Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
To add sales tax, multiply the price by 1 plus the combined rate for the province where the sale is delivered: 1.13 in Ontario, 1.14 in Nova Scotia, 1.12 in British Columbia, 1.05 in Alberta. To take tax out, divide by the same number. A $250 purchase costs $282.50 in Ontario, $280.00 in British Columbia and $262.50 in Alberta.
Which sales tax do you pay where?
Canada has one federal sales tax, the 5% GST, and every province decides what to put on top. Five provinces merged the two into a single harmonized tax, the HST. Four provinces charge their own tax next to the GST, and four places charge GST only.
| Where | What you pay | Rate on the price |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | HST | 13% |
| New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island | HST | 15% |
| Nova Scotia | HST | 14% |
| British Columbia and Manitoba | GST plus 7% PST | 12% |
| Saskatchewan | GST plus 6% PST | 11% |
| Quebec | GST plus 9.975% QST | 14.975% |
| Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut | GST only | 5% |
Where the sale happens usually decides the rate. If you order online and have it shipped, you’ll normally pay the rate of the place it’s delivered to, even when the shop sits in another province. The CRA’s page on GST/HST place-of-supply rules spells this out for sellers.
The gap adds up fast on bigger buys. On a $20 item, Ontario and Alberta differ by $1.60, a loonie and change. On a $1,000 laptop the difference is $80, because it carries $130 of HST in Ontario and $50 of GST in Alberta.
How do you take the tax out of a total?
Say your receipt shows only the final amount. You’ll want to work backwards with the combined rate. In Ontario the total is 1.13 times the base price, so $113 is a $100 item plus $13 of HST. Taking 13% of $113 gives $14.69, and that’s wrong, because the tax was charged on the smaller base. The same trick works elsewhere: divide by 1.14 in Nova Scotia, so a $228 total is a $200 item plus $28 of tax, and by 1.12 in British Columbia. Choose the option for an amount that already includes tax and the calculator does the division for you. The reverse HST calculator is built for just this job, and the guide on reverse calculating GST from a total shows the same steps by hand. The factors for every province are in this table.
| Where | Total with tax = price x | Price before tax = total divided by |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 1.13 | 1.13 |
| Nova Scotia | 1.14 | 1.14 |
| New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island | 1.15 | 1.15 |
| British Columbia, Manitoba | 1.12 | 1.12 |
| Saskatchewan | 1.11 | 1.11 |
| Quebec | 1.14975 | 1.14975 |
| Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut | 1.05 | 1.05 |
Why is Quebec different?
Quebec applies the QST to the base price alone, and GST is never part of what the QST is charged on. A $100 item carries $5.00 of GST and $9.98 of QST, so it costs $114.98. The GST and QST calculator shows both lines, and the Montreal sales tax guide has more examples. In British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba the provincial tax is billed on its own line, so the GST and PST calculator is more direct there.
What isn’t taxed, or is taxed less?
Some goods and services carry a 0% rate. Think unprepared food, prescription drugs and exports. Others are exempt, like most health care and long-term rent. Businesses care about the difference, because a zero-rated sale lets them claim back the tax they paid on their costs, while an exempt sale doesn’t, and that can change what a seller charges you in the end. The calculator always applies the full rate, so it’ll overstate the tax on bread, milk or a prescribed medical device.
Does every seller charge you tax?
No. A seller has to register for a GST/HST number once its taxable sales pass $30,000 in a single calendar quarter or over four calendar quarters in a row. Pass it in one quarter and the seller must charge tax on the sale that crossed the line. The CRA’s guide for GST/HST registrants calls anyone under those limits a small supplier. Past the line, the seller collects the tax on each sale and remits it. Below it, registering is the seller’s call, which is why a weekend craft vendor or a part-time tutor may not add any tax to your bill. If you want to check that a business that does charge tax is registered, the GST number lookup guide explains the CRA registry.
How do you set a price so the total comes out round?
Shops and sellers often want the customer to pay a flat amount, such as $50, with tax already inside it. Work backwards by dividing the total by 1 plus the rate. In Ontario, $50 divided by 1.13 gives a base price of $44.25, which carries $5.75 of HST and lands at $50.00. In British Columbia, divide by 1.12: the base is $44.64, the tax is $5.36 and the total is $50.00. In Alberta the base is $47.62 with $2.38 of GST. The calculator does this when you choose the option for an amount that already includes tax.
It's worth running the sum before you print a price list. A seller who sets a base price first and adds tax afterwards ends up with totals like $50.0025, which become $50.00 at the till but make the maths on the price list look odd.
How do you check a receipt that shows two taxes?
In British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba the provincial tax appears as its own line. Take an $80 purchase in Saskatchewan. The GST is 5% of $80, which is $4.00, and the PST is 6% of $80, which is $4.80. The total is $88.80. If your receipt shows $88.80 you can stop there, and if it shows something different, look for a discount applied before tax, a taxable delivery fee or an item that carries only one of the taxes.
Both taxes are normally worked out on the same base price, so you don't add one to the other first. That is the quickest way to see why a receipt differs from the figure here by more than a cent: a line was probably taxed differently from the rest.
What about a new home?
A new home carries the full tax on a big price, though rebates cover part of it. The new home rebate calculator works out the federal rebate, the first-time buyer rebate and the Ontario share. Add land transfer tax and you have the full cost at closing, which the land transfer tax calculator shows.
Why is my receipt a cent off?
Store systems round each line on its own, so your receipt can land a cent away from the figure here. Nothing is wrong with either number.
Where these rates come from
GST and HST rates come from the federal rate table, and PST and QST from the finance departments of the provinces that charge them. The CRA’s GST/HST rates by province page lists the same federal and provincial figures as the table above. Nova Scotia cut its HST from 15% to 14% on 1 April 2025. The small supplier rule comes from the CRA’s General information for GST/HST registrants (RC4022). We checked both CRA pages in November 2026 and found no 2026 change to any rate in the table. The CRA rate page itself was last changed in April 2025, so confirm with the seller or the province if a receipt looks different. This website has no connection with any tax authority.
About this calculator
- What it does
- Add or remove GST and HST for any province or territory.
- Category
- Sales Tax
- Last checked
- November 12, 2026
- Result type
- Estimate for information only, not tax advice.
Frequently asked questions
How much HST goes on a price in Ontario?
Ontario charges 13% HST on most prices, made up of 5% federal and 8% provincial. New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island charge 15%, and Nova Scotia charges 14% since April 1, 2025. A $100 item in Ontario costs $113.
How do I get back to the price before tax?
Divide what you paid by 1 plus the tax rate as a decimal. In Ontario, $113 divided by 1.13 gives $100. Do not take 13% of the total, because the tax was charged on the smaller base price, and that shortcut leaves you about $1.69 off on this example.
Where is only the 5% federal tax charged?
Alberta, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. None of them has a provincial sales tax, so the GST is the only tax on most purchases there. Some items, such as unprepared groceries, carry no tax at all in any province.
How much sales tax do you pay in Quebec?
Quebec adds 9.975% QST to the 5% GST, for 14.975% in total. The QST is worked out on the price before GST, so a $100 item carries $5.00 of GST and $9.98 of QST and costs $114.98. The calculator shows both lines separately.
Is there tax on food?
Basic groceries such as bread, milk and fresh produce carry 0% tax. Restaurant meals, snacks, candy and hot prepared food are taxed at the full rate for the province. This calculator applies the full rate, so it overstates tax on zero-rated items.
When does a business need a GST number?
A business must register once its taxable sales pass $30,000 in a single calendar quarter or over four calendar quarters in a row, according to the CRA. Below that it is a small supplier and may choose to register anyway.
Sources and updates
Updated: . How we check rates · Editorial team · Updates