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Freelancers, gig workers and sole proprietors: get your T2125, HST, CPP and instalments sorted by a CPA-led accounting firm, and stop dreading April.
24/7 receptionist, a real person answers.
- Every return is reviewed by a CPA
- No surprise bills
- Reply within one business day
- 24/7 receptionist: a real person answers
- QuickBooks Online, Xero and Dext
- Rated 5.0 stars from 29 Google reviews (read our reviews)
T-Ledgers is a CPA-led accounting firm working with self-employed people across Ontario: freelancers, rideshare and delivery drivers, tradespeople, creatives, coaches, tutors and side-hustlers. Wajahat Ajmal, CPA, FCCA, has been practising since 2020. We prepare your personal return with business income, handle HST, plan your instalments and help you keep simple records, and every return is reviewed by a CPA.
Being your own boss means being your own payroll department too. Nobody withholds tax for you, so the bill can arrive all at once. We help you see it coming and set money aside.
Self-employed tax issues we handle
Rules, rates and thresholds change. We confirm the current figure for your situation on the call before relying on it.
Reporting business income on the T2125
Self-employment income and expenses go on Form T2125 with your T1. Your profit is your income from the business, and every expense has to be reasonable, connected to earning that income and backed by a receipt. We claim what you’re entitled to and leave out what won’t hold up in a review.
Deductions people miss (and the ones they over-claim)
Phones, software, professional fees, advertising, supplies, insurance, bank fees and a share of your internet are common claims. Meals and entertainment are generally limited to 50%. Equipment such as laptops and cameras usually goes through capital cost allowance (CCA) rather than being written off at once. Personal costs are never deductible, even if they’re paid from your business account.
Law: Income Tax Act s.67.1(1) (50% limit on meals and entertainment); Income Tax Act s.20(1)(a) (capital cost allowance); Income Tax Regulations s.1100(1) and Schedule II (CCA classes); Income Tax Act s.18(1)(b) (capital outlays).
Home office and vehicle
If your home workspace is your principal place of business, or you use it only for the business and regularly meet clients there, you can claim a share of rent or mortgage interest, utilities, insurance and property tax. The claim can’t create or increase a business loss; the unused part carries forward. For a vehicle, keep a mileage log: only the business share of fuel, insurance, repairs, interest and CCA is deductible, and passenger vehicles have cost limits.
Law: Income Tax Act s.18(12) (work space in home); Income Tax Act s.13(7)(g) (passenger vehicle cost limit); Income Tax Act s.248(1) (“automobile”, “passenger vehicle”).
Deadlines that catch people out
Self-employed individuals (and their spouses or common-law partners) have until June 15 to file, but any balance owing is due April 30. Interest starts on unpaid balances after April 30, and late filing adds a penalty.
Law: Income Tax Act s.150(1)(d) (individual return deadlines); Income Tax Act s.248(1) (“balance-due day”).
CPP on self-employment income
You pay both the employee and employer share of CPP on net self-employment earnings, plus the second additional contribution (CPP2) above the first earnings ceiling (see CRA’s current CPP rates). It’s calculated on Schedule 8 and is often the surprise part of the bill.
HST registration
Most self-employed people must register once taxable revenue goes over $30,000 in a calendar quarter or over four consecutive quarters. Rideshare and taxi drivers must register from their first dollar of fares. Registering voluntarily below the threshold can make sense if your clients are businesses, because you can then claim input tax credits. We also check whether the Quick Method saves you money.
Law: Excise Tax Act s.148(1) (small supplier, $30,000); Excise Tax Act s.240(1) and 240(1.1) (registration; taxi and ride-sharing); Excise Tax Act s.169(1) (input tax credits); Streamlined Accounting (GST/HST) Regulations s.16(1) ($400,000 Quick Method limit).
Instalments
If your net tax owing is more than $3,000 in the current year and in either of the two previous years, the CRA will generally expect quarterly instalments on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15. We work out the amount so you aren’t charged instalment interest.
Law: Income Tax Act s.156(1) (quarterly instalments for individuals); Income Tax Act s.156.1(1) (instalment threshold).
Platform reporting for gig and rental income
Digital platforms such as rideshare, delivery, freelance marketplaces and short-term rental apps now report seller income to the CRA. What you report has to match what the platform reports, so we reconcile your platform statements to your return.
Losses, records and CRA reviews
A genuine business loss can generally reduce your other income, and unused losses can be carried back three years or forward 20. Keep receipts, invoices, bank statements and logs for six years from the end of the tax year they relate to. If a review letter arrives, we answer it for you.
Law: Income Tax Act s.111(1)(a) (non-capital losses); Income Tax Act s.230(1) and 230(4) (books and records, six years); Income Tax Act s.231.1(1) (CRA audits).
When to incorporate
Once profits are well beyond what you need to live on, a corporation may let you leave money in the company at the small business rate on active business income. It also adds a T2, bookkeeping and payroll or dividend paperwork. We model both before you decide.
Law: Income Tax Act s.125(1) (small business deduction); Income Tax Act s.125(2) ($500,000 business limit).
Behind on filings?
If you haven’t filed for a few years, we rebuild your records and file in the right order. Where income wasn’t reported, the CRA’s Voluntary Disclosures Program may give relief from some penalties and interest if the disclosure is voluntary and complete.
Law: Income Tax Act s.220(3.1) (waiver of penalty or interest); Excise Tax Act s.281.1(1) (waiver of interest).
Who we work with
- Freelancers and consultants: designers, writers, developers, marketers and photographers
- Rideshare, taxi and delivery drivers
- Tradespeople working as sole proprietors
- Coaches, tutors, trainers and wellness practitioners
- Content creators and online sellers
- People with a side business alongside a T4 job
Services for self-employed people
- Sole proprietor tax (T1 + T2125), from $300. CPA-prepared, including one business, CCA, home office and vehicle (see personal tax). This price is for sole proprietors; incorporated businesses file a T2, quoted separately.
- GST/HST returns, $150 per return.
- Bookkeeping Review, $195/month or $295/quarter. Keep your own records and have them checked on a schedule.
- Bookkeeping, from $350/month (quarterly); monthly bookkeeping from $500/month (see bookkeeping).
- Catch-up bookkeeping and back returns, from $1,800 per year. We rebuild your records and file what's overdue (see catch-up bookkeeping).
- Incorporation, from $499 plus government fees, when you outgrow sole proprietorship.
Prices are + HST/GST. Anything without a listed price is quoted after a free call, and you get the price in writing before any work starts.
How we work with self-employed clients
- Free call. We ask what you do, how you’re paid, whether you’re registered for HST and how far behind you are.
- Written price. You get the scope and price in writing before any work starts.
- Setup. Simple categories in QuickBooks Online or Xero, or a clean spreadsheet, plus Dext for receipts.
- During the year. HST filed on time and instalments estimated so you can set money aside.
- Tax time. T1 with T2125 and Schedule 8, reviewed by a CPA, with a plan for next year.
Why self-employed people choose T-Ledgers
- No judgment, just a plan. Whether you're on top of things or haven't filed in years, we'll tell you exactly where you stand and what it'll cost to fix.
- CPA-led, start to finish. T-Ledgers was founded by Wajahat Ajmal, CPA, FCCA. Every return is reviewed by a CPA before it's filed.
- No surprise bills. You get the scope and the price in writing before we start. If the work changes, we agree the new price with you first.
- Price matching, agreed up front. Have a comparable written quote? Bring it to us before you sign your proposal. We can only match a price when it's agreed before the proposal is signed.
- Fast, human answers. We reply within one business day, and our 24/7 receptionist means a real person answers when you call 866-254-5368.
- In person or online. Meet us in person, by appointment only, at our Etobicoke office (102-89 Skyway Ave, Etobicoke, ON M9W 6R4) or our Mississauga office (100 Matheson Blvd E #204, Mississauga, ON L4Z 3P8), or work with us entirely online.
- Your software, set up properly. We work in QuickBooks Online and Xero, and use Dext so receipts go in with a photo.
Meet your CPA
Wajahat Ajmal, CPA, FCCA, Founder, T-Ledgers Accounting. Verify my CPA Ontario membership.
I started my career as an audit associate at KPMG. Since then I’ve worked as an independent contractor for a tax filing company, preparing returns and handling client questions. I hold a BSc in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University and an MSc in Professional Accountancy from University College London. I’m a Chartered Professional Accountant in Ontario and a Fellow of the ACCA. I started taking on my own clients in 2020 and founded T-Ledgers in 2023.
Every return the firm files is reviewed by a CPA. You can read more about the firm on our About page.
What our clients say
Read more on our client reviews page.
DIY vs a generalist firm vs T-Ledgers
← Swipe to compare →
| DIY | Generalist firm | T-Ledgers BEST VALUE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| T2125 expenses and CPP | Easy to under- or over-claim | Usually handled, but often in a rush in April | ✓Reviewed with you, with a plan for next year |
| Instalments and HST | Often missed until a CRA letter arrives | Varies | ✓Flagged early and built into your calendar |
| Platform income matching | Easy to miss a slip | Varies | ✓Platform statements reconciled to your return |
| Who checks the return before it's filed | You do | Depends on the firm and who's assigned | ✓Every return is reviewed by a CPA |
| How you're billed | Software fees plus your own time | Often hourly; the final bill can vary | ✓Scope and price in writing up front. No surprise bills |
| Getting an answer | Search online or wait on CRA phone lines | Varies by firm | ✓Reply within one business day; 24/7 receptionist, a real person answers |
| Software | Whatever you set up yourself | May ask you to switch to their system | ✓QuickBooks Online, Xero and Dext |
| Meeting face to face | Not applicable | Varies | ✓In person by appointment in Etobicoke or Mississauga, or fully online |
| Price matching | Not applicable | Rare | ✓Available if agreed before you sign your proposal |
Frequently asked questions: Self-Employed
You have until June 15 to file, but any balance owing is due April 30. Filing late and paying late both cost money, so we plan around both dates.
You don’t have to have one, but the T2125, CPP, HST and instalments are where most self-employed people overpay or get reassessed. A CPA-reviewed return and a plan for next year usually pay for themselves.
Any income from a business you run yourself: freelance fees, gig and platform payments, tips from customers, cash jobs and side-hustle sales. All of it is reportable, whether or not you get a slip.
Yes. Your employment income and your business income both go on the same T1, with the business on its own T2125.
Reasonable costs you incur to earn business income, backed by receipts: supplies, software, phone, advertising, professional fees, insurance and a share of home and vehicle costs. Equipment usually goes through CCA.
Yes, if it’s your principal place of business, or used only for the business and regularly for meeting clients. You claim the business share of rent or mortgage interest, utilities, insurance and property tax. It can’t create a loss.
The business share of fuel, insurance, repairs, interest and CCA, based on a mileage log. Commuting isn’t business use. Passenger vehicles have cost and interest limits.
Business meals and entertainment are generally limited to 50% of the cost, and only when there’s a clear business purpose.
Generally, once your taxable revenue goes over $30,000 in a calendar quarter or four consecutive quarters. Rideshare and taxi drivers have to register from the start.
Often yes if your clients are HST-registered businesses, because you can claim input tax credits on your costs. If your clients are consumers, it can raise your prices. We’ll compare both.
A simpler way for smaller businesses to calculate HST, using a set rate on sales instead of tracking every input tax credit. It often saves service businesses money.
Self-employed people pay both the employee and employer share of CPP on net self-employment earnings, plus CPP2 on higher earnings. We include it in your planning so it doesn’t come as a shock.
Generally, if your net tax owing is more than $3,000 this year and in either of the two previous years. Payments are due quarterly, and we work out the amount.
Yes. We rebuild your records, file the returns in order and help with any CRA letters. Where income wasn’t reported, we’ll talk through the Voluntary Disclosures Program.
Usually only once profits are well beyond what you need to live on. A corporation may pay a lower small business rate on active income, but it adds costs and filings. We’ll model both on a free call.
A genuine business loss can generally reduce your other income, and unused losses can be carried back three years or forward 20. The CRA looks for a real business with a profit motive.
Sole proprietor returns (T1 + T2125) start from $300. This price is for sole proprietors; incorporated businesses file a T2, quoted separately. GST/HST returns are $150 per return, the Bookkeeping Review is $195/month or $295/quarter, monthly bookkeeping starts from $500/month (quarterly bookkeeping from $350/month) and catch-up work starts from $1,800 per year. Prices are + HST/GST. You get the price in writing before any work starts.
Your platform statements and slips, bank and credit card statements for the business, receipts, your mileage log and last year’s notice of assessment.
Yes. Most self-employed clients work with us entirely online, or you can meet us by appointment in Etobicoke or Mississauga.
Within one business day, and a real person answers the phone 24/7 at 866-254-5368.
Take tax season off your to-do list
Book a free call and get a clear plan for your T2125, HST and instalments. We reply within one business day; call 866-254-5368 and a real person answers 24/7.
Reviewed by Wajahat Ajmal, CPA, FCCA. Updated October 15, 2026.
Related services: Bookkeeping · Catch-up bookkeeping · Corporate taxes · Personal tax · Payroll · Virtual CFO · Contact us
Rates and thresholds change, so we link to the official sources for current figures.