What freelancers and independent creatives can usually deduct
- Home office
- A reasonable share of eligible costs may qualify when the workspace is your main place of business, or when you use it only to earn business income and on a regular and ongoing basis to meet clients, customers, or patients.
- Software & subscriptions
- Design and dev tools, cloud storage, hosting, domains, and other SaaS you run your business on.
- Hardware & equipment
- Computers, monitors, and peripherals — larger purchases may be claimed through capital cost allowance.
- Professional services
- Subcontractors, accountants, and legal fees tied to your business.
- Marketing & website
- Your portfolio site, ads, and professional memberships.
- Learning & development
- Courses, books, and conferences that maintain or improve your skills.
How PKTD helps organize your records
- On-device scanning. Receipt text is read on your iPhone with on-device OCR.
- GST/HST review. With your consent, optional cloud AI can suggest the sales tax shown on a receipt for you to verify.
- Mileage tracking. Log business kilometres alongside the fuel and maintenance receipts that back them up.
- Reviewable categories. Choose or correct the category for each expense before using it in your records.
- One-tap export. Hand your accountant a clean CSV instead of a shoebox of paper.
Freelancers: frequently asked questions
- Can freelancers deduct a home office in Canada?
- Business-use-of-home expenses may be deductible if the space is your main place of business, or if you use it only to earn business income and on a regular and ongoing basis to meet clients, customers, or patients. Keep the underlying bills in PKTD and confirm your circumstances with the CRA or a qualified advisor.
- Are my software subscriptions tax-deductible?
- Subscriptions used to run your business are generally deductible. Forward or scan each receipt into PKTD so the recurring cost is documented month to month.
- When do I need to register for GST/HST?
- For most freelancers, mandatory registration can follow either route: if worldwide taxable supplies exceed $30,000 in a single calendar quarter, small-supplier status ends immediately before the supply that puts you over and you must register and charge GST/HST on that supply; if the total exceeds $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters without crossing it in one quarter, status generally ends at the end of the following month and registration is required no later than the first supply after that month. This is general information; you can register voluntarily earlier, and you should confirm your timing and circumstances with the CRA.