If I wait to send my invoice, do I delay the GST/HST?

Not really. The tax becomes payable on the earlier of the day the consideration is paid and the day it becomes due. It is deemed due on the earliest of the day the invoice is issued, the date on the invoice, the day the invoice would have been issued but for an undue delay, and the day payment is required under a written agreement. Holding the invoice back on purpose does not push the tax back.

Does my income count when I invoice or when I get paid?

For most self-employed people and businesses, income is reported using the accrual method: in the fiscal period you earn it, no matter when you receive it. Only farmers, fishers and self-employed commission agents can choose the cash method.

Job done, invoice waiting: why invoice the same day?

The situation

The job is finished, the client is happy, the day was long. The invoice? You will do it tonight, or tomorrow, or at the end of the week with the others. Then the week goes by, and the pile grows.

It is one of the most expensive habits a small business can have, and it costs nothing to fix. Not sent, not paid.

Every day you wait pushes back your pay

Your client's payment terms start when they receive the invoice, not when you finished the work. If your terms are 30 days and you invoice two weeks late, you are really waiting six weeks to get paid.

Meanwhile, your costs do not wait: rent, materials, fuel, your remittances. That is often where cash-flow trouble starts, even in a profitable business.

Invoicing the same day also uses the moment. The client remembers the work, they are satisfied, and the details are fresh for both of you. An invoice that shows up three weeks later raises more questions and gets paid more slowly.

A late invoice does not delay the tax

Some people hold their invoices thinking it pushes back their tax. It does not.

For income tax, the CRA's T4002 guide is clear: except for farmers, fishers and self-employed commission agents, self-employment income must be reported using the accrual method. You report income in the fiscal period you earn it, no matter when you receive it.
For GST/HST, the tax becomes payable on the earlier of the day the consideration is paid and the day it becomes due. Under subsection 152(1) of the Excise Tax Act, the consideration is deemed due on the earliest of the day you first issue the invoice, the date on the invoice, the day you would have issued it but for an undue delay, and the day payment is required under a written agreement. In Quebec, the QST follows the same rule.

In other words, waiting only delays your money. Not the government's.

Three simple habits

Invoice before you leave the client, or that same evening at the latest. A ready-made template takes two minutes.
Put a clear due date on every invoice, with the payment methods you accept.
Follow up on unpaid invoices on a schedule, for example every week. A polite reminder after the due date settles most late payments.

What we do

Your Account Direct portal lets you create your invoices, in French or English, as soon as the job is done. On our side, we keep your books: every invoice lands in the right place, your receivables stay up to date, and your sales tax is reported in the right period. You invoice, we do the rest.