Set Canadian provincial tax rates in Shopify
Canada has a 5% goods and services tax that applies to most sales, and the province or territory decides what sits on top of it. Five provinces charge a single harmonized tax, four charge GST plus a separate provincial tax, and Alberta and the territories charge GST alone. In Shopify each of those is a separate registration, and you add them one at a time.
Written · Shopify admin, desktop steps · 5 minutes read
The worked example
| Alberta | 5% GST = $105.00 on a $100.00 order |
| Ontario | 13% HST = $113.00 |
| British Columbia | 5% GST + 7% PST = $112.00 |
| Saskatchewan | 5% GST + 6% PST = $111.00 |
| Nova Scotia | 14% HST = $114.00 |
| Quebec | 5% GST + 9.975% QST on the pre-GST price = $114.98 |
Download the record: canadian-tax-rates.csv (378 bytes).
A rate sheet for the provinces in this tutorial, with the tax on a $100.00 order and the order total for each. Quebec's row shows the GST and the QST each calculated on the $100.00 pre-GST price.
1Open Taxes and duties and click Canada
From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Taxes and duties. In the Tax regions section, click Canada. This is where every Canadian registration is added.
2Add your GST/HST registration
On the Canada page, click Collect sales tax, select the region that applies, and enter your registered tax number if you have one. If your store is based in Canada, you generally need to register for a GST/HST account if your revenue from taxable sales in Canada is more than $30,000 CAD over the past four completed consecutive calendar quarters, or more than $30,000 CAD over the current calendar quarter.
3Add each provincial registration
To add additional sales tax regions, click Collect sales tax and select the provincial tax regions that apply. The provinces that charge a separate provincial tax are British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. Each one needs its own registration, on its own provincial website, on top of the GST/HST registration.
4Know which total each province shows
A $100.00 order totals $105.00 in Alberta, $113.00 in Ontario, $112.00 in British Columbia and Manitoba, $111.00 in Saskatchewan, and $114.00 in Nova Scotia. In Quebec the total is $114.98, because the QST is calculated on the price excluding GST: 9.975% of $100.00 is $9.98, on top of the $5.00 GST.
5Check the order against the shipping address
The rate follows the province you ship to, not the province your store is in. An Ontario store shipping a $100.00 order to Alberta collects $5.00 of tax, not $13.00. Confirm the tax lines on an order to each province before you rely on the setup.
The arithmetic
On a $100.00 order in each province. Nova Scotia's HST rate is 14% as of 1 April 2025:
| Province | Tax lines | Tax | Customer pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | GST 5% | $5.00 | $105.00 |
| Ontario | HST 13% | $13.00 | $113.00 |
| British Columbia | GST 5% + PST 7% | $12.00 | $112.00 |
| Saskatchewan | GST 5% + PST 6% | $11.00 | $111.00 |
| Manitoba | GST 5% + RST 7% | $12.00 | $112.00 |
| Nova Scotia | HST 14% | $14.00 | $114.00 |
| Quebec | GST 5% + QST 9.975% | $14.98 | $114.98 |
In Quebec the QST applies to the price excluding GST, so both taxes sit on the same $100.00 base as every other province: 5% GST is $5.00, and 9.975% QST is $9.975, which rounds to $9.98, for $14.98 of tax in total.
Held at the counter
HST provinces need only the GST registration. If you are registered for GST, you are automatically registered for HST. The five HST provinces — Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador — need no separate registration beyond the GST/HST one.
The four separate-tax provinces each need their own registration. British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec, and Saskatchewan charge provincial sales tax separately from GST. If you sell to customers in these provinces and meet their registration thresholds, you need to register with each province individually.
Shopify does not file your returns. Shopify calculates the tax at checkout once the registrations are in. Filing the return and paying the Canada Revenue Agency and each province is still your job, or your accountant's.
Sources
- Manage your Canadian taxes — Shopify's help pages: adding and editing Canadian registrations, and which provinces charge a separate provincial tax.
- Basic Tax service in Canada — Shopify's help pages: the $30,000 CAD GST/HST threshold, the four provinces with a separate provincial tax, and the GST and HST explanation.
- Basic Rules for Applying the GST/HST and QST — Revenu Québec: GST at 5% on the selling price, and QST at 9.975% on the selling price excluding the GST.