[Home](https://tradestaxcalculator.ca/) › About

# About this calculator

A free, province-by-province tax calculator built for self-employed Canadian trades — not generic freelancers — with every number sourced and dated.

## Who builds it

Trades Tax Calculator is built and run by [Blue Crane Works](https://bluecraneworks.ca/), which makes job, receipt and paperwork software for Canadian contractors. We built this because the same tradespeople who use our tools kept asking the same question every spring: what do I actually owe, and how much should I set aside?

## How the numbers are worked out

The calculator models a self-employed sole proprietor for the 2026 tax year. For your net income (revenue minus expenses) it computes:

- **Federal income tax** — 2026 brackets, the basic personal amount, at the reduced 14% first rate.
- **Provincial or territorial income tax** — that jurisdiction's own 2026 brackets and basic personal amount, plus Ontario's surtax and health premium where they apply.
- **CPP** — both halves (11.9% up to the maximum, plus CPP2), handled the way the CRA actually treats it for the self-employed: the enhanced portion and CPP2 fully deductible, and the base portion half a deduction and half a credit.

## Where the figures come from

Every constant is sourced and carries a verification date. Federal brackets, the basic personal amount and CPP maximums come from the Canada Revenue Agency; each province's rates come from that province's published 2026 schedule, cross-checked against the third-party combined-rate tables (PwC, BDO). Nothing is estimated or remembered — if a figure can't be verified, it isn't shipped.

**Quebec is not covered.** It runs its own pension plan (QPP), a federal abatement, its own sales tax and a separate provincial return — a different system, not a data change, so we exclude it rather than show wrong numbers.

## What it is and isn't

This is a planning estimate to help you set money aside and understand your position — not tax advice, and not a filing calculation. It assumes only the basic personal amount (no spousal, tuition or other credits) and doesn't model every low-income reduction. For your actual return, work with an accountant.

## Related tools for contractors

- [Blue Crane form makerBuild printable Ontario contractor forms — invoices, notices, safety logs.](https://bluecraneworks.ca/tools.html)
- [Ontario Trade RegistryThe compliance forms and rules behind WSIB, Notice of Project, and more.](https://ontariotraderegistry.ca/)
- [Blue Crane WorksReceipt capture, the document vault and the accountant export that make tax time easier.](https://bluecraneworks.ca/)

## Contact

Questions, a number that looks off, or a correction? Email [hello@tradestaxcalculator.ca](mailto:hello@tradestaxcalculator.ca). We take accuracy seriously and fix confirmed issues quickly.

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Source: https://tradestaxcalculator.ca/about/