The growing cost of living makes it difficult for Canadians to make ends meet. Hence, many people work weekdays and side jobs, such as driving an Uber, hosting Airbnb guests, and tutoring over the weekends. There is a misconception that you do not have to report your income from a side hustle if your primary source of income is a job.
You have to report all types of income to the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA), no matter how small they are. While filing your taxes, you must consolidate all income sources (job, side hustle, investment and more) to arrive at the taxable income.
When Should You Report Your Side Hustle as Business Income?
The CRA differentiates a side hustle as a hobby or a business based on intent. If you are performing an activity, undertaking expenses, and undergoing training with the intent to earn a profit, it is defined as business income for tax purposes. Let us understand this with the help of an example.
Suppose you sell your old stuff in a garage sale to earn some extra money, but your intent was not to make a profit. That income is not counted as business income. In another scenario, you purchased a good for $10, undertook the logistics, packaging, and marketing costs of $2 and sold it for $15. Here, your intent and actions show that you made extra efforts to earn a profit of $3. That will be counted as business income and has to be reported to the CRA separately.
How Taxes Work for Employed and Self-Employed
Employment Income: Taxes are pretty straightforward for employees. Your employer deducts income tax, Employment Insurance (EI) premiums, and Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) contributions from your salary and issues you a T4 Slip by the end of February. You can reduce your taxable income by making Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) contributions or deducting union dues, moving expenses, and childcare costs.
However, taxes are complicated for self-employed.
Business Income: The income from your side hustle is tagged as business income. You are your boss in this and have to deduct CPP and income tax from your business income and remit it to the CRA. However, you can deduct any expenses you incurred for business from your business income. You must also register with Goods and Services Tax (GST) and get a Business Number if your income exceeds $30,000 in three to 12 consecutive months.
Canada has a progressive tax system, which means the tax rate increases with the taxable income. The taxable income consists of employment income + business income + investment income + capital gains and other income. Suppose your taxable income from employment is $50,000, business side hustle is $10,000 and investment income is $5,000, your total taxable income is $65,000.
As per the CRA’s 2024 tax bracket, taxable income above $55,867 and up to $111,733 is taxed at 20.5%. However, you can reduce your taxable income by availing yourself of the many tax deductions the CRA offers businesses, thereby reducing your taxes.
Benefits Self-Employed Enjoy Over Employed
While tax filing is easy for employees, self-employed have more benefits. The CRA allows self-employed to deduct business expenses such as marketing costs, vehicle and travel expenses for business trips, business supplies, capital cost of buying equipment, and more.
Suppose you are a GST-registered graphics designer and purchased a computer worth $2,500 (including $125 GST) for business. You can claim the $125 GST back using the input tax credit. Moreover, you can deduct the cost of the computer over its useful life under the head “depreciation” from your taxable income.
However, you have to keep all invoices, receipts, and documents supporting the tax deductions you claim. If you deduct the fuel cost of travelling to a client’s location and back, it is suggested you specify the purpose of the meeting and the miles travelled. The more detailed your information, the better.
Forms You Need to File Taxes as Employed and Self-Employed
When filing your taxes, you must file two separate tax forms for your job (T1 Return) and your business income (T2125). You must file T2125 for each business separately if you have more than one business.
Employed: To file a T1 return, you need a T4 slip from your employer and a T5 slip from institutions (banks, brokers, mutual funds) where you have invested money.
Self-Employed: You must file Form T2125 stating business income and expenses details, RC361 for CPP contributions, and GST/HST returns.
If you fail to report your self-employment income, it could be considered tax evasion and is subject to criminal laws. You will face a late filing penalty of 5% on your outstanding tax, an additional 1% for each month of delay, and criminal charges. The CRA sends letters to taxpayers with unreported income requesting receipts or paper trail information of such income.
If you have received such a letter, it is better to consult a tax expert and get your taxes in order. Pay any late filing penalty and outstanding dues before things get messy. One tip is to set aside 10-20% of all your income for tax payments and make advance tax payments to avoid accumulating tax debt.
Contact Edelkoort Smethurst CPAs LLP in Burlington to Help You File Your Taxes
A professional tax expert can help you estimate your tax liability accurately and avail yourself of any tax benefits for which you are eligible. Complete accounts and robust tax planning can help you scale your side hustle into a full-fledged business while staying tax-compliant. To learn more about how Edelkoort Smethurst CPAs LLP can provide you with tax planning expertise, please get in touch with us online or by telephone at 905-517-2297.