailed financial audit".
  • Customer Testimonials: Testimonials are based on TurboTax Online reviews from tax year 2023 as well as previous tax years.
  • TurboTax Live Full Service - Same Day Service: One-day preparation and filing availability depends on start time, the complexity of your return, is based on average completion time, and may vary based on expert availability. The tax preparation assistant will validate the customer’s tax situation during the welcome call and review uploaded documents to assess readiness and the ability to file same-day. All tax forms and documents must be ready and uploaded by the customer for the tax preparation assistant to refer the customer to an available tax expert for live tax preparation.

TURBOTAX ONLINE GUARANTEES

  • Accurate Calculations Guarantee: If you pay a CRA or provincial government penalty or interest due to a TurboTax calculation error, we will reimburse the penalty and interest. You are responsible for paying any additional tax liability you may owe. Claims must be submitted within thirty (30) days of the CRA or provincial government notice date. Additional terms and limitations apply. See Terms of Service for details.
  • Maximum Refund Guarantee: If you get a larger refund or smaller tax due from another tax preparation method by filing an amended return, we'll refund the amount paid for our service. TurboTax Free customers are entitled to a payment of $9.99. Claims must be submitted within sixty (60) days of your TurboTax filing date, no later than May 31, 2025. Audit Defence and fee-based support services are excluded. Additional terms and limitations apply. See Terms of Service for details.
  • Expert Approved Guarantee: If you pay a CRA or provincial government penalty or interest because of an error that a TurboTax expert made while preparing your return, providing topic-specific tax advice, or reviewing a section, we'll pay you the penalty and interest. Claims must be submitted within thirty (30) days of the CRA or provincial government notice date. Additional terms and limitations apply. See Terms of Service for details.
  • TurboTax Live Full-Service Guarantee: Our Full Service Guarantee means your tax expert will find every dollar you deserve. Your expert will only file your return if they know it's 100% accurate and you are getting your best outcome possible. If you get a larger refund or smaller tax due from another tax preparer by filing an amended return, we'll refund the applicable TurboTax Live Full Service purchase price paid. If you have to pay a CRA or provincial government penalty or interest because of an error that a TurboTax tax expert made while acting as the preparer for your return, we'll pay you the penalty and interest. Full Service Guarantee is not available in Quebec. Additional terms and limitations apply. See Terms of Service for details.
  • Satisfaction Guarantee: You may use most TurboTax Online services without charge up to the point you decide to print or electronically file your tax return. Printing or electronically filing your return reflects your satisfaction with TurboTax Online, at which time you will be required to pay or register for the product. Additional terms and limitations apply. See Terms of Service for details.

TURBOTAX DESKTOP GUARANTEES

  • Accurate Calculations Guarantee: If you pay a CRA or provincial government penalty or interest due to a TurboTax calculation error, we will reimburse the penalty and interest. You are responsible for paying any additional tax liability you may owe. Claims must be submitted within thirty (30) days of the CRA or provincial government notice date. Excludes TurboTax Business Incorporated Edition. Additional terms and limitations apply. See License Agreement for details.
  • Maximum Refund Guarantee: If you get a larger refund or smaller tax due from another tax preparation method by filing an amended return, we'll refund the amount paid for our software. Claims must be submitted within sixty (60) days of your TurboTax filing date, no later than May 31, 2025 (TurboTax Home & Business and TurboTax 20 Returns no later than July 15, 2025). Excludes TurboTax Business Incorporated Edition. Audit Defence and fee-based support services are excluded. Additional terms and limitations apply. See License Agreement for details.
  • 60-Day Money Back / Satisfaction Guarantee: If you’re not 100% satisfied with your TurboTax Desktop software, you may return your software within sixty (60) days of purchase with a dated receipt for a full refund of the purchase price. Excludes return postage. Desktop add-on products and services purchased are non-refundable. Additional terms and limitations apply. See License Agreement for details.

ADDITIONAL DISCLOSURES:

  • Average Refund Amount: $3,644 is the average refund amount Canadian taxpayers received based on tax year 2023 returns filed using TurboTax. Each taxpayer’s refund will vary based on their tax situation.
  • Auto-Fill My Return (AFR): Must be signed up for CRA’s My Account service to import into TurboTax. To register, visit https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency.html .
  • Canada's #1 best-selling tax software: Based on aggregated CRA NETFILE data for all tax year 2023 TurboTax do-it-yourself tax products.
  • CRA Refund Time: Get your tax refund from the CRA as fast as possible by e-filing and choosing to receive your refund by direct deposit. Tax refund time frames will vary. The CRA estimates 2 weeks to issue refunds with e-filed returns, compared to 8 weeks with paper returns.
  • NETFILE E-filing: Income tax preparation software companies must seek NETFILE certification from the CRA for tax preparation software products to be used in conjunction with CRA’s NETFILE electronic tax filing service. All TurboTax software products for tax year 2024 are CRA NETFILE certified.
  • Returns Filed: Based on CRA NETFILE reporting, more than 25 million returns have been electronically filed with TurboTax over the past 5 years, and more than 50 million returns have been electronically filed with TurboTax from 2013 to 2023. Includes tax returns filed to the CRA using TurboTax Desktop and TurboTax Online products.
  • Technical Support: Technical support by phone is free. Long-distance charges may apply. Limitations apply. Intuit reserves the right to limit each telephone contact. Support availability varies by time of year and is subject to occasional downtime for systems and server maintenance, company events, observed Canadian holidays and events beyond our control.
  • Images and Screens: Images are for illustrative purposes only, and some screen displays are simulated.

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