Private Practice Income Calculator for Therapists
Use this private practice calculator to estimate your take-home salary at your current fee, or to find the fee per session you need to reach your income goal. The calculator accounts for vacation, cancellations, expenses, income tax, CPP or QPP contributions and GST/HST or QST, for every province.
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Estimate for a self-employed sole proprietor with no other income, based on 2026 federal and provincial rates, the basic personal amount and CPP or QPP contributions. It does not include other tax credits or deductions (RRSP, home office, dependants), the Quebec prescription drug insurance premium, instalments or incorporation. It does not constitute tax advice: check with your accountant.
What This Private Practice Salary Calculator Includes
Unlike a generic salary calculator, this private practice income calculator is built for self-employed therapists: it starts from your fee per session and your real caseload, not from an employer's salary.
Income Calculator
Enter your fee, sessions per week, weeks off and expenses to estimate your gross revenue, your take-home income per year and per month, and your real hourly income.
Fee Calculator
Enter your take-home income goal instead: the therapist fee calculator finds the fee per session that reaches it with your schedule and costs.
Taxes and Contributions
Federal and provincial income tax, CPP or QPP contributions for the self-employed, QPIP and the Health Services Fund in Quebec, the Ontario Health Premium, and your GST/HST or QST status.
How to Set Your Therapist Fee in Private Practice
Many therapists set their rate by looking at what colleagues charge. You can also start from what you need to earn, then work back to the rate.
1. Set a Take-Home Goal
Think in net income: what you need after taxes to cover your personal budget, savings and retirement, since no employer contributes for you.
2. Count Your Real Billable Sessions
Remove vacation, statutory holidays, sick days and training, then unpaid cancellations. A 20-session week rarely means 1,040 billed sessions a year.
3. Add Every Expense
Office, professional dues, liability insurance, software, supervision, continuing education, accounting. They are deductible, but they still have to be paid by your sessions.
4. Plan for Taxes and Contributions
As a self-employed worker, you pay both the employee and employer shares of CPP or QPP, on top of income tax. Set money aside with every payment.
GST/HST and QST: Are Your Services Exempt?
Most regulated health services are exempt from GST/HST, and from QST in Quebec, when they are provided by a practitioner authorized to practise in the province or, where the profession is not regulated there, by a practitioner with equivalent qualifications. Other services are taxable once your taxable revenue exceeds $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters or in a single quarter.
| Profession | Usual GST/HST and QST status |
|---|---|
| Psychologist | Generally exempt |
| Psychotherapist or counselling therapist | Generally exempt |
| Sexologist, psychoeducator, guidance counsellor, criminologist or marriage and family therapist (psychotherapy or therapeutic counselling only, Quebec) | Generally exempt |
| Social worker | Generally exempt |
| Occupational therapist | Generally exempt |
| Physiotherapist | Generally exempt |
| Speech-language pathologist or audiologist | Generally exempt |
| Dietitian | Generally exempt |
| Naturopathic doctor (licensed or with equivalent ND qualifications) | Generally exempt |
| Naturopath without ND qualifications (e.g. in Quebec) | Generally taxable |
| Acupuncturist | Generally exempt |
| Massage therapist | Generally taxable |
| Kinesiologist | Generally taxable |
| Osteopath (non-physician) | Generally taxable |
| Coach or other taxable service | Generally taxable |
Services that are not provided for a health purpose remain taxable even for an exempt profession, for example a report prepared for a lawyer or for legal proceedings, or a purely cosmetic service. Check your situation with the Canada Revenue Agency or Revenu Québec.
Raise Your Real Hourly Income Without Raising Your Rate
Admin time and no-shows weigh heavily on your real hourly income. Try it in the calculator: see how your result changes with fewer admin hours or fewer cancellations.
Help Reduce No-Shows
Automatic email and text reminders, online booking and a waitlist to offer cancelled slots to other clients.
Save Time on Admin
Invoices, insurance receipts, online payment and AI-assisted clinical notes in the same software.
A Plan for Every Stage of Your Practice
Starter plan at $3 per appointment ($9/month minimum), ideal for part-time and new practices. From 25 appointments a month, the Practitioner plan at $75/month is the better deal, and other plans are available for clinics. See our pricing.
Private practice income and fees -- frequently asked questions
How is my private practice salary calculated?
The calculator multiplies your fee by the sessions you actually bill (after weeks off and unpaid cancellations), subtracts your business expenses, then estimates income tax and CPP or QPP contributions for a self-employed sole proprietor in your province. The result is an estimate of your take-home income, not a payroll salary.
How much should a private practice psychotherapist charge?
It depends on your income goal, your caseload and your expenses rather than on a market average. Enter your numbers in the calculator above: it gives you the minimum rate that reaches your take-home goal once vacation, cancellations, taxes and contributions are accounted for.
Do psychotherapists charge GST or QST?
Generally not. Since June 20, 2024, psychotherapy and counselling therapy services are exempt from GST/HST, and from QST in Quebec, like psychology services, when provided by a practitioner authorized to practise in the province or, where the profession is not regulated (e.g. British Columbia, Alberta), by a practitioner with equivalent qualifications.
What rates do psychologists' associations recommend?
At the time of writing, the BC Psychological Association publishes a recommended rate of $245 per hour for 2025-2026, and the Psychologists' Association of Alberta a recommended fee of $235 per 50-minute session. In Quebec, the Ordre des psychologues does not publish a recommended rate. These figures are indicative only: check the associations' websites for current amounts, and set your own rate freely based on your income goal and your costs.
When do I have to register for GST/HST?
Only if you provide taxable services and your taxable revenue, including that of associated businesses, exceeds $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters or in a single quarter. Exempt health services are not counted toward that threshold.
How many sessions per week is realistic?
It varies by profession and by the intensity of your caseload. Remember to count the time spent on notes, billing and coordination: the calculator shows your real hourly income once that admin time is included.
Why are CPP and QPP contributions so high when self-employed?
An employee and their employer each pay half of the contribution. A self-employed worker pays both halves. Part of the amount is deductible from income and the rest gives a tax credit, which the calculator takes into account.
Is this calculator tax advice?
No. It is an estimate for a sole proprietor with no other income. Your actual tax depends on your other income, credits and deductions. Check with your accountant, especially before incorporating.
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