Ontario
Tip: most freelancers bill ~25 hrs of a 40-hr week (the rest is admin, sales, and unpaid) and work ~46 weeks after vacation, sick days, and holidays.
You need to charge
$79 / hour
≈ $631/day · $90,745 of billings a year
Across 1,150 billable hours (25 hrs × 46 weeks).
To actually keep $60,000, you can't just charge your old salary ÷ 2,080. After income tax, both halves of CPP, your expenses, and the hours you can't bill, your number is $79/hour.
Estimate only — uses the verified 2026 self-employed tax engine (same as the VRITTI app). It doesn't model deductions, GST/HST (charged on top of your rate), or RRSP. Not financial advice.
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Why your rate is higher than you think
The most common freelance pricing mistake is starting from a salary number and dividing by 2,080 hours. That quietly assumes two things that aren't true: that you keep all of it, and that every working hour is paid. Neither is.
- Tax + CPP take a real bite. You owe income tax plus both halves of CPP (11.9% in 2026; QPP 12.6% in Quebec) — see the tax set-aside calculator.
- You cover your own overhead. Software, equipment, insurance, fees — expenses you must earn back before you pay yourself.
- Most hours aren't billable. Admin, sales, invoicing, and learning eat ~40% of the week; vacation and sick days shrink the year to ~46 weeks.
Stack those together and the rate that replaces a $60k take-home is far more than $60k ÷ 2,080. The calculator does this backwards-math for you, by province, so your rate is a confident floor — not a hopeful guess. Once you're set, remember to check whether you need to charge GST/HST on top, and to set aside the tax as you get paid.
People also ask
How much should I charge as a freelancer in Canada?
Enough that — after income tax, both halves of CPP, your business expenses, and the hours you can’t bill — you still take home the income you want. A common mistake is dividing a desired salary by 2,080 hours; that ignores roughly 30–40% in tax and CPP plus the ~40% of your week that is admin, sales, and unpaid. The calculator above works backwards from your target take-home to the hourly rate that actually gets you there.
How do I calculate my freelance hourly rate?
Start from the take-home you want, add the income tax and CPP you’ll owe on it (use a self-employed tax estimate, not an employee one), add your annual business expenses to get the total billings you need, then divide by your realistic billable hours for the year (billable hours per week × working weeks, not 40 × 52). That final number is your minimum hourly rate.
Why is my freelance rate so much higher than my old salary?
Because a salary hides a lot. As an employee, your employer paid half your CPP, covered your downtime, paid for software and equipment, and gave you paid vacation. Freelancing, you cover all of it yourself — both CPP halves (11.9% in 2026), your own overhead, and every unpaid hour — so the rate that replaces a $60k take-home is far more than $60k ÷ 2,080.
Do I add GST/HST on top of my freelance rate?
Yes, once you’re registered. GST/HST is charged on top of your rate and held in trust for the CRA — it is never part of your income, so don’t fold it into your rate math. You must register once your taxable revenue passes $30,000. Use the GST/HST registration checker to see where you stand.
How many hours can a freelancer actually bill?
Most full-time freelancers bill around 25 of a 40-hour week — the rest goes to finding work, admin, invoicing, and learning — and work roughly 46 weeks a year after vacation, sick days, and holidays. That’s about 1,150 billable hours, not 2,080. Charging as if every hour is billable is the fastest way to quietly underearn.
Is this freelance rate calculator accurate for Canada?
It uses the same verified 2026 federal + provincial tax brackets and self-employed CPP/QPP engine as the VRITTI app, so the tax portion is realistic for every province. It’s an estimate — it doesn’t model deductions, RRSP, or GST/HST — so treat the result as a confident floor for your rate, not a filed tax figure.
Charge right. Then keep more of it.
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