T4A Slip

HST combines the 5% federal GST with a provincial component in five participating provinces. For 2026 the combined rates are 13% in Ontario, 15% in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island, and 14% in Nova Scotia since 1 April 2025. Elsewhere you charge the 5% GST alone, or GST plus a separate provincial tax. The rate follows the province of supply, not where your business sits.

The basic personal amount is a non-refundable credit that shelters a base level of income from federal tax, so income below it carries no federal tax. The amount is indexed every year, and the enhanced portion is phased out across the second-highest federal bracket, so taxpayers in the top bracket receive only the base amount. Each province and territory sets its own version. On Form TD1 you claim it so your employer withholds less; claim it with one employer only, or too little tax is withheld.

You claim credits on your return, and they are applied against the tax already calculated on your taxable income. Non-refundable federal and provincial credits are each worked out by multiplying the eligible amount by the lowest rate for that jurisdiction, so the same claim is worth different money at each level. Unused amounts are lost at year end unless the particular credit allows a carry-forward or a transfer to a spouse. Refundable credits are paid whether or not tax is owing.

Yes, in three separate layers. Federal excise duty is built into the price before the product reaches the shelf, each province or territory adds its own tobacco tax, and GST/HST then applies to the selling price including those taxes. The duty and the provincial tax are charged by quantity of product rather than as a percentage of price, which is why the shelf price differs so much between provinces.