A side hustle pricing worksheet for Canada starts with the hourly amount you want to keep, grosses it up for the income tax and CPP you’ll owe, adds the unbilled time and costs each job carries, and only then compares the result with what others charge. Skip any one of those lines and the price comes out too low. Self-employed people pay both the employee and employer CPP portions, 5.95% each in 2026 (CRA), and nothing is withheld for you, so the price has to carry it.
This worksheet is the general method. Hustle-specific pricing guides add typical price structures: see car detailing pricing, moving help pricing, website maintenance pricing and the rest of the pricing guides. For the plan this price sits in, see the one-page side hustle business plan.
| Line | What to enter | Example (assumed) |
|---|---|---|
| A. Take-home per hour | What you want to keep after tax and CPP | $20 |
| B. Set-aside rate | Your income tax plus CPP estimate | 25% |
| C. Gross hourly | A ÷ (1 − B) | $26.67 |
| D. Hours per job | Billable time plus travel, quoting, admin | 1.5 + 0.5 = 2.0 |
| E. Costs per job | Supplies, fuel, platform fees | $6 |
| F. Price per job | (C × D) + E | $59.33 |
| G. Market check | What similar local or online offers charge | Compare, then adjust |
How do you fill in a side hustle pricing worksheet in Canada?
Work down the lines once, then revisit them after a month of real jobs.
Step 1: Line A, the take-home you want
Pick an hourly amount that makes the work worth your evening. Your province’s minimum wage is a floor to beat, not a target.
Step 2: Line B, the set-aside rate
This covers income tax at your marginal rate plus self-employed CPP. How much tax to set aside shows how to estimate it. If you have a job, side income is added on top of your salary, so it’s taxed at your marginal rate.
Step 3: Line C, gross it up
Divide A by (1 − B). At a 25% set-aside, keeping $20 means charging about $26.67 per hour of work.
Step 4: Line D, real hours per job
Add travel, setup, quoting, messages and invoicing to the billable time. Leaving this line out quietly lowers your real hourly rate.
Step 5: Line E, costs per job
Supplies used, fuel, parking, platform or payment fees. Only business costs count, and the business share of mixed costs (CRA). Startup purchases go in the plan, not each job; see your hustle’s startup costs guide, such as lawn care startup costs.
Step 6: Line F, the price
(C × D) + E. Round to a clean number clients understand.
Step 7: Line G, the market check
Compare with what similar offers charge. If yours is far higher, look for hours or costs you can cut, or a more specific offer. If it’s far lower, you’ve probably left something out.
Illustrative example
This is a teaching sketch using the table’s assumed numbers. A car detailer wants to keep $20 an hour and sets aside 25%. Gross hourly is $26.67. An interior detail takes 1.5 hours plus 0.5 hours of driving and messaging, so 2 hours. Supplies and fuel are $6. Price: $26.67 × 2 + $6 = $59.33, rounded to $60. If local detailers advertise interiors well above that, there’s room to charge more; if they’re below, the detailer looks at cutting travel by grouping jobs by neighbourhood.
What pricing rules apply to side hustles in Canada?
Three rules shape how you present the number.
- All-in pricing. The Competition Bureau says advertising a price that can’t be attained because of mandatory added fees is against the law; only government charges such as sales tax can be added (Competition Bureau). Build fees into the price.
- Written estimates in Ontario. If a written estimate is part of a consumer contract, the final price can’t be more than 10% above it unless the client agrees and signs a change (Ontario).
- GST/HST. Once total taxable sales from all your businesses pass $30,000 in four consecutive calendar quarters, you must register and charge GST/HST on top (CRA). See GST/HST registration.
What pricing mistakes do side hustlers make in Canada?
- Pricing from the cheapest competitor.
- Leaving out travel and admin time.
- Forgetting the tax and CPP gross-up.
- Adding a mandatory “service fee” at checkout instead of building it into the price.
- Never revisiting the worksheet after real jobs show the true hours.
How does your price affect your side hustle taxes in Canada?
Your price determines revenue, which goes on Form T2125 along with your expenses. The set-aside line keeps the tax money in your account until you file. Accounting software such as FreshBooks can store your price list and track actual hours per job, which is what you need to refine lines D and E. For year-end, see side hustle tax prep before January.
This is not tax, legal, or insurance advice.
Which guides sit next to the side hustle pricing worksheet?
First-year side hustle money mistakes explains why underpricing shows up in April, a client acquisition system finds people to pay the price, and the quarterly money check-in is when to update the worksheet. Turn the worksheet into written quotes with the snow removal price sheet, house cleaning quote walkthrough, and lawn care estimate.
What are the common questions?
How do I calculate my side hustle price?
Decide what you want to keep per hour, divide by one minus your tax and CPP set-aside rate, multiply by the real hours per job including travel and admin, then add the costs of the job.
How much should I add for tax when pricing?
Enough to cover income tax at your marginal rate plus self-employed CPP, which is 5.95% times two in 2026 on pensionable earnings above $3,500. The guide on how much tax to set aside explains how to estimate it.
Can I add a fuel or booking fee to my price?
Be careful. The Competition Bureau says advertised prices must be attainable and that only government charges like sales tax can be added. Building the cost into your price is safer.
Should I include GST/HST in my price?
Only once you're registered. You must register when taxable sales from all your businesses pass $30,000 in four consecutive calendar quarters, then charge GST/HST on taxable sales.
How often should I redo the pricing worksheet?
After your first month of real jobs, then every few months. Real hours and costs can differ from your first guess.
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.
- CPP contribution rates, maximums and exemptions — Canada Revenue Agency
- When to register for and start charging the GST/HST — Canada Revenue Agency
- Drip pricing — Competition Bureau Canada
- Your rights when signing or cancelling a contract — Government of Ontario
- Business expenses — Canada Revenue Agency