Set Up GST/HST and PST on Shopify (Canada)
Short answer: register with the CRA first, then go to Settings → Taxes and duties → Canada in your Shopify admin, choose Collect sales tax and add your GST/HST number. Shopify then charges the right GST or HST for the customer’s province. Add a PST or QST number only for a province where you’ve registered with that province. Shopify calculates the tax, but it doesn’t file or pay it. That part is still yours.
This guide is for small Canadian businesses running a Shopify store: a candle maker in Halifax, an apparel brand in Toronto, a ceramics studio in Calgary. It covers the Canadian tax settings, Shopify Tax, prices and shipping, zero-rated products, orders to the US and what to do at filing time. It’s current as of 1 November 2026.
What to set up in Shopify: find your situation
Section titled “What to set up in Shopify: find your situation”| Your situation | What to do in Shopify |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 in sales across all channels, not registered | Nothing yet. You’re a small supplier, so don’t charge GST/HST |
| Registered for GST/HST with the CRA (or Revenu Québec) | Add your GST/HST number under Collect sales tax. Shopify charges GST or HST for each province |
| Also registered for BC PST, Saskatchewan PST or Manitoba RST | Add each provincial number as its own region |
| Also registered for QST (Quebec) | Add your QST number as a region |
| Applied but still waiting for your number | Add the region now and leave Tax number blank. Fill it in when the number arrives |
| Selling to US customers | No Canadian tax on those orders. Turn on duties collection if you ship DDP |
| Selling on Etsy or Amazon too | Shopify only sees Shopify orders. Count every channel towards the $30,000 threshold |
Before you start: register first
Section titled “Before you start: register first”Shopify’s setup assumes you already have your numbers. If you don’t, start here:
- GST/HST: once your worldwide taxable sales pass $30,000 in a calendar quarter or over four consecutive quarters, you must register. See how to register for GST/HST. Your number looks like
123456789 RT0001. - Provincial taxes: BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec run their own sales taxes with their own registration rules for sellers based elsewhere. See selling across Canada for which ones apply to you.
You must charge GST/HST from your effective date of registration, not from the day the number reaches you. If you’re already past the threshold, set up Shopify now.
Basic Tax, Shopify Tax or manual tax
Section titled “Basic Tax, Shopify Tax or manual tax”Shopify changed how Canadian tax works in 2026. Which service you’re on depends on when your store started collecting tax in Canada:
| Service | Who can use it | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Tax | Only stores that were set up to collect tax in Canada before 13 May 2026. Existing users can keep it | Included |
| Shopify Tax | Any store. Uses product categories to apply zero-rated and exempt rates, and monitors where you may owe tax | Free until CA$100,000 in global sales, then 0.25% per Canadian order (0.15% on Plus), capped at CA$0.99 an order, from 15 August 2026 |
| Manual tax | Any store. You set and maintain the rates yourself | Free |
For a small store selling physical goods, Shopify’s default Canadian rates or Shopify Tax both get the checkout right. Shopify Tax is most useful if you sell things with special rates, such as food, or if you want the Canada sales tax report, which needs Shopify Tax and a CAD store currency.
Step by step: add your GST/HST and PST numbers
Section titled “Step by step: add your GST/HST and PST numbers”These are Shopify’s steps for Canadian tax, as of November 2026:
- In your Shopify admin, go to Settings → Taxes and duties.
- Under Tax regions, choose Canada.
- In the Sales tax section, choose Collect sales tax.
- Select the region you’re registered in. For GST/HST, that’s your federal registration.
- Type your number in the Tax number box. If you’ve applied but don’t have it yet, leave it blank and add it later.
- Click Collect sales tax to save.
- Repeat for each provincial registration you hold: BC PST, Saskatchewan PST, Manitoba RST or Quebec QST.
To change or remove a registration later, use the menu button next to that tax account and pick Edit or Delete.
If your admin shows a message asking you to update your Canadian tax settings, Shopify has a newer setup flow for your store. Follow the prompt before adding anything.
What Shopify charges once you’re GST/HST-registered
Section titled “What Shopify charges once you’re GST/HST-registered”GST/HST in Canada follows the delivery address, not your location. Shopify’s Canadian tax reference puts it plainly: if you’re registered for GST, you charge the full HST in HST provinces. Here’s what a store with only a GST/HST registration charges, wherever it is based:
| Customer’s province | Tax at checkout | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | HST | 13% |
| Nova Scotia | HST | 14% |
| New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, PEI | HST | 15% |
| Alberta, the territories | GST | 5% |
| BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba | GST (plus PST or RST only if you’re registered there) | 5% |
| Quebec | GST (plus QST only if you’re registered for QST) | 5% |
For every province’s full rates, see sales tax by province, or run an order through the GST/HST calculator.
Worked example: a Calgary ceramics studio
Section titled “Worked example: a Calgary ceramics studio”Prairie Kiln makes mugs in Calgary and sells on Shopify. It passed $30,000 last year and is registered for GST/HST only. A customer orders a $80 mug set and pays $12 shipping.
| Shipped to | Taxable amount | Tax charged | Customer pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa, Ontario | $92.00 | 13% HST = $11.96 | $103.96 |
| Halifax, Nova Scotia | $92.00 | 14% HST = $12.88 | $104.88 |
| Vancouver, BC | $92.00 | 5% GST = $4.60 | $96.60 |
| Montreal, Quebec | $92.00 | 5% GST = $4.60 | $96.60 |
| Edmonton, Alberta | $92.00 | 5% GST = $4.60 | $96.60 |
Prairie Kiln doesn’t charge BC PST or QST because it isn’t registered for them. Once its sales to BC customers pass $10,000 in 12 months, BC’s rules for out-of-province sellers kick in, and it would register for BC PST and add that number in Shopify. On the GST/HST return, all five orders go in one return to the CRA, however much HST each one carried.
PST, RST and QST: only where you’re registered
Section titled “PST, RST and QST: only where you’re registered”Shopify will only collect a provincial tax for a region you’ve added. That’s what you want: you can’t remit PST to a province you have no account with. The rules for sellers based outside each province, in short:
- BC PST (7%): register once your sales of goods, software and telecom services to BC customers pass $10,000 in the past 12 months, or right away if you hold stock in BC. Details: BC PST.
- Saskatchewan PST (6%): no minimum for out-of-province sellers who sell taxable goods delivered into Saskatchewan. Details: Saskatchewan PST.
- Manitoba RST (7%): the $30,000 small-business exception usually doesn’t help out-of-province online sellers. Details: Manitoba PST.
- Quebec QST (9.975%): Canadian sellers outside Quebec register under the specified QST system once sales to Quebec consumers pass $30,000 in 12 months. Details: Quebec QST.
If you’re based in one of these provinces, you’ll usually be registered for your own province’s tax from the start.
Prices: before tax or tax included?
Section titled “Prices: before tax or tax included?”Canadian shoppers expect prices before tax, with GST/HST and PST added at checkout. That’s also the simplest setup for a store that ships across Canada, because the tax rate changes with the province. A $40 price shown “tax included” would have to hide 5% for an Albertan and 15% for a New Brunswicker.
Keep Shopify’s option to include tax in prices switched off for the Canadian market unless you have a reason to change it. If you do switch it on, Shopify takes the tax out of the price, so your margin changes from province to province.
Shipping charges
Section titled “Shipping charges”Shipping follows the goods. Shopify’s Canadian reference notes that HST applies to shipping charges on orders shipped within Canada, and the same goes for GST: if the products are taxable, the shipping you charge is too. In the worked example above, Prairie Kiln charged tax on $92, not $80.
Provincial taxes on shipping vary. Shopify notes that BC delivery charges are generally taxable when the goods are, and that Manitoba RST applies to shipping when delivery starts outside Manitoba. Check the rules for each province you’re registered in.
Zero-rated and exempt products
Section titled “Zero-rated and exempt products”Most things small stores sell, such as clothing, candles, jewellery, cosmetics and home goods, are taxable at the full rate. A few product types aren’t:
- Zero-rated: basic groceries, feminine hygiene products and some medical devices are taxed at 0%. Shopify’s reference notes that GST or HST of 0% must still show on the invoice.
- Exempt: no tax line appears at all, and you can’t claim input tax credits on the related costs.
With Shopify Tax, product categories apply these rates automatically. With manual tax or Basic Tax, set a tax override for each product or collection that doesn’t take the standard rate. See zero-rated vs exempt supplies for the full lists.
Provincial taxes have their own exemptions. For example, BC PST doesn’t apply to children’s-sized clothing, but GST still does.
Selling to US customers from a Canadian Shopify store
Section titled “Selling to US customers from a Canadian Shopify store”No GST/HST on US orders
Section titled “No GST/HST on US orders”Goods you ship to a US address are zero-rated exports. Shopify won’t add Canadian tax to an order with a US shipping address, and that’s correct. Keep the carrier tracking and customs paperwork as proof the goods left Canada. These sales still count towards your $30,000 threshold. Read more in do you charge GST to US customers?
US sales tax
Section titled “US sales tax”Don’t add a US tax region in Shopify unless you’ve registered in a US state. You only owe a state’s sales tax once you have nexus there, usually more than US$100,000 of sales into the state in a year, or stock in a US warehouse. See US sales tax for Canadian sellers.
US duties and DDP at checkout
Section titled “US duties and DDP at checkout”The US$800 duty-free de minimis has been suspended for every country since 29 August 2025, so almost every parcel you send to a US buyer pays US duty. Shopify can estimate duties and import taxes at checkout so your buyer pays them upfront. Shopify’s setup steps:
- Go to Settings → Taxes and duties.
- In the Duties and import taxes section, click Set up.
- Click Agree and activate.
You can also switch it on per market with Collect duties and import tax. Before you do:
- Add HS codes and country of origin to every product. Shopify calculates duty from them. Being shipped from Canada isn’t the same as being made in Canada.
- Use a carrier and label that support DDP (delivered duty paid). Shopify says not every carrier supports DDP labels, and you can’t offer both DDP and duties-unpaid shipping to the same country.
- Expect a transaction fee. Shopify charges a fee on every checkout that calculates duties, even when the amount is zero. Its help centre lists 0.85% with Shopify Payments and 1.5% with other gateways, temporarily lowered to 0.5%. Check the current rate.
If you ship with Canada Post, US duties have to be prepaid before the parcel is accepted. For tariffs, CUSMA and choosing between postal and courier, see selling to US customers from Canada.
At filing time
Section titled “At filing time”Shopify says plainly that it doesn’t remit or file your taxes. At the end of each reporting period:
- Export your sales. With Shopify Tax and a CAD store currency, use the Canada sales tax report. Otherwise use Shopify’s finance and tax reports.
- Add sales from every other channel, such as Etsy, Amazon, markets and wholesale.
- Total your GST/HST collected and the GST/HST you paid on business costs, including Shopify’s own fees, which you can claim as input tax credits.
- File your GST/HST return online, for example through GST/HST NETFILE. File each provincial return separately with its province.
GoodVat for Shopify pulls in Shopify orders alongside your other channels, tracks your GST/HST, PST and US state thresholds, and its Canadian accountant partners can register you and file the returns.
Common mistakes
Section titled “Common mistakes”- Charging 5% GST to Ontario customers. Once you’re registered, out-of-province orders take the destination’s rate. If your checkout shows 5% for a Toronto address, your Canadian settings aren’t saved.
- Collecting PST you aren’t registered for. Remove provincial regions you don’t hold a number for.
- Forgetting other channels. Shopify’s figures don’t include Etsy or Amazon, but the CRA’s $30,000 test does.
- Turning on duties without HS codes. Duty estimates fall back to product descriptions, which can undercharge.