To invoice a client in Canada, send a dated document with a unique invoice number, your name or business name and contact details, the client’s name, a description of the work, the amount owing, and your payment terms and methods. If you are registered for GST/HST, the invoice must also show the tax and your GST/HST registration number, because the CRA lists those details as what your business clients need to claim input tax credits (CRA input tax credit records). If you are not registered, you do not charge GST/HST at all.
This guide is part of the admin set. Agree on scope and price first with a simple freelance contract, then invoice, then track what you are owed with a bookkeeping tool. Pricing help lives in the hustle guides, for example freelance writing pricing and virtual assistant pricing.
What must a Canadian freelancer’s invoice include?
There is no single legal invoice format for a sole proprietor who is not registered for GST/HST, but an invoice should identify you, the client, the work, the amount, and the terms. For GST/HST registrants, the CRA’s input tax credit chart sets out what business clients need on the document, by sale size:
| Information on the invoice | Under $100 | $100 to $499.99 | $500 or more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your business or trading name | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Invoice date | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Total amount payable | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GST/HST charged, or a statement that the price includes it | No | Yes | Yes |
| Your GST/HST registration number | No | Yes | Yes |
| Buyer’s name or trading name | No | No | Yes |
| Brief description of the goods or services | No | No | Yes |
| Terms of payment | No | No | Yes |
Most freelancers simply include every line on every invoice. It costs nothing and means a client never has to ask for a corrected copy.
What does a simple invoice template look like?
A one-page layout with five blocks covers almost every side hustle. Copy this outline into a document, spreadsheet, or invoicing app.
1. Header
- The word “Invoice”
- Invoice number (for example 2026-014)
- Invoice date and due date
2. From
- Your legal name or registered business name
- Address, email, phone
- GST/HST registration number (only if registered)
3. Bill to
- Client’s name or company name
- Contact person and email
- Client’s purchase order or reference number, if they gave one
4. Line items
- Description of each service or product, with dates
- Quantity or hours × rate = line total
- Subtotal
- GST/HST line with rate and amount (only if registered)
- Total due, with currency (CAD or USD)
5. Payment and terms
- Accepted payment methods (Interac e-Transfer email, bank transfer details, card link)
- Payment terms (for example “due within 15 days”)
- Any late-payment terms you agreed to in your contract
- A short thank-you line
Illustrative example
These are assumed numbers. A freelancer who is not registered for GST/HST bills a client for 8 hours of editing at an assumed $60 an hour, plus a $50 flat fee for a style sheet.
- 8 × $60 = $480
- $480 + $50 = $530 total due
- No GST/HST line, because the freelancer is not registered.
Because the total is $500 or more, if this freelancer were registered the invoice would also need the GST/HST amount, registration number, buyer’s name, a description, and payment terms under the CRA chart.
How do you send an invoice and get paid?
Send it promptly after the work or milestone, by the method your client prefers, and follow up on the due date.
Step 1: Number invoices in sequence
A simple year-and-number scheme (2026-001, 2026-002) keeps records tidy and makes missing invoices obvious.
Step 2: Send as a PDF or through an invoicing tool
PDFs are hard to edit by accident. Free tools can send and track invoices: Wave’s pricing page lists unlimited invoicing on its free Starter plan, with card payment processing fees per transaction.
Step 3: Make payment easy
List exact payment details. For Canadian clients, Interac e-Transfer or direct deposit are common. Card payment links cost you a processing fee, so price that in.
Step 4: Follow up politely on the due date
A short reminder with the invoice attached usually works. If a deposit or late fee was agreed in your contract, refer to it.
Step 5: Record the payment
Mark the invoice paid and match it to the deposit in your business account. This is the record the CRA expects you to keep.
What invoicing mistakes do Canadian freelancers make?
The costly ones are tax mistakes and missing details.
- Charging GST/HST without being registered. Only registrants charge it. See GST/HST registration.
- Forgetting to start charging after you register. The CRA’s when to register page explains when the obligation begins once you pass the small supplier limit.
- Leaving out the currency. A US client may assume USD; say CAD or USD.
- No due date. “Upon receipt” invites delay; a date does not.
- Reusing invoice numbers. Duplicates confuse both your records and the client’s.
How do invoices fit into your side hustle taxes in Canada?
Your invoices are part of the records that support the income you report on Form T2125, and the CRA’s business records page requires you to keep them, generally for six years. An invoice sent in December but paid in January can raise a timing question, and the CRA’s Guide T4002 explains the accounting methods that decide which year it belongs to; record-keeping and tax prep before January cover year-end. If you would rather not build invoices by hand, FreshBooks TODO-AFFILIATE creates and tracks them.
This is not tax, legal, or insurance advice.
Which guides sit next to invoicing clients?
Simple freelance contracts, free and cheap bookkeeping tools, GST/HST registration, and how to get a CRA business number. On marketplaces, billing runs through the platform; see the Upwork review and Fiverr review. Skill-specific ideas are in side hustles for writers and side hustles for graphic designers.
What are the common questions?
Do I need to charge GST/HST on my invoices?
Only if you are registered for GST/HST. Most side hustlers become required to register once taxable sales pass $30,000 in four consecutive calendar quarters; rideshare drivers must register from the first fare.
What information does the CRA want on an invoice?
For GST/HST registrants, the CRA lists the supplier's name, date and total for every sale; the GST/HST amount and registration number from $100; and the buyer's name, a description and payment terms from $500.
Can I use a free invoice template?
Yes. A document or spreadsheet with your details, the client's details, line items, total and payment terms works. Free tools such as Wave's Starter plan also send invoices.
How long should I keep copies of invoices?
The CRA generally requires business records, including sales invoices, to be kept for six years from the end of the tax year they relate to.
Should my invoice be in CAD or USD for American clients?
Either works if you agree on it in advance. State the currency clearly on the invoice, and report the income in Canadian dollars on your tax return.
Which sources support this guide?
The rules, rates, and platform requirements in this guide are checked against these primary sources. Retail price ranges are labelled as ranges to verify locally, and they are not quotes.
- Input tax credits: records you need to support your claim — Canada Revenue Agency
- When to register for and start charging the GST/HST — Canada Revenue Agency
- Business records — Canada Revenue Agency
- Guide T4002, Self-employed Business, Professional, Commission, Farming, and Fishing Income — Canada Revenue Agency
- Wave pricing — Wave Financial