2026 tax year · Canada · Updated May 19, 2026

Gig Earnings Calculator — Canada

What do you actually keep from Uber, DoorDash, Etsy, or Airbnb after platform fees, the CRA mileage allowance, CPP (or QPP in Quebec), and federal + provincial income tax? Enter your numbers and find out for any of the 13 provinces and territories.

Your numbers

$
Total Dasher earnings — base pay plus tips, before vehicle expenses.
Vehicle expenses (actual costs × business-use %)

The CRA only allows this method for self-employed people on T2125. The “per-km allowance” rate is for employer reimbursements, not self-employed deductions. Track your km in an app (MileIQ, Driversnote, TripLog) and keep receipts for everything below.

$
Fuel + insurance + maintenance + lease payments (or CCA if you own) + licence/registration. Business-use % is applied automatically.

Business-use ratio: 71% (20,000 business km ÷ 28,000 total km)

$
Optional. Other deductible business expenses for the year.
Tax situation (advanced)
$
Used to estimate your marginal tax bracket. Default $0 if gig work is your only income.
Heads up: Federal and provincial income tax are estimated using 2026 brackets and basic personal amounts. Real T1 calculations include other credits (Canada Workers Benefit, dependents, etc.) we don’t model.

Your real 2026 take-home

Gross DoorDash earnings
$30,000
Vehicle expense deductionVehicle expenses × 71% business-use
−$6,429
Net self-employment incomeWhat lands on your T2125
$23,571
CPP contributions11.9% on $3,500–$74,600, 8% on $74,600–$85,000
−$2,389
Federal income taxIncremental federal tax from SE income
−$830
Ontario provincial taxIncremental provincial tax from SE income
−$474
True take-home
$19,879
True hourly rate1,250 hours/year
$15.90/hr
Effective take-home rateTrue take-home ÷ gross earnings
66%
Quarterly instalment estimateCPP/QPP + federal + provincial, divided by 4
$923
You likely need to register for GST/HST. Once your revenue passes $30,000 in any rolling 12-month period, you stop being a “small supplier” and must register, charge, and remit GST/HST (or QST if you’re in Quebec).

Free download

Canadian gig worker deductions checklist

Every CRA-approved write-off for Uber, DoorDash, Etsy, Fiverr, and Airbnb in Canada — plus CPP/QPP rates, GST/HST registration rules, and the 2026 instalment due dates. Delivered now.

  • Platform-by-platform deduction list (T2125-friendly)
  • CPP, QPP, and GST/HST quick reference
  • 2026 CRA instalment due dates

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Why “earnings” aren’t your take-home in Canada

Five layers eat into your gross gig revenue before it’s yours to keep:

  1. Platform fees — Etsy, Fiverr, TaskRabbit, and Airbnb take a visible cut. Uber and DoorDash already took theirs before you saw the number.
  2. Vehicle costs — gas, insurance, maintenance, depreciation, lease payments. The CRA only allows self-employed people to deduct the business-use percentage of actual costs on T2125. There is no per-kilometre shortcut for self-employed deductions.
  3. CPP or QPP — as a self-employed person you pay both halves yourself: 11.9% on earnings between $3,500 and $74,600, plus 8% on earnings between $74,600 and $85,000. Quebec residents use QPP instead at 12.6%.
  4. Federal income tax — starts at 14% on the first $58,523 and climbs from there. Quebec residents get a 16.5% abatement applied to their federal tax.
  5. Provincial / territorial tax— varies from 4% (Nunavut’s lowest bracket) to 25.75% (Quebec’s top bracket). This calculator applies the right brackets for whichever province you pick.

Why there’s no per-kilometre shortcut for self-employed

You’ve probably seen the CRA “reasonable per-kilometre allowance” ($0.73/km first 5,000 km, $0.67/km after, for provinces in 2026). That number is for employer reimbursements to employees, not self-employed deductions. Self-employed people on T2125 must use the actual cost method: track your total annual vehicle expenses (fuel, insurance, maintenance, lease payments or CCA, licence and registration) and multiply by your business-use percentage (business km ÷ total km).

Source: CRA T4002, Chapter 3 — Expenses (the self-employment income guide). Receipts must be kept for six years. A km log app like MileIQ, Driversnote, or TripLog handles the tracking; you still need to sum your actual expenses at year end.

What about the rough “$0.50/km all-in” number some drivers use?That’s an unofficial gut check, not a CRA-sanctioned method. For filing, run the real numbers. The calculator above does this for you — enter your actual vehicle expenses, business km, and total km.

GST/HST: the $30,000 threshold

Once your gross revenue passes $30,000 in any rolling 12-month period, you have 29 days to register for GST/HST. From then on you charge GST/HST on your invoices and remit it. Quebec residents register for both GST and QST through Revenu Québec.

One gotcha for rideshare:taxi and rideshare drivers are required to register for GST/HST from day one, regardless of revenue, under section 240(1.1) of the Excise Tax Act. This doesn’t apply to food delivery (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Instacart) unless you also do rideshare.

Related: your CPP and GST/HST math

For a focused breakdown of just your CPP contributions and the GST/HST threshold, use our Self-Employed CPP & GST/HST Calculator.

These are estimates, not tax advice. Other credits (Canada Workers Benefit, dependents, RRSP deductions, medical), incorporated businesses, and rental property income complicate things — when in doubt, talk to a bookkeeper or accountant.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use the CRA per-kilometre rate ($0.73/km) as my vehicle deduction?
No — not as a self-employed person on T2125. The CRA per-kilometre 'reasonable allowance' rate is what employers can pay employees tax-free as reimbursement; it isn't a deduction method for sole proprietors. You must use the actual cost method: total your annual vehicle expenses (fuel, insurance, maintenance, lease payments or capital cost allowance, licence and registration) and multiply by your business-use percentage (business km ÷ total km). Source: CRA T4002, Chapter 3.
What vehicle expenses can a gig driver actually deduct?
On the business-use share only: fuel, oil, repairs and maintenance, insurance, licence and registration, lease payments (subject to CRA limits) or capital cost allowance (CCA, for owned vehicles — Class 10 or 10.1 depending on cost), and loan interest. Add them all up for the year, then multiply by business km ÷ total km. Track km in an app and keep all receipts for six years.
Do I owe CPP if I made less than $3,500?
No. CPP contributions only apply to net self-employment earnings above the $3,500 basic exemption. Below that, you don't owe CPP, though you may still owe income tax depending on your total income.
When do I have to register for GST/HST?
Once your gross revenue (not profit) crosses $30,000 in any single calendar quarter, or across the previous four quarters combined, you stop being a 'small supplier' and have 29 days to register. You then charge GST/HST on top of your prices and remit it to the CRA. Most rideshare drivers in Canada are required to register from day one regardless of earnings — the small supplier exemption doesn't apply to taxi or rideshare services per section 240(1.1) of the Excise Tax Act.
Why is my Quebec calculation different from other provinces?
Quebec runs its own pension plan (QPP) and parental insurance plan (QPIP). The QPP self-employed rate is 12.6% (10.6% base + 2% first additional) — higher than CPP's 11.9%. Quebec residents also get a 16.5% federal tax abatement, which reduces federal tax payable. Quebec's provincial tax is filed separately on a TP-1 return.
What if I don't track total km — can I estimate?
The CRA expects records, not estimates. The minimum acceptable is a 'simplified logbook' — a full-year base log once, then a representative three-month sample per year if your driving pattern is stable (within 10% of base). Without any km records, the CRA can disallow your vehicle expense claim entirely on audit. Start a km log the day you start driving for a platform.
Are quarterly tax instalments required for gig workers in Canada?
If your net tax owing (federal + provincial after credits) exceeds $3,000 in the current year and either of the two prior years ($1,800 in Quebec), the CRA will send you instalment reminders. Instalments are due March 15, June 15, September 15, and December 15. If you ignore them and owe more than the threshold, the CRA charges instalment interest — even if you pay everything off by April 30.

Other free calculators

Need more than a calculator?

NorthOS is our Canadian-first bookkeeping app for self-employed folks — CPP, GST/HST, T2125 deductions, and quarterly instalments handled end-to-end. Or pair this calculator with these focused tools and guides: