What is the T2125 form in Canada?

T2125 is the Statement of Business or Professional Activities — the CRA form that sole proprietors and self-employed individuals attach to their T1 personal tax return to report business income and expenses. Each expense category maps to a specific T2125 line number (e.g., 8521 advertising, 8523 meals and entertainment, 9281 motor vehicle expenses).

How does MapleBooks prepare a T2125 package?

MapleBooks ships with 19 default expense categories already tagged to T2125 line numbers. As you categorize transactions and attach receipts throughout the year, MapleBooks rolls them into a year-end package containing: a printable income-and-expense summary by T2125 line, a transaction-level CSV with date / merchant / category / amount / GST/HST / receipt attached, and a per-vehicle business-use summary feeding line 9281.

Does MapleBooks file the T2125 for me?

No. MapleBooks does not integrate with NETFILE and does not submit T1 returns. It produces a clean handoff package that you or your accountant uses to file. The categories your accountant sees are already in their language — CRA T2125 lines — so nothing gets lost in translation.

Which expense categories does CRA flag as tricky on T2125?

Meals and entertainment (line 8523, only 50% deductible), professional fees (line 8860), salaries and subcontracts (line 9060), travel (line 9200), motor vehicle (line 9281), and business-use-of-home (line 9945) all involve judgment calls or partial-deductibility rules. MapleBooks surfaces a 'confirm with your accountant' nudge for these categories in the year-end export.

Year-end, without the panic

T2125-ready year-end packages for Canadian freelancers.

MapleBooks puts your business year together for you — categorized income and expenses, attached receipts, vehicle kilometres, and a clean spreadsheet your accountant or tax software can open without cleanup. The categories already match the lines on CRA’s T2125 form, so nothing gets lost in translation.

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Or see pricing.

Year-end package

What your accountant gets.

Income & expenses, line by line

A printable summary your accountant can read top-to-bottom. Each category is already tagged with the matching T2125 line number (8521 advertising, 8523 meals, 9281 motor vehicle, and so on), so it lands ready to file.

⊞

Every transaction, in a spreadsheet

One row per transaction with the date, merchant, category, dollar amount, business-use percentage, GST/HST amount, and a yes/no for whether a receipt is attached. Opens in Excel or Numbers without reformatting.

Vehicle summary, per vehicle

Business kilometres, total kilometres, and business-use percentage calculated per vehicle. Fuel, insurance, maintenance, and parking are reported separately, not lumped into one line.

This is data organized for your accountant’s review. It is not a filed return. Confirm everything with your accountant or tax professional before filing.

Categorization

Categories your accountant already knows.

19 categories, ready on day one

Advertising, Meals & entertainment, Motor vehicle, Office expenses, Phone & internet, Professional fees, Software & subscriptions, Travel, Home office, Bank / payment fees, and more — each tagged with its CRA tax-form line so you don’t have to.

Add your own — without breaking the tax map

Need a category that isn’t in the default 19? Add it. MapleBooks asks which tax-form line it belongs to so it doesn’t get orphaned at filing time. Your custom and default categories appear together in the export.

The tricky ones get flagged

Meals (only half deductible), Professional fees, Salaries & subcontracts, Travel, Motor vehicle, and Business-use-of-home all carry a visible “confirm with your accountant” nudge in the export.

Supporting records

Records, not just numbers.

CRA can ask for supporting documentation years after a return is filed. Organized records attached at entry time cost minutes; reconstructed receipts cost hours.

OCR

Drop in a receipt — image or PDF

MapleBooks reads the merchant, date, tax amount, and total automatically using Claude Haiku. OCR is helpful, not perfect — faded receipts and handwriting may need a touch-up, and you can edit any field before saving. The original file is kept and referenced in your CSV export.

Mis

Missing-receipt report

Lists every business expense that doesn’t have a receipt attached, so you know what to chase before year-end — not after your accountant asks for it.

“A categorized transaction tells your accountant what you spent. A receipt tells CRA you can prove it. Both belong in the same package.”

Filing history

Past returns, locked.

When you mark a GST/HST quarter as filed, the numbers snapshot at that moment. Editing a transaction inside that quarter later doesn’t retroactively change a return you already submitted.

✓

Mark a quarter filed and the numbers lock

Once you’ve filed a GST/HST return, MapleBooks records the totals as they stood at that moment. If CRA or your accountant needs a correction, reopen the period, make the change, and refile — the original snapshot stays alongside the revision so the audit trail is always intact.

Honest about scope

What this doesn’t do.

We don’t file your taxes. No NETFILE integration. No T1 submission. MapleBooks prepares the package; you or your accountant files it.
We don’t generate T4 or T5 slips. If you pay subcontractors or earn investment income, those slips are outside scope.
We don’t replace your accountant. Their judgement on edge cases — meals deductibility, home-office percentage, vehicle business use — still matters. MapleBooks organizes the data; they file the return.

Free, no signup

Run the T2125 math for your year.

Three of the calculators MapleBooks publishes for free — the ones that touch T2125 line items directly. No signup, browser-only math, province-aware.

9281

Pricing

Three plans. Pick what fits.

Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial. All prices in CAD. Cancel anytime.

Starter

CAD $15

per month · or $150/year

Categorized transactions with auto-rules
GST/HST threshold monitor (70 / 90 / 100%)
T2125-aligned year-end summary
CSV import + manual entry