Owner-Operator Pay Calculator
What a week of trucking really pays after fuel, fixed costs, and the taxman’s share — free, instant, no signup.
Estimated available income
$1,950.00
Before expenses — enter your costs for a real number.
- Revenue
- $2,600.00
- HST collected (13%)
- $338.00
- Total expenses
- $0.00
- Estimated profit
- $2,600.00
- Tax reserve (25%)
- $650.00
- Estimated available income
- $1,950.00
remitted to CRA — not income
before expenses — enter your costs for a real number
Doing this math after every settlement?
ShiftFlow tracks loads, expenses and reserves automatically.
Track Hours with ShiftFlowCalculation rules
Ontario · rule v2026.1 · effective 2013-04-01
Source: Canada Revenue Agency · last reviewed 2026-08-11
How owner-operator pay is calculated
Revenue − expenses = profit; a slice of profit goes into the tax reserve; the rest is yours. GST/HST sits outside all of it — collected on top and remitted to the CRA, never income. Worked example: 100 hours at $26/hour is $2,600 revenue; registered in Ontario, you also collect $338 HST (13%) for the CRA. Fuel $600 + maintenance $200 = $800 expenses, leaving $1,800 profit. A 25% reserve sets aside $450, so available income is $1,350. Over 1,000 km that’s a cost of $0.80/km against revenue of $2.60/km.
Common mistakes
- Counting the HST as revenue — it’s the CRA’s money passing through your account.
- Judging a contract on gross revenue instead of cost per km — big gross can still lose money.
- Skipping the reserve because the settlement looked big — tax time doesn’t care how it looked.
Frequently asked questions
Is my settlement all mine?
No. A settlement is revenue, not pay. If you are registered for GST/HST, part of it is tax you collected for the CRA — it was never yours. What remains has to cover fuel, maintenance, insurance, and your other operating costs before anything is income, and a slice of that profit should be reserved for income tax. Your real pay is what is left after all three.
What expenses should I count?
Everything it costs to keep the truck earning: fuel, maintenance and repairs (including tires), insurance, truck and trailer payments or lease, plates, permits and licensing, tolls, scale fees, parking, phone and ELD subscriptions, and accounting fees. If you only track fuel, your profit number is fiction — the fixed costs keep running whether the wheels turn or not.
Why does cost per km matter?
Because it turns any load offer into a yes/no answer. If your all-in cost is $0.80/km, a load paying $1.10/km makes money and a load paying $0.75/km loses money no matter how big the gross looks. Gross revenue rewards long deadhead and cheap freight; cost per km exposes them.
Do I charge GST/HST on my loads?
It depends on your registration status and the load. If you are registered, most domestic freight is taxable at your province’s rate, but some hauls — like interlined freight between carriers or international shipments — are treated differently. If you are not registered, you don’t charge it at all. The rules have real exceptions, so confirm your situation with the CRA or an accountant.
Does this calculator include CPP and income tax?
No. The reserve line is a percentage you choose to set aside — a savings habit, not a tax calculation. Your actual income tax and CPP contributions depend on your total income, business structure, and deductions for the year, which is a job for tax software or an accountant, not a load calculator.
Related calculators
Results are estimates for informational purposes only, not tax or accounting advice. The tax reserve is a percentage you choose, not a tax calculation — CPP and income-tax specifics are excluded. GST/HST treatment varies by registration status and load; confirm your situation with the CRA or an accountant.