TaskRabbit Canada alternative (2026): earn as a local helper for Costco shoppers

TaskRabbit Canada asks new Taskers for a $25 non-refundable registration fee, a criminal background check and a minimum age of 19, and it lists 93 Canadian locations. If you live near a Costco in BC, Alberta or Ontario, Flatcart is a free alternative built around one kind of customer: Costco shoppers who need a run, a delivery, a return taken back, or something carried in and assembled. Here's how the two compare, what you keep, and what the CRA expects. Join as a founding helper.

How does TaskRabbit work for Taskers in Canada?

To sign up, TaskRabbit says you need to (TaskRabbit):

• Be at least 19 and able to work in one of its active Canadian cities
• Pass ID verification, including your Social Insurance Number
• Have a Canadian bank account and a valid credit or debit card
• Use a smartphone (iOS or Android) for the Tasker app

Every Canadian Tasker is screened with a profile review, an identity check and a criminal record search of the CPIC database (TaskRabbit). Its locations page lists cities in Ontario, Quebec, BC, Alberta, Manitoba and Nova Scotia, from Toronto and Montreal to Nanaimo and Halifax (TaskRabbit).

What does TaskRabbit charge Taskers and clients?

Taskers pay a one-time $25 registration fee, charged only if registration succeeds and not refunded (TaskRabbit). On self-set hourly work you choose a rate per category and, TaskRabbit says, keep 100% of it plus 100% of tips (TaskRabbit). Clients pay more than your rate: a service fee, a percentage of the task price, and a separate Trust and Support fee (TaskRabbit). TaskRabbit doesn't publish the percentages, so we don't quote one. It also runs pre-set hourly and fixed task-based jobs, where it hasn't said what share you keep.

How is Flatcart different from TaskRabbit?

The real difference is who you work for. TaskRabbit is a general marketplace with a lot of competition in each category. Flatcart only serves people who just bought something big at Costco, or need a run done, so the jobs repeat: carry in a sectional, pick up a snow blower, assemble a gazebo, take back a return, bring a car to a tire appointment. Plenty of helpers can do both.

What can you earn helping Costco shoppers?

You set the price, and the shopper sees exactly that price. During the launch phase we introduce you to shoppers by email and charge nothing. Once card payments go live, Flatcart keeps a share of each completed job, falling as your lifetime sales grow:

Card processing fees come out of Flatcart's share, and payouts go to your bank through Stripe after the shopper confirms the job is done. The jobs shoppers ask for most: Costco runs and delivery, furniture assembly, TV mounting, junk removal and, in winter, driving a car to a tire appointment.

What other side gigs pay in Canada?

Delivery is the biggest: 272,000 Canadians delivered food or other goods through a platform in the 12 months to December 2025, out of 667,000 who did any platform work (Statistics Canada). An Instacart shopper in Canada must be 18 or older, able to lift 40 lbs, with a car and a smartphone (Instacart). Pay comes per batch, based on distance, items and shopping time, plus 100% of tips, deposited weekly, with instant cashout for $0.50 (Instacart). It's a good fit if you like shopping; Flatcart suits you better if you have a truck or SUV, tools, or a few hours for bigger jobs.

Do you pay tax on side hustle income in Canada?

Yes. The CRA says you must report and pay tax on all self-employment income, on form T2125, including from apps and platforms (CRA). You have to register for GST/HST once you earn more than $30,000 over four calendar quarters; below that you're a small supplier and can register voluntarily (CRA). Platforms also report what sellers earn to the CRA every year, starting with 2024 income, and must send you a copy (CRA). Keep receipts for mileage, tools and phone costs, since business expenses reduce the income you're taxed on.

How do you join Flatcart as a founding helper?

1. Sign up in about a minute on the founding helper page: your name, email, city and the services you'd offer. 2. We email you when shoppers near you are posting requests. 3. Finish your profile before it goes live: a short bio, your areas and prices, and a photo of your driver's licence, which we check. 4. Get introduced to shoppers from the help board, and agree the job.

Licensed work (electrical, gas, transfer switches) stays with licensed trades. Flatcart is independent and isn't affiliated with Costco; helpers are independent too.