Ontario electricians work under two regimes at once: ESA contractor licensing and the Construction Act. Most invoicing software was built for neither. Markup prints your ECRA/ESA licence number on every invoice, formats proper invoices that meet section 6.1, and tracks the 60-day lien deadline on every job.
Tax
13% HST
Lien deadline
60 days
Lien statute
Construction Act, SO 2017 c.10 Sch.1, s.31
Holdback
10% statutory holdback on the pre-tax value of each draw
Ontario runs a 28-day prompt-payment clock that starts when the payer receives a proper invoice under section 6.1 of the Construction Act.
ECRA/ESA licensing in Ontario
Ontario Regulation 570/05 under the Electricity Act, 1998 requires electrical contractors to display their ECRA/ESA contractor licence number on invoices, contracts, and advertising. Markup stores your number on your profile and prints it on every Ontario invoice automatically. It does not file permits or track ESA inspections; that stays in your ESA contractor portal.
What Markup does for electricians in Ontario
- Prints your ECRA/ESA contractor licence number on every Ontario invoice.
- Formats proper invoices with all section 6.1 fields, so the 28-day clock actually starts.
- Tracks the 60-day lien preservation deadline per job, with alerts at 14 and 7 days.
- Calculates 13% HST and separates it from the base amount on every invoice.
- Keeps a running T5018 total for any apprentice or sub you pay, flagging the $500 line.
Electricians in Ontario: common questions
Does my ECRA/ESA licence number have to be on my invoices in Ontario?
Yes. Ontario Regulation 570/05 under the Electricity Act requires electrical contractors to show their ECRA/ESA contractor licence number on invoices, contracts, and advertising. Markup prints it on every Ontario invoice automatically.
What makes an electrician's invoice a proper invoice in Ontario?
A proper invoice under section 6.1 of the Construction Act must include the invoice date, the period of work, a description of the services and materials, the amount payable, payment terms, and the contractor's name and address. Markup includes all of them by default, which is what starts the 28-day payment clock.
How long do I have to file a lien on an Ontario electrical job?
60 days from the last day of supply under section 31 of the Construction Act. Preservation is only the first step; you then have 90 more days to perfect the lien. Markup tracks both deadlines per project.
Built for electricians in Ontario.
Proper invoices, lien deadlines, holdback, T5018, and 13% HST. Free for 14 days, no card.