How to file your taxes as an Uber driver in Canada, step by step
From your Uber tax summary to the numbers on your T2125, GST/HST return and CPP schedule. A plain walkthrough of filing as a rideshare driver.
When you drive for an app, every payout lands in your account in full. Nothing is taken off for income tax or CPP. That feels great until April, when the whole year's bill arrives at once.
The fix is to set money aside from every payout. The hard part is knowing how much.
What you're saving for
Three things come out of your gig profit:
- Federal income tax, after the basic personal amount
- Ontario income tax, plus the Ontario Health Premium once your taxable income passes $20,000
- CPP on self-employment, where you pay both the employee and employer halves: 11.9% of your net profit above $3,500
At lower incomes, CPP is usually the biggest of the three. Many new drivers are surprised to owe CPP even when their income tax is close to zero.
2026 examples for Ontario drivers
These examples assume gig driving is your only income and you live in Ontario. "Net profit" is your earnings minus deductible expenses like fuel, insurance and your phone.
Estimated tax and CPP on net profit, 2026
| Net profit | CPP | Income tax + health premium | Total | Share of profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $15,000 | $1,368 | $32 | $1,401 | about 9% |
| $25,000 | $2,558 | $1,527 | $4,085 | about 16% |
| $40,000 | $4,344 | $4,221 | $8,565 | about 21% |
| $60,000 | $6,724 | $7,879 | $14,603 | about 24% |
These are planning numbers, not your final bill. Other income, RRSP contributions and credits like the Ontario tax reduction can lower what you owe, especially at the lower end.
Turning it into a per-payout habit
The table works on profit, but you get paid in gross payouts. The easiest habit is to pick a percentage of each payout and move it to a separate savings account the day it arrives.
If your expenses are about a quarter of your earnings, a driver heading for $25,000 in profit is earning roughly $33,000 gross. Their $4,085 bill works out to about 12 cents of every gross dollar.
A simple starting point
- Part-time, under about $20,000 profit: set aside 10% of each payout
- Around $25,000 to $40,000 profit: set aside 15%
- Full-time, $40,000 profit or more: set aside 20% or more
Check in every few months and adjust. Saving a little too much is a nice refund to yourself in April. Saving too little is a CRA balance with interest.
Rideshare drivers: HST is separate
If you drive passengers, you have to be registered for GST/HST, and the HST on your fares isn't your money. It belongs to the CRA. Keep it apart from your income tax savings. It's the HST collected on your fares minus the input tax credits you claim on business expenses.
When the CRA wants it
For most drivers, the balance is due April 30 of the following year. Once you owe more than $3,000 in two years out of three, the CRA will ask for quarterly instalments on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15. Saving weekly makes those payments painless.
How MyGigLedger helps
MyGigLedger does this math for you with every payout and expense you log. The number at the top of your dashboard is your set-aside amount so far this year, and it shows the cents per dollar to put away, based on your own earnings and expenses instead of a rule of thumb.
Sources
This article is general information based on CRA guidance as of September 28, 2026. It isn't tax advice. Rules change, and your situation may differ, so check with the CRA or a tax professional before you file.