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A price marked plus tax is the price before sales tax. In Ontario that means you add 13%, so $1,000 plus tax comes to $1,130.00 at the till. Elsewhere the bill differs, from 5% in Alberta to 14.975% in Quebec, and the gap on a big purchase is real money.
What does plus tax mean on a quote?
It means the seller hasn’t put tax inside the number. You’ll see it on invoices, contractor quotes, car ads and hotel rates. The figure you agreed to is the base, and the tax lands on top when you pay.
Sellers do this partly by habit and partly because business customers claim the tax back, so the base price is the number they care about. For you as a consumer, the total is what counts. Budget for that one.
Picture Dev in Ottawa, who gets a quote of $4,000 plus tax to redo a bathroom floor. Ontario’s 13% adds $520, so the real price is $4,520. The same quote in Quebec would add $200 of GST and $399 of QST, for $4,599. Neither is wrong. They’re just different totals for the same “$4,000”.
A simple habit helps. When someone quotes you a price, ask “is that the all-in number?” It takes five seconds, and it saves the awkward moment when the invoice shows up a good chunk higher than the figure you had in your head.
How much tax gets added in each province?
The federal page on which GST/HST rate to charge explains how the rate depends on where the sale is delivered. The totals below are for a $100 price before tax, worked out with our sales tax tools.
| Province | Tax on the price | Total on $100 |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 13% HST | $113.00 |
| Nova Scotia | 14% HST | $114.00 |
| Alberta | 5% GST | $105.00 |
| British Columbia | 5% GST and 7% PST | $112.00 |
| Saskatchewan | 5% GST and 6% PST | $111.00 |
| Manitoba | 5% GST and 7% RST | $112.00 |
| Quebec | 5% GST and 9.975% QST | $114.98 |
Nova Scotia’s rate dropped to 14% on 1 April 2025, so an older price list showing 15% is out of date. We didn’t list the other Atlantic provinces here, so check their rate on the same page.
How do you work out the total, and go backwards?
Multiply the price by one plus the rate. On $1,000 in Ontario, that’s $1,000 times 1.13. The tax is $130.00 and the total is $1,130.00. The GST/HST calculator does it for any amount.
Going backwards trips people up. If the receipt says $1,130.00, the tax isn’t 13% of that. It’s $1,130.00 divided by 1.13, which gives the $1,000.00 base. Taking 13% of $1,130.00 gives $146.90, which is wrong by $16.90. The HST reverse calculator strips the tax out correctly.
Quebec has two taxes. On $1,000 the GST is $50.00 and the QST is $99.75, so you pay $1,149.75. The QST is worked out on the price before tax, as our GST and QST calculator does it. Revenu Québec sets the 9.975% rate.
In British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the GST and PST calculator handles both taxes at once.
Where does a plus tax price catch people out?
Comparing a price with tax to one without. A $1,099 sofa in a shop and a $999 plus tax online deal in Ontario are $1,099.00 and $1,128.87. The second one costs more, even though the headline number looks lower. A few bucks here and there is nothing, but on a sofa it’s $29.87.
Another trap is assuming everything is taxed. It isn’t. Some items carry no tax or only one of the two. Our PST tool applies both taxes to the whole amount unless you tick the box for items exempt from PST, so on a mixed bill it can overstate the tax. Check the CRA page for the thing you’re buying.
Then there’s the rate on the day. Rates change, as Nova Scotia’s did. If a quote is months old, re-check the rate before you pay.
Last, a deposit. Ask whether the deposit you pay now includes tax or whether the tax arrives with the final payment. Either is fine. You just don’t want a surprise 13% at the end. On a $4,000 job with a $1,000 deposit, a tax-inclusive deposit is really $885 of work and $115 of HST (1,000 divided by 1.13 gives $884.96, which rounds to $885).
Where the numbers come from
The provincial rates are from the Canada Revenue Agency‘s GST/HST rates page, last modified on 1 April 2025, and the QST rate is from Revenu Québec. We rechecked them against the tools in October 2026. This is an independent guide, separate from any government body. Rates can change with a provincial budget, so the page for your province is the last word.
Frequently asked questions
What does plus tax mean?
The seller's price leaves out sales tax. GST, HST, PST or QST is added on top when you pay.
How do I add 13% tax to a price?
Multiply the price by 1.13. A $250 price becomes $282.50.
How do I take the tax out of a total?
Divide the total by 1.13 in Ontario. Don't take 13% of the total, because that overstates the tax.
Is tax charged on everything in Canada?
No. Some items are exempt or taxed at a single rate. Check the CRA page for the item you're buying.
Is the rate the same across Canada?
No. It ranges from 5% GST in Alberta to 14.975% in Quebec, with HST provinces in between.
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