When you're self‑employed, every legitimate business expense you claim lowers your taxable income — and your tax bill. Yet year after year we see contractors, freelancers and small business owners leave money on the table simply because they didn't know what counts. Here are fifteen of the most commonly missed.

Home & workspace

  1. Business‑use‑of‑home. If you work from home, you can deduct a portion of rent or mortgage interest, property tax, utilities, insurance and maintenance — based on the percentage of your home used for business.
  2. Internet & phone. The business‑use share of your cell and home internet bills.
  3. Office supplies & software. From printer ink to your accounting subscription and cloud storage.

Vehicle & travel

  1. Vehicle expenses. The business portion of fuel, insurance, repairs, lease payments and depreciation — track your business vs. personal kilometres with a logbook.
  2. Parking & tolls incurred for business trips.
  3. Travel. Airfare, hotels and 50% of meals when travelling for business.

Running the business

  1. Professional fees. Your accountant, bookkeeper and legal costs are deductible — yes, including preparing your business return.
  2. Advertising & marketing. Website, ads, business cards, even a portion of social media tools.
  3. Bank & merchant fees. Business account charges and payment‑processing fees.
  4. Insurance. Commercial liability and other business coverage.
  5. Subcontractors. Payments to others who help deliver your work.
  6. Training & memberships. Courses, certifications and industry association dues that maintain your skills.

Often overlooked

  1. Your CPP contributions. Self‑employed Albertans pay both portions of CPP — part of it is deductible and part is a credit.
  2. Capital cost allowance (CCA). Depreciation on equipment, computers and furniture you bought for the business.
  3. Bad debts. Invoices you genuinely couldn't collect can sometimes be written off.

Golden rule: keep every receipt and separate your business banking. The CRA can ask you to support any claim — good records turn a nervous audit into a non‑event. Not sure how much to set aside for tax? Our self‑employed calculator gives you a quick target.

Don't forget GST/HST

Once your business revenue passes $30,000 over four consecutive quarters, GST registration becomes mandatory. The upside: once registered, you can claim input tax credits to recover the GST you pay on business purchases. We handle registration and filing so it's one less thing to track.

The difference between a good return and a maximized one is knowing every rule that applies to your business — and applying it correctly. That's our specialty.

Turn your expenses into a bigger refund.

Let us comb through every deduction your business qualifies for.

Get a Free Quote