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If you sell in Vancouver, you charge 5% GST on most taxable sales, and BC’s 7% PST on top if the item is PST-taxable. That’s two taxes, two accounts and two returns. Vancouver has no sales tax of its own in the CRA or BC tables we read, so the GST in Vancouver is the same 5% as in Calgary.
Which taxes does a Vancouver business deal with?
British Columbia is a non-participating province. The federal GST and the provincial PST are separate taxes, run by separate offices. The CRA handles the GST. The BC government handles the PST, and its page says the rate is generally 7% on the purchase or lease price of goods and services, with some exceptions.
| Tax | Rate | Who collects it |
|---|---|---|
| GST | 5% | Canada Revenue Agency |
| PST | Generally 7%, with exceptions | BC government (eTaxBC) |
| HST | Does not apply in BC | Not applicable |
Here’s where people trip. Registering for one does not register you for the other. A GST number from the CRA tells BC nothing, and a PST account doesn’t let you collect GST.
Do you have to register for GST in Vancouver?
Only once you pass the small supplier limit. The CRA says you’re a small supplier if your taxable sales don’t go over $30,000 across four consecutive calendar quarters. Above that, you must register. The CRA’s page on when to register for and start charging the GST/HST gives you 29 days from your effective date of registration, so don’t sit on it.
Below the limit you can still register if you want to. Why would you? Because a registered business can claim back the GST it pays on its own costs. A Vancouver freelancer buying a $2,000 laptop pays $100 of GST on it, and that $100 only comes back through input tax credits if they’re registered. If your customers are mostly other businesses, registering early costs you very little.
For PST, BC’s small business guide to PST describes a small seller category for people with $10,000 or less in gross revenue from retail sales of eligible goods, software and services over the previous 12 months. It comes with other conditions, including not having an established business premises, so a shop with a storefront on Main Street shouldn’t assume it applies. Read the guide before you decide you’re exempt.
What does a $1,000 sale look like in Vancouver?
Say you sell a taxable item for $1,000 before tax. The GST is $50 and the PST is $70, so the customer pays $1,120. You hold $120 of other people’s money until you file.
You can test your own prices in the GST and PST calculator. Going the other way, the reverse tax calculator pulls the tax out of a receipt total. The GST and HST calculator covers the other provinces when a customer lives elsewhere.
What does a quarter look like on the books?
Picture Priya’s gift shop in Kitsilano. In one quarter she sells $50,000 of goods that carry both taxes. She collects $2,500 of GST and $3,500 of PST. During the same quarter she paid $600 of GST on stock and supplies. After her input tax credits she owes the CRA $1,900 ($2,500 minus $600), and the $3,500 of PST goes to BC on its own return. In total she holds $6,000 of other people’s money before the credit, which is not a loonie of it hers to spend.
Where you ship changes the rate
The CRA says the rate to charge depends on the place of supply, which is where the sale happens, not where your shop sits. A Vancouver seller shipping to an Ontario customer charges Ontario’s 13% HST in the CRA’s own example, not BC’s combined rate. A Vancouver business selling across the country needs to know the rate in each destination.
Mistakes and limits
The biggest one is charging 12% on everything. PST has exceptions. BC’s small business guide, for example, lists liquor at 10% and accommodation at 8%, and says basic groceries and other food for human consumption are exempt, so some items carry GST only or a different PST rate. Our own calculator applies 12% to every amount in BC, so it will overstate the tax on anything PST doesn’t cover. Treat its result as a ceiling.
The second mistake is treating the tax as income. The money you collect isn’t yours. Park it in a separate account if that helps.
Third, mixing up dates. The CRA and the BC government each set their own filing rules. We haven’t listed any filing deadline here because those depend on your account, and each office tells you yours when you register.
The sources behind this page
The GST rate, the place-of-supply rule and the $30,000 small supplier limit come from Canada Revenue Agency pages on GST/HST rates and registration, read in September 2026. The 7% PST figure comes from the BC government’s PST page. Nothing here is tied to a government body, and rates can change, so check the current pages before you file.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a separate Vancouver sales tax?
We found none in the CRA or BC pages we read. Vancouver businesses deal with the federal GST and the provincial PST.
What is the total GST and PST in Vancouver?
5% GST plus 7% PST is 12% where both apply. PST has exceptions, so some items carry GST only.
When must a Vancouver business register for GST?
When taxable sales go over $30,000 across four consecutive calendar quarters. You have 29 days from your effective date of registration.
Does a GST number cover PST?
No. The CRA runs the GST and the BC government runs the PST, so they are registered separately.
Can I register before I hit $30,000?
Yes. Small suppliers can register voluntarily, which lets you claim GST paid on business costs, but you then have to collect the tax.
- GST, HST, PST and QST explained for every province
Which GST, HST, PST or QST applies where you shop or sell in Canada, the 2026 rates for every province, who must register and how to add or remove tax
- British Columbia income tax and PST in 2026
How British Columbia income tax works in 2026: seven brackets starting at 5.6%, the tax reduction credit, the 7% PST and the BC calculators