Guides
How to hire a podcast editor in Canada: vetting and contract
How to hire a podcast editor in Canada: ask for raw samples, set a revision cap, and require a written agreement with GST/HST and ownership terms.
What to take away
- Ask for raw audio samples and revision limits before agreeing to anything.
- A Canadian editor's contract must state ownership transfer and GST/HST treatment.
- Three red flags should end a conversationno samples, no revision cap, and refusal to use a written agreement.
- Compare editor scopes by task typecleanup editing, structural editing, mixing, mastering, and show notes are separate jobs.
A podcast editor can be found on Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer and PeoplePerHour. Each platform handles work differently. Upwork uses proposals. Fiverr sells fixed packages. Freelancer runs contests. PeoplePerHour leans toward hourly work. This gives you more than one way to compare the same editor.
Scopes that are actually different jobs
A podcast editor may offer one or several services. Do not pay for a bundle until you know which tasks are included. This table separates common jobs so you can ask for exact deliverables.
Podcast editing scopes compared
Cleanup editing
- What it covers
- Filler, false starts, pauses
- What to ask for
- Raw vs cleaned sample
Structural editing
- What it covers
- Reorder, cut tangents
- What to ask for
- Marked script or edit list
Mixing
- What it covers
- Balance voices, music, effects
- What to ask for
- Before-and-after audio file
What it covers
- Cleanup editing
- Removing filler words, false starts, long pauses
- Structural editing
- Reordering segments, cutting tangents, tightening narrative
- Mixing
- Balancing voices, music, sound effects
- Mastering
- Final loudness and format standards
- Show notes and publishing
- Writing descriptions, uploading to host
What to ask for
- Cleanup editing
- Raw versus cleaned sample
- Structural editing
- A marked script or edit list
- Mixing
- A before-and-after audio file
- Mastering
- A delivered file spec sheet
- Show notes and publishing
- A sample note set
A single editor may be strong at cleanup but weak at structural work. Choose one scope at a time. This prevents you from paying for mastering when you only need a cleaner interview. If you are unsure which scope to request, see What does a podcast editor do for a breakdown of routine tasks.
Questions to ask before you pay
Use these exact questions in writing. They prevent later disputes over scope, revisions, and ownership.
Questions to ask before paying
- Can you send raw and edited sample?
- What is your revision limit per episode?
- Who owns episode and project files?
- Do you charge GST/HST with invoice number?
- What is turnaround for a 60-minute episode?
- Which of the scopes above are included in your price per episode, and which are extra?
- How many revision rounds are included, and what does a further round cost?
- What is your turnaround from receiving raw files to delivering the final episode?
- Will you assign copyright in the edited episode and the project files to me in writing once I have paid?
- Are you registered for GST/HST, and if not, will you confirm in writing that you are a small supplier?
These questions reveal whether a candidate treats the job as a business or a hobby. Ask for answers by email, not on a call. Written replies become useful if the project goes wrong.
Evidence to request
Before you commit, ask for evidence that a candidate can handle Canadian podcast audio. Use this checklist, and ask for these four items:
- A raw recording and the finished cut of the same segment, from an episode like yours.
- The name and contact of a Canadian client you may ask about deadlines and revisions.
- A delivered file spec sheetloudness target, format and file naming.
- A GST/HST registration number, or a written statement that they are a small supplier.
Evidence to request before hiring
- Before-and-after audio from raw recording
- Screen recording of project file with markers
- Reference from Canadian podcaster in last year
- Written quote with turnaround, revisions, formats
Request the sample as a private link, not a public portfolio cut. Public clips can hide difficult source audio. A raw recording with crosstalk or background noise tests better than a polished demo. If the editor hesitates, treat that as a soft no.
A Canadian reference helps because loudness standards and file naming often follow local expectations. Some editors reuse one sample for every client, so ask for a clip from an episode like yours. Before you ask for a quote, read Podcast editor rates in Canada for current rate expectations.
Answers that should end the conversation
Three answers are disqualifying, not negotiation points.
- "I don't share samples." A serious editor can share a private sample without revealing client secrets.
- "I can do unlimited revisions." Unlimited revisions usually means low-quality first drafts and no clear finish line.
- "We can sort out ownership later." Canada does not have the same work-for-hire doctrine as the United States. Under section 13 of the Copyright Act, assignments must be written: the author of a work is the first owner of the copyright, and no assignment is valid unless it is in writing signed by the owner. If ownership is not assigned in writing, you may not own the edited episode.
A fourth answer is also a stop sign: "I don't charge GST/HST yet" with no explanation. Many Canadian editors are small suppliers under the Canada Revenue Agency's GST/HST rules, but they should say so in writing.
How GST/HST changes the invoice
Tax is the part of an editor's quote you can check against a published rule. The CRA's small supplier test turns on the $30,000 GST/HST threshold: an editor who does not exceed $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters does not have to register. An editor who exceeds $30,000 in a single calendar quarter is no longer a small supplier and has to charge GST/HST on the supply that took them over the line. So an editor whose client list is growing may start adding tax part way through a series. Ask about it before episode one.
Where tax applies, the rate depends on where the supply is made. The CRA's GST/HST rates by province list 5% GST in Alberta and 13% HST in Ontario. Compare quotes on the same basis: either both before tax or both with tax included.
What the agreement must state
A written agreement is not optional when you hire a Canadian podcast editor. It must state these terms.
- The exact editing scope, such as cleanup only or full mixing and mastering.
- The number of revision rounds included per episode.
- Who owns the edited episode and any project files after final payment.
- The editor's GST/HST registration number if they charge tax, or a written small-supplier statement.
- The governing province and a termination clause for missed deadlines.
Add a moral rights clause as well. Under the Copyright Act, moral rights may not be assigned but may be waived in whole or in part, and an assignment of copyright does not by that act alone waive them. A written waiver lets you cut, reorder and reuse the episode without a later dispute over the integrity of the work.
Most podcast editors in Canada are independent contractors, not employees. You are not responsible for their EI or CPP deductions. Confirm this in the contract.
Provincial rules vary, so choose the province whose laws will govern the agreement. If the editor is in Quebec and you are in British Columbia, say which province applies. Use Canadian podcast editing contracts to compare ownership and revision clauses.
