How to invoice GST/HST in Ontario — and software that actually does it

If you invoice from Ontario, the rate you will use most often is 13% HST. This page is a practical walk-through of registration, what must appear on the invoice, and which software will do the arithmetic. It is not legal advice and not a substitute for CRA’s own registration rules.

Checked against public vendor and CRA pages, 29 August 2026. Software notes are about tax features on public pages, not a claim that I issued 200 test invoices from a lab.

The Ontario rate, and the rest of Canada

CRA’s GST/HST calculator page is the source for current rates. As of the 29 August 2026 check:

• Ontario HST: 13%
• Nova Scotia HST: 14% (decreased from 15% on 1 April 2025)
• New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, PEI: 15% HST
• Alberta, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon: 5% GST
• British Columbia: 5% GST + 7% PST (PST is provincial, not CRA HST)
• Manitoba: 5% GST + 7% PST
• Saskatchewan: 5% GST + 6% PST
• Quebec: 5% GST + 9.975% QST

Official table: GST/HST calculator and rates. Place of supply — where the supply is considered made — decides the rate. An Ontario registrant invoicing a service that CRA treats as made in Alberta charges 5% GST, not 13% HST. When HST applies, CRA says show the total HST rate, not GST and provincial parts as separate lines.

When you must register: the $30,000 small-supplier rule

You generally must register if you make taxable supplies in Canada in the course of commercial activity and you are not a small supplier. CRA’s small-supplier threshold is $30,000 of worldwide taxable supplies.

Two tests (paraphrased from When to register for and start charging the GST/HST):

1. In a single calendar quarter you exceed $30,000. You stop being a small supplier on the supply that puts you over. You charge GST/HST on that supply. Register. CRA’s page describes the effective date as no later than that day.
2. Over four consecutive calendar quarters you exceed $30,000, but you never did it in one quarter. You remain a small supplier until the end of the month after that quarter, then you must register and charge on the first supply after that.

Calendar quarters are January–March, April–June, July–September, October–December. Zero-rated supplies (often exports) still count toward the $30,000. Exempt supplies do not. Associated persons can be grouped — that is a CRA detail to read, not a blog shortcut.

You may register voluntarily below the threshold if you make taxable supplies. That lets you claim input tax credits. It also means you must charge tax and file returns.

What has to be on the invoice

CRA requires you to tell the customer whether GST/HST applies and whether it is included or extra. For registrant customers claiming ITCs, the documentation rules scale with the amount. From CRA’s input tax credit page and RC4022:

• Under $100: supplier name, date, total amount.
• $100 to $499.99: plus GST/HST amount or included-rate statement, supply status if mixed, and GST/HST registration number.
• $500 or more: plus buyer name, brief description, and terms of payment.

Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/gst-hst-businesses/calculate-prepare-report/input-tax-credit.html. Older blog posts sometimes cite $30 / $150 / $1,000 bands. Use the CRA chart ($100 and $500), not a recycled US-style table.

Practical Ontario invoice: your legal or operating name, invoice date, description, CAD amounts, HST 13% as a line or a clear “HST included at 13%”, your GST/HST number once you are registered (required from the $100 band up for ITC support), and the customer name plus terms once you are at $500+.

Software that will calculate 13% — if you set it up

Retail tills (Square, Shopify POS, Lightspeed) also tax at the rate you configure for the location. That is a different workflow — see POS systems in Canada.

Product links: Wave, FreshBooks, QuickBooks Online Canada, Xero, Jobber. Official sites, not affiliate tracking URLs. Field quotes and invoices (Jobber vs Housecall Pro): Jobber vs Housecall Pro for Canadian home-service businesses.

A simple Ontario workflow

1. Track taxable supplies by calendar quarter, not by “feels like I should register.”
2. Register through CRA when required or when you want ITCs — how to register for GST/HST in Canada.
3. Put the BN / GST/HST account number into your invoice template.
4. Create a tax named “HST 13% (ON)” at 13%. Create 0% for true zero-rated exports if you have them.
5. Invoice in CAD. Show HST. Use the ITC information chart.
6. Each period, run the sales-tax report and file the GST/HST return in CRA My Business Account (or via your accountant).

More on picking the app: invoicing software, FreshBooks vs Wave, and accounting software. Trades deposits and HST: trades software. Appointment invoices from Jobber, Square Appointments, or Jane: scheduling software for Canadian small businesses.