BC electricians invoice under a different tax and lien regime than Ontario. There is no in-force prompt-payment clock in BC; the protection that matters is the Builders Lien Act, with a tight 45-day preservation window. Markup tracks that deadline on every job and handles GST and PST as two separate lines, which trips up software built for HST provinces.
Tax
5% GST + 7% PST
Lien deadline
45 days
Lien statute
Builders Lien Act, SBC 1997 c.45, s.20
Holdback
10% statutory holdback on the pre-tax value of each draw
Electrical licensing in BC
Regulated electrical work in BC must be done under a Technical Safety BC electrical contractor licence with a named Field Safety Representative (FSR), who declares that the work meets the Electrical Safety Regulation. Markup is your invoicing and compliance layer, not a permitting tool; permits and FSR declarations stay with Technical Safety BC.
What Markup does for electricians in British Columbia
- Calculates 5% GST and 7% PST as separate lines, the way BC requires.
- Tracks the 45-day Builders Lien Act preservation deadline per job, with alerts at 14 and 7 days.
- Calculates 10% statutory holdback on the pre-tax value of each draw.
- Keeps a running T5018 total for any sub you pay, flagging the $500 line.
- Produces clean, itemized invoices with your business details and tax numbers.
Electricians in British Columbia: common questions
How long do I have to file a builders lien in BC?
45 days under section 20 of the Builders Lien Act, measured from completion of the head contract or a certificate of completion. BC's window is shorter than Ontario's 60 days and is strictly enforced, with no equitable extension. Markup tracks it per project.
How does Markup handle GST and PST for a BC electrician?
BC charges 5% GST plus 7% PST. Markup calculates them as two separate lines on the invoice rather than rolling them into a single HST figure, and keeps the tax amounts separate from the base for your records.
Does BC have a prompt-payment clock like Ontario?
Not in force. BC's payment protection runs through the Builders Lien Act and statutory holdback rather than a 28-day prompt-payment clock. Markup focuses on the lien deadline and holdback for BC jobs. See the BC guide for detail.
Built for electricians in British Columbia.
Proper invoices, lien deadlines, holdback, T5018, and 5% GST + 7% PST. Free for 14 days, no card.