Sales tax (GST, HST, PST and QST)

Interdatum can add sales tax such as GST, HST, PST, RST or QST to your estimates and invoices. Tax is off by default. When you turn it on, you choose up to two tax components and Interdatum adds them on top of your pre-tax prices.

Interdatum doesn't give tax advice. The province presets are starting points only, so confirm with your accountant whether you need to register and which rates apply to your services.

How do I turn on sales tax?

Go to Settings → Client Portal and find Currency & Tax. Under GST / HST / PST / QST, tick Charge and show tax on estimates and invoices, then fill in the tax fields:

• Province / territory preset — choose a province or territory to fill in the rates, or Custom to enter your own. Choosing a preset only fills in the rates below; you can still edit them.
• Tax 1 name and Tax 1 rate (%) — for example "GST" and 5.
• Tax 2 name (optional) and Tax 2 rate (%) — for a second tax such as PST or QST. Leave the rate at 0 if you only charge one tax.
• Tax registration number(s) — for example your GST/HST number. This text is printed on estimates and invoices, so add your PST or QST numbers here too.

Tax names can be up to 20 characters, and rates can have up to three decimal places. A tax with a rate of 0 isn't charged. Save your settings to apply the changes.

Tax is off by default, so turning it on doesn't change estimates and invoices you've already sent.

Which province presets are available?

The Province / territory preset list includes these starting rates:

• Alberta, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon: GST 5%
• British Columbia: GST 5% + PST 7%
• Manitoba: GST 5% + RST 7%
• Saskatchewan: GST 5% + PST 6%
• Quebec: GST 5% + QST 9.975%
• Ontario: HST 13%
• Nova Scotia: HST 14%
• New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island: HST 15%

These presets are a convenience, not a recommendation. Rates can change, and the tax you should charge can depend on your situation and on where the work is done. Check the rates with your accountant or the tax authority and edit them if needed.

How is tax calculated?

Prices you enter on estimate and invoice lines are before tax, and tax is added on top.

• Each line has a Taxable checkbox, which is ticked by default. Only lines marked taxable count toward tax.
• Each tax component (for example GST and PST) is calculated on the total of the taxable lines, then rounded once to the cent.
• Two taxes are each calculated on the pre-tax taxable total. The second tax is never charged on the first.
• The total is the subtotal plus the rounded tax amounts.

Reusable line items on a service have their own Taxable checkbox, so standard fees can default to taxable or non-taxable.

Deposits are calculated on the estimate total including tax.

How do tax lines appear to clients?

When tax is on, tax appears as separate lines under the subtotal, labelled with the tax name and rate, such as "HST (13%)" or "GST (5%)" and "PST (7%)".

• In the estimate and invoice editors, the totals show Subtotal, then each tax line, then the total.
• On estimate and invoice PDFs, the tax lines appear under the subtotal, and your tax registration number(s) are printed in the footer.
• In the client portal, each estimate and invoice issued with tax shows the subtotal, each tax line and your tax registration number(s).

When tax is off, the PDF footer reads "Tax will be calculated at checkout." on estimates and "Tax is calculated at checkout." on invoices.

Each sent estimate or invoice keeps the tax rates it was issued with. If you change your rates later, only new and draft documents use the new rates.

How does Interdatum tax work with Stripe automatic tax?

If you accept online payments through Stripe, Settings → Client Portal also shows an Automatic tax panel. The panel lets you complete Stripe's tax setup with Open tax setup. Stripe calculates tax at checkout only when your connected Stripe account has active tax settings.

Interdatum never charges tax twice. When Charge and show tax on estimates and invoices is on, or when the estimate or invoice being paid was issued with tax, the amount the client pays already includes your tax and Stripe doesn't add tax at checkout. Stripe automatic tax is only used when you don't charge tax in Interdatum.

If Stripe's tax setup is incomplete or unavailable, checkout goes ahead without automatic tax.