Question 1

What's a typical split for an associate therapist in Canada?

Accepted Answer

There is no single Canadian standard. Employee arrangements often retain more at the practice because payroll burden, vacation, benefits, and control sit with the employer; contractors often receive a higher percentage because they carry more independence and expense. City, fee, referrals, admin, supervision, and benefits all matter. Run your own collected-revenue math before offering a split.

Question 2

Should my associates be contractors or employees?

Accepted Answer

Choose the relationship that matches how the clinic will actually operate, not the label with the better spreadsheet result. Control over schedule, methods, fees, tools, and integration into the business can affect classification. This calculator only models cost mechanics. Ask an employment lawyer and accountant familiar with your province to assess the facts and draft the agreement.

Question 3

How many sessions does an associate need to be profitable?

Accepted Answer

Break-even depends on fee, clinician share, payroll burden, payment and platform costs, acquisition cost, fixed overhead, and working weeks. A higher fee or better retention lowers the weekly threshold; a high split or expensive acquisition raises it. Use collected sessions rather than an ideal schedule, then leave room for cancellations, ramp time, supervision, and seasonal variation.

Question 4

Do I pay associates on billed sessions or collected sessions?

Accepted Answer

Many percentage models use collected revenue so the practice does not pay out money it has not received, but the agreement needs to define this clearly. Address late payments, refunds, chargebacks, insurance reimbursement, no-shows, and timing. Employment standards and payroll rules may also affect what is permissible. Confirm the arrangement with your legal and accounting advisors.

Question 5

When can I afford to hire a second associate?

Accepted Answer

A second hire is safer when the first associate has positive contribution, inquiry flow is repeatable, intake can fill another calendar, and the practice has cash for a slow ramp. Do not use one strong month as the threshold. Review several months of collections, utilization, response time, and owner workload, then model the second hire with conservative volume.

Clinician / owner split	Clinician annual gross	Owner annual contribution	Break-even sessions/week
50/50	$80,500	$46,930	3.7
55/45	$88,550	$38,880	4.3
60/40(current)	$96,600	$30,830	5.2
65/35	$104,650	$22,780	6.4
70/30	$112,700	$14,730	8.5
75/25	$120,750	$6,680	12.4

Associate Therapist Compensation Calculator (Canada)

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