Guides
Drain Cleaning Prices Canada: What to Charge After GST and HST
Drain cleaning prices Canada range from $150 to $700 before tax. Ontario, BC, and Alberta contractors must add GST or HST and show it clearly on every invoice.
What to take away
- Canadian drain cleaning fees generally run $150 to $700 before GST or HST, depending on line and method.
- Ontario charges 13% HST, British Columbia 5% GST, and Alberta 5% GST on plumbing services.
- The main cost drivers are line location, clog severity, method, and call timing.
- Quoting a pre-tax rate card and adding the correct tax on the invoice keeps you compliant with CRA.
Drain cleaning prices Canada vary less by province than by job conditions. A bathtub clog in a condo costs less than a rooted main sewer in a detached home. The figures below are illustrative pre-tax ranges that a Canadian contractor can adapt to local overhead.
A working rate card for drain cleaning
A working rate card
| Service | Low (CAD) | High (CAD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sink or tub drain snake | $150 | $300 | Includes basic access and one clog. |
| Floor drain or laundry line | $180 | $350 | Often slower access or longer run. |
| Main sewer line snake | $250 | $550 | Covers cleanout to street or septic. |
| Hydro jetting | $350 | $700 | Better for grease, scale, and repeat backups. |
| Camera inspection add-on | $150 | $350 | Common upsell after physical clearing. |
| Emergency or after-hours fee | add $150 | add $350 | Not a stand-alone service. |
For a flat, hourly, and per-foot method that fits Canadian job sizes, see Flat, Hourly, and Per-Foot Formula. Keep the pre-tax table separate from the tax line on your invoice. Clients need to see both.
What moves the number
Access and line length drive most quotes. A basement floor drain with a buried cleanout takes longer than a sink p-trap. Longer runs from the house to the city main can push a snake job from $250 toward $550.
What Moves the Quote
Low end
- Access
- Sink p-trap
- Line length
- Short run
- Clog severity
- Hair and soap
- Method
- Small snake
- Call timing
- Business hours
High end
- Access
- Buried cleanout
- Line length
- House to city main
- Clog severity
- Roots or grease
- Method
- Larger auger or hydro jet
- Call timing
- Evenings, weekends, holidays
Clog severity changes method and price. Hair and soap in a tub usually respond to a small snake at the low end. Roots or hardened grease need a larger auger or hydro jet, which can lift the same call to $500 or more. A camera add-on should follow the cost logic in Sewer Camera Inspection Cost.
Call timing is the third driver. Regular business hours carry no extra fee. Evenings, weekends, and holidays often add $150 to $350. That applies in Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary. The same applies to frozen drain calls in a cold snap. Before quoting, ask whether the customer can wait for a scheduled slot.
GST and HST line items
Plumbing services are taxable supplies. The federal rate is 5% GST. Ontario has 13% HST. British Columbia has 5% GST with no provincial portion on services. Alberta has 5% GST only. Check the CRA page for GST/HST rates by province before you send a quote.
GST and HST by Province
Ontario
- Tax type
- HST
- Rate
- 13%
- Provincial portion
- 8%
British Columbia
- Tax type
- GST only
- Rate
- 5%
- Provincial portion
- None
Alberta
- Tax type
- GST only
- Rate
- 5%
- Provincial portion
- None
If your annual taxable sales exceed $30,000, you must register for a GST/HST account and charge tax. Small contractors under the threshold can register voluntarily. Never present a price as tax-included unless your quote says so. A clean invoice shows the service total, the tax rate, and the GST/HST number.
Ontario HST is one harmonized amount, not two separate charges. British Columbia and Alberta use only the federal GST.
Where quotes go wrong
Some contractors quote a low base rate and then add a travel charge, a cleanout access fee, or a disposal fee after arrival. That creates disputes. Build common extras into the price instead. State whether the minimum includes one hour of labour, one auger size, and one cleanout.
Treat the pre-tax range as your floor, not your ceiling. Quote by line, method, and access, then add tax on the invoice.
A Toronto customer seeing $300 plus 13% HST pays $339. A Vancouver customer seeing $300 plus 5% GST pays $315. The rate card is the same, but the tax line differs. For Quebec jobs, QST also applies; read GST, HST and QST before quoting there.
Example: invoicing a Toronto main line
A Toronto homeowner calls for a blocked floor drain in a 1960s bungalow. You snake the main line from a basement cleanout to the city connection. The job takes 90 minutes. You charge $325 for the main line snake and add $175 for camera inspection. Both line items are quoted before tax.
Toronto Main Line Invoice
- $500Pre-tax total
- $65Ontario HST at 13%
- $565Final invoice
- $325Main line snake
The pre-tax total is $500. Ontario HST at 13% adds $65. The final invoice is $565. Send the CRA-friendly invoice showing the HST number and the breakdown. Keep the tax line on a separate row from the service total. Some owners mark the HST number under the total so the customer can verify it.
If the customer asks why a drain service call cost is higher in Toronto than Halifax, explain that local labour and travel time differ, but the tax rate is fixed by province.
