Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
Selling on multiple platforms in Canada means your sales are added together for tax, even though each platform only sees its own slice. The GST/HST small supplier limit is $30,000 of taxable sales, counted across all your businesses, and no single marketplace will warn you when your combined total crosses it.
Do sales on different platforms count together?
Yes. The CRA says to include the total of all revenues, before expenses, from your worldwide taxable supplies from all your businesses. The limit is $30,000 in a single calendar quarter or over four consecutive quarters. Anything you earn on a site outside Canada counts too.
Here is how it plays out. Say your shop on one platform brings in $14,000 over four quarters, a second brings $9,500 and your own site brings $8,200. Each one alone sits well under the line. Together that’s $31,700, so you’ve passed it. From your effective date of registration, you have 29 days to register.
What happens when I pass $30,000?
How you got there matters. If one quarter went over, you must charge tax on the sale that pushed you past the limit. If it took four quarters, you start charging from your effective date of registration. That date and the 29-day window are where most sellers slip, so read the CRA’s page on when to register for and start charging the GST/HST rather than guessing.
| Customer in | Rate on a $1,000 sale | Tax |
|---|---|---|
| Alberta | 5% GST | $50.00 |
| Ontario | 13% HST | $130.00 |
| Nova Scotia | 14% HST | $140.00 |
The CRA sets the rate by where the goods are delivered, so a seller in one province may charge three different rates in a week. The GST/HST calculator does the maths for any province. Some platforms may collect tax for you in some cases, and we couldn’t confirm the rules for that on the CRA pages we read, so check each platform’s own terms and don’t assume.
Will the CRA know what I sold on each platform?
Probably, yes. Since 1 January 2024, platform operators have to collect seller details and report them to the CRA each year. The first filing deadline was 31 January 2025. The platform must also give you the information it reported about you by 31 January of the following year, so look for it early in the year.
There’s a small carve-out. The CRA’s page on who is affected by the platform reporting rules excludes a seller when the platform handled fewer than 30 sales of goods for them and the total paid did not exceed $2,800 in the year. Income tax still applies to everything you earn, reported or not. The self-employed tax calculator gives a rough idea of the bill on net profit, though it leaves out EI, so treat it as an estimate.
What should you do if you’re close to the limit?
Add up the last four quarters across every platform, every month, not once a year. If you’re past roughly $25,000, you have a warning light on. Register on purpose, with your own date and your own pricing plan, instead of being surprised mid-quarter. Registering early is allowed, and it lets you claim tax paid on business costs once you’re in.
Is selling in more places worth it?
Only if each channel makes money after its own costs. Fees, shipping, returns and ad spend differ by platform, and nobody here can verify a platform’s charges for you. Put each channel’s revenue and costs side by side for a full quarter. Then compare the result in the profit margin calculator, channel by channel. A platform that brings 40% of your orders but 10% of your profit is a fair thing to drop.
Take Priya, who sells handmade soap from Winnipeg on three sites. When she lines them up, the busiest one barely covers its fees and the smallest quietly pays her rent. Ballpark guesses had her backwards.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Tracking each platform in its own spreadsheet is the big one. Nobody adds the columns until the quarter’s gone. Another is forgetting that refunds and platform fees are separate from sales, so book gross sales and the fees apart. Don’t rely on a payout statement as your sales record, because it’s net of fees and sometimes of tax.
Finally, keep your own record of every order. If a platform closes your account, its reports may vanish with it. A combined monthly sheet, one row per platform, takes ten minutes and answers the $30,000 question before the CRA ever asks it.
How we checked the figures
The $30,000 small supplier limit, the 29-day registration window and the place of supply rule come from Canada Revenue Agency GST/HST pages. Platform reporting dates and the $2,800 exclusion come from the CRA digital platform reporting guidance. The 14% Nova Scotia HST rate has applied since 1 April 2025. Tax on the $1,000 sales comes from the GST/HST calculator. This site is independent and not affiliated with the CRA.
Frequently asked questions
Do I add up sales from all platforms for the $30,000 limit?
Yes. The CRA counts worldwide taxable sales from all your businesses together, in a single quarter or over four quarters in a row.
Do platforms report my sales to the CRA?
Platform operators have had to collect seller details and report them to the CRA since 1 January 2024. You should also receive the information they reported about you.
Does a platform charge GST/HST for me?
We couldn't confirm that on the CRA pages we read. Check each platform's terms and your own registration status.
Which provincial rate do I charge?
The CRA says it depends on where goods are delivered. Ontario customers pay 13% HST, Alberta customers pay 5% GST.
Are small sellers exempt from platform reporting?
A seller is excluded if the platform handled fewer than 30 sales of goods and paid out no more than $2,800 in the year. That doesn't change your own tax duties.
- How Canadian income tax works: brackets and credits
How federal and provincial Canadian income tax stack up, what marginal and average rates mean, and how credits and deductions change your bill
- Ontario income tax and sales tax in 2026
How Ontario income tax works in 2026: the five brackets, the surtax and health premium, the 13% HST, and the calculators that switch to Ontario