Low-Cost Saskatchewan PST Return Filing for Canadian Businesses

Two different categories carry no tax. Zero-rated supplies are taxed at nil, including basic groceries, prescription drugs, medical devices and most agricultural products, and the seller can still claim input tax credits. Exempt supplies, such as most residential rent, health and dental care and financial services, carry no tax and no input tax credits. Small suppliers below the $30,000 threshold, unchanged for 2025 and 2026, also charge nothing until they register. The CRA lists both categories.

Long-term residential rent is exempt, so a landlord charges no GST/HST on it and cannot claim input tax credits on the related costs. Commercial and office rent is taxable at the rate for the province: 5% GST, or the HST rate where HST applies. Short-term accommodation is generally taxable as well. Exempt is not zero-rated, because zero-rated supplies are taxed at 0% but still allow input tax credit recovery. Confirm the treatment before setting rents.

Three different calculations go by that name. For sales tax, multiply the price by the harmonised rate that applies to the province of supply. For income tax, apply the federal brackets and then the Ontario brackets to taxable income and subtract your credits. For payroll, the CRA payroll deductions calculator handles income tax withholding along with CPP and EI for each pay period. Look up the rates and brackets published for the year you are calculating, since they change annually.

Taxable sales are your revenue from goods and services that GST/HST applies to, counted before the tax is added. Zero-rated sales, taxed at 0%, still count as taxable; exempt supplies such as most long-term residential rent and many health services do not. Add the taxable amounts over four consecutive calendar quarters to test the $30,000 small-supplier threshold for 2026, unchanged from 2025. Cross it inside a single quarter and small-supplier status ends on the sale that takes you over.

Your obligations are to report all income, file on time, pay what you owe, and keep records that support both. For an individual that means a T1 each year, due 30 April 2026 for the 2025 tax year. Business owners add GST/HST returns once registered, payroll remittances if they have staff, a T2 for a corporation, and instalments where required. Keep records six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to.

Add up income from every source first: employment, self-employment, pensions, investment income and the taxable one-half of capital gains for 2025 and 2026. Subtract deductions such as RRSP contributions, union dues, child care and eligible moving costs to reach net income, then subtract the remaining allowable deductions to arrive at taxable income. Tax is calculated on that figure, and non-refundable credits, including the 2026 federal basic personal amount of $16,452, then reduce the tax itself rather than the income.

The tax-free savings account began in the 2009 calendar year, so an adult resident of Canada has been accumulating room every year since then, and unused room carries forward indefinitely. Cumulative room reached $102,000 at 1 January 2025 and $109,000 at 1 January 2026, with the annual limit $7,000 for both 2025 and 2026. Check My Account for your own number, since it also reflects past contributions and withdrawals.

Register for GST/HST once taxable revenue passes $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters or within a single quarter, which for 2026 is unchanged. After that you charge tax on your sales, claim input tax credits on business purchases, and remit the difference with your GST/HST return on the reporting period the CRA assigns, monthly, quarterly or annually. Pay online through CRA My Business Account, your bank, or preauthorised debit. Late remittances draw penalties and interest.

Your refund is the tax already withheld or paid minus the tax you actually owe once credits and deductions are applied, so there is no standard amount. Larger refunds usually come from over-withholding at source, RRSP contributions, tuition or medical claims, or a mid-year job change. Your notice of assessment shows the calculation. Online returns are typically processed in about two weeks; a non-resident return can take up to 16 weeks.

Some are. Unused tuition, disability, age and pension income amounts can be transferred to a spouse, parent or grandparent within limits, and tuition not transferred carries forward for the student indefinitely. Most other non-refundable credits only reduce tax to zero and are then lost, because they cannot be refunded. Donations and student loan interest carry forward for a limited number of later years, and CRA's page for each credit states its transfer and carry-forward rules. Refundable credits are paid even with no tax payable.

A charity is not exempt as an organisation. What matters is the supply. Many goods and services a registered charity provides are exempt, so no GST/HST is charged on them and no input tax credit can be claimed on the related costs. A charity making taxable supplies above the small-supplier threshold must register and charge tax at the combined rate for the province of supply, using the special net tax calculation for charities. Public service body rebates recover part of the rest.

Social assistance payments are not taxed, but they must be reported. The payer issues a slip, the amount is included in net income and then deducted again before taxable income is reached, so no tax results. Reporting matters because net income drives income-tested benefits and credits. Filing a return every year is therefore important for anyone on social assistance, since the GST/HST credit and the Canada child benefit are only paid when a return is filed.