Becoming self-employed in Quebec: the steps from A to Z

By Mathieu Ouellet · Published October 29, 2026 · 8 min read

Self-employed worker standing beside a work truck

In Quebec, you can start working on your own tomorrow morning without filling out a single form, as long as you do it under your own name. The obligations then show up in thresholds: a business name, $30,000 in taxable sales, more than $1,800 in tax owing, construction work. Here's the order in which to clear them, with the figures in force as of October 29, 2026.

Step 1: Make sure you'll really be self-employed, then pick a legal structure

Before any forms, a basic question: will you really be self-employed? Your status depends on how the work actually gets done, not on the contract's label: who controls the schedule and the methods, who supplies the tools, who carries the risk of loss. If a single client sets your hours, lends you their truck and tells you how to do the job, you may well be considered an employee. The criteria are explained in Employee or self-employed? The criteria that matter in Quebec.

Next comes the legal structure. Most people start as a sole proprietorship: you, personally, run the business. Your business income goes on your personal tax return and you're personally liable for the business's debts. A business corporation ("incorporating") creates a separate legal person, with its own returns, its own fees at the Registraire des entreprises and heavier bookkeeping.

Criterion	Sole proprietorship	Business corporation
Getting started	No formalities if you work under your own first and last name	Incorporation with the Registraire des entreprises is required
Income tax	Business income reported on your personal return	The corporation files its own returns
Debts	You're personally liable	The corporation is a separate person
Costs and paperwork	Low	Higher (incorporation fees, annual updates, bookkeeping)

Why start simple? Incorporating often makes more sense later, once the business earns more profit than you need personally. Run that calculation with an accountant or tax specialist before you incorporate.

Step 2: Register with the Registraire des entreprises, if you have to

The rule is simple: a person running a sole proprietorship must register if they use a name other than their own first and last name. They have 60 days after starting operations to do it. Invoicing your snow removal contracts under your own name? No obligation. Going with a name like "Pine Street Express Snow Removal"? You must register.

It's done online: you file a registration declaration in the enterprise register. The fee is $41 at the regular rate ($61.50 for priority processing). If you pay by anything other than credit card, the payment must reach the Registraire within 10 business days or the application isn't processed. You get a Québec enterprise number (NEQ) starting with 22; it's assigned to you, not to the business, and you reuse it if you ever register again.

Once registered, you must file an annual updating declaration every year, which includes the annual fee ($41 at the regular rate): it's a recurring obligation. The different scenarios (business name, name change, closing down) are covered in Registering with the Quebec enterprise registrar: when it is required.

Step 3: Sales tax, income tax and contributions, the three thresholds to watch

As an employee, your employer withheld everything at source. On your own, you charge the taxes, you remit them and you pay your own income tax and contributions. Three thresholds decide when each obligation kicks in.

Sales tax: the $30,000 threshold

You're a "small supplier" as long as your taxable sales don't exceed $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters or less. You stop being one in two ways: by going over $30,000 in a single calendar quarter (you must then charge tax starting with the sale that puts you over), or by going over $30,000 across four quarters (you stop being a small supplier at the end of the month after the quarter in which you crossed the line). In Quebec, the GST/HST is administered by Revenu Québec, so you register for the GST (5%) and the QST (9.975%) in the same place. The details are in GST and QST: when must a self-employed worker register?.

Example: a landscaping business bills $9,000 in April, $12,000 in May and $11,000 in June. The April-to-June quarter reaches $32,000: the threshold is crossed in a single quarter, on the June invoice that pushes the total past $30,000. That invoice must already include GST and QST.

Income tax: instalments above $1,800

For Quebec residents, the Canada Revenue Agency requires instalments when your federal net tax owing is more than $1,800 for the current year and was also more than $1,800 in either of the two previous years. Revenu Québec has its own instalment system for Quebec income tax.

Contributions: you pay both shares

Under the Québec Pension Plan, an employee and their employer each contribute 6.30% in 2026 on earnings between $3,500 and $74,600. When you're self-employed, you pay both shares, for 12.6%. Example: with $40,000 in net business income, the contribution is ($40,000 − $3,500) × 12.6% = $4,599. Add an additional contribution on earnings between $74,600 and $85,000, plus the Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP): set aside part of every payment from your very first contract.

Step 4: Insurance and social protection

Employees automatically get several safety nets: Employment Insurance, CNESST coverage for workplace accidents, and labour standards. Self-employed workers start from zero and choose what to add, with their eyes open.

Workplace accidents. Quebec's Act respecting industrial accidents and occupational diseases lets self-employed workers voluntarily register with the CNESST to be covered. For a roofer or a tree trimmer, the question comes up before the first job. The law also sets out cases where a self-employed worker is treated as the client's worker: ask the CNESST how your situation is handled.

Employment Insurance. Self-employed workers don't pay EI premiums unless they voluntarily opt into the federal program, which gives access to special benefits such as sickness, compassionate care or family caregiver benefits. They don't have access to regular benefits when contracts dry up. In Quebec, maternity and parental benefits go through QPIP.

Liability and vehicle insurance. A painter who spills a gallon on a hardwood floor, or a window cleaner who cracks a sealed unit, quickly sees the point of liability insurance. Many commercial clients require it before work starts. Get quotes from a broker and make sure your vehicle is insured for the way you use it.

Step 5: The licences and cards your trade requires

This step comes before looking for clients for a specific reason: in construction, simply offering your services already counts. According to the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ), anyone who carries out or has someone carry out construction work must hold a licence, unless the law provides an exemption, and that includes anyone who submits bids, solicits clients or places an ad.

On the other hand, the RBQ publishes a list of work that doesn't require a licence, including snow and ice removal from roofs, roads and sidewalks, tree felling and inspections.

Trade	What to check
Snow removal	No RBQ licence for snow removal itself; a driver's licence of the right class for your equipment and vehicle insurance
Roofing, renovation, tiling, decks	Construction work: an RBQ contractor licence, with the subclass that matches the work
Housekeeping, moving	Not construction work; check what your clients require instead (insurance, references)

When in doubt, check with the RBQ before you post an ad. In your GPP Emploi profile, the Passport gathers your cards and licences (RBQ licence, ASP Construction, driver's licence, first aid…). Our team checks licences against the public registry and a badge then appears; some construction work requires a verified RBQ licence to bid on the platform.

Step 6: Find your first clients, bid and sign in writing

A written contract describes what makes you self-employed: a result to deliver, a price and your freedom to choose your methods. It's also what settles things when a client disputes an invoice. A good quote includes at least:

a precise description of the work and what's excluded (e.g. "driveway and sidewalk clearing, roofs not included");
the price, with taxes if you're registered;
the payment schedule and completion timeline;
trade-specific terms: number of visits and minimum accumulation for snow removal, number of coats for painting, warranty period;
how long it's valid.

On GPP Emploi, you turn on "Des contrats à mon compte" (contracts on my own account) in your profile, then answer quote requests with your price. The contract is signed on the platform (typed-name signature) and you deliver in stages: after each stage is delivered, the client has 72 hours to accept or dispute it; with no response, it's accepted automatically. The matching fee (5% of the amount) is paid by the client at signing. Protected payment isn't offered yet: the client pays you directly, according to the signed schedule. The full process is described on the How it works page.

For your first clients, credibility matters more than the lowest price. Open a public showcase with photos of your work and reviews; you can also get your own clients through GPP Central with the same account. Everything is gathered on the Self-employed workers page.

In short

First check that you really are self-employed, then usually start as a sole proprietorship.
Registration is required only if you use a name other than your own first and last name: 60 days, $41, then an update every year.
Watch three thresholds: $30,000 in taxable sales (GST/QST), $1,800 in net tax owing (instalments), and QPP at 12.6% on net income above $3,500.
Decide on CNESST coverage and insurance before your first job.
In construction, the RBQ licence comes before the first quote. Ready? Create your self-employed profile for free.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to register my business to be self-employed in Quebec?

Not always. A person running a sole proprietorship must register with the Registraire des entreprises if they use a name other than their own first and last name, within 60 days of starting operations. Under your own name, registration generally isn't required.

When do I have to start charging GST and QST?

As soon as your taxable sales exceed $30,000 in a single calendar quarter or over four consecutive calendar quarters. Below that threshold you're a small supplier and registration is optional. In Quebec, you register with Revenu Québec.

Are self-employed workers entitled to Employment Insurance?

Not to regular benefits. They can voluntarily opt into the federal program to access certain special benefits, such as sickness or compassionate care benefits. In Quebec, maternity and parental benefits fall under QPIP.

Do I need an RBQ licence to do renovation work on my own?

Yes, if you carry out construction work for others, unless the law provides an exemption. Submitting bids, soliciting clients or advertising your services also counts. Check with the RBQ which subclass matches your work.