Invoice generator for Canadian freelancers
This free invoice generator is set up for Canadian freelancers: Canadian dollars by default, GST/HST explained in plain language below, and the same Smart Fill as the main tool — type one line such as “Logo design for Acme, $850, due March 14” and it pre-fills the client, the first line item, the amount and the due date. It is a quick-fill, not magic: you check every field before you print, and you can ignore Smart Fill entirely and type the form yourself.
Invoice details
Line items
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|
| Subtotal | $0.00 |
| Discount | −$0.00 |
| GST/HST | $0.00 |
| Total due | $0.00 |
Printing uses your browser’s print dialog — choose “Save as PDF” there if you want a file. Only the invoice above prints, not the whole page.
Invoicing from Canada: the parts that differ
GST/HST, in plain English
Canada charges a federal GST of 5%. On top of that, the provinces split three ways: some combine their share with the GST into a single HST at one combined rate, some charge GST on its own, and a few add a separate provincial sales tax. Which rate applies to an invoice generally depends on where your client is — the place of supply — so a freelancer billing a client in another province may need that province’s rate, not their own; the CRA’s guidance works through those cases.
Registration is the part that decides whether any of this reaches your invoice. Generally, you must register for a GST/HST account once your taxable revenue passes $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters — the small-supplier threshold — and you can register voluntarily before that point. Above the threshold, you charge the tax that applies and show it as its own line, which is what the GST/HST (%) field above does. Below it and unregistered, you charge no GST/HST at all: leave the field at 0%, because collecting tax you are not registered to collect creates a problem out of nothing.
What shows on the invoice
The everyday list is the same as anywhere: your name or business name, your client’s name, a unique invoice number, the issue date and a real due date, itemised work with quantities and rates, the total, and how to pay. When you are registered, invoices commonly also show your GST/HST number — business clients look for it, because it is what lets them claim their input tax credits. Put yours in the notes field, or beside your business name, and keep the same number on every invoice.
Getting paid
Interac e-Transfer is the everyday route between Canadian businesses and freelancers; larger clients tend to pay by direct deposit on their own payment run. Either way, the invoice should carry the payment details itself — the email address for the e-Transfer, or the deposit details — so nobody has to email you to ask. Print a calendar due date rather than “net 30”, so the invoice lands in a definite payment batch.
When you outgrow a generator
A generator covers the invoices you send today. When invoicing turns into a system — recurring invoices, GST/HST returns, expenses in the same place — Canadian freelancers often land on Wave: free invoicing and accounting software from a Canadian company, built for businesses in Canada and the US, and one of the few tools that treats GST/HST as a home case rather than an import. We put it head-to-head with the other name on most shortlists in FreshBooks vs Wave.
If a Canadian invoice goes unpaid
Most late invoices are process failures, not refusals, and a calm sequence fixes them: our guide to asking for late payment professionally lays out the ladder, and the late payment email generator has the wording for each stage.
General guidance, not tax advice. GST/HST rates, HST participation and the small-supplier rules vary by province and change over time. Check the CRA for your situation, or ask an accountant once and reuse the answer in every invoice after that.
Invoicing from somewhere else? The main invoice generator covers USD, GBP, EUR and AUD as well as Canadian dollars, and the invoice generator for UK freelancers explains VAT the same plain way this page explains GST/HST.