The GST/HST credit in Canada is a tax-free, quarterly payment helping low- and modest-income individuals and families offset taxes paid on goods and services. It is automatically assessed when filing annual income taxes, with payments made in January, April, July, and October. A temporary 2-month GST/HST tax break on specific goods was also introduced for late 2024–early 2025.
Eligibility criteria
You are eligible for the GST/HST credit if you meet all of the following conditions: You are a resident of Canada for tax purposes during both periods: In the month before the CRA makes a payment. At the start of the month when a payment is made.
The goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) credit is a tax-free quarterly payment for individuals and families with low and modest incomes to help offset the GST or HST they pay. It may also include payments from provincial and territorial programs.
A claim for refund may arise on account of: (a) export of goods or services; (b) supplies to SEZs units and developers; (c) supply of goods regarded as Deemed Exports; (d) refund of taxes on purchase made by UN or embassies etc.
You are eligible for this credit if you are a resident of Canada for income tax purposes at the end of the month before and at the beginning of the month in which the CRA makes a payment (read When your GST/HST credit is paid). In the month before the CRA makes a quarterly payment, you must be at least 19 years old.
GST Voucher – Cash
You must be aged 21 and above in 2025; Your Income Earned in 2023 as assessed by IRAS (Assessable Income (AI) for the Year of Assessment (YA) 2024) must not exceed $39,000; The Annual Value (AV) of your home (as indicated on your NRIC) as at 31 December 2024 must not exceed $31,000; and.
You are eligible for a GST refund if you have paid excess tax, exported goods or services, made zero-rated supplies, claimed lower income than presumptive income, or have unutilised input tax credit.
You can claim a GST refund in the following situations, when additional tax is paid or deposited due to errors or omissions. When dealers and deemed export goods or services are subject to refund or refund. Refunds can also be made for purchases made by UN agencies or embassies.
To get a GST refund for business, simply submit your complete BAS statement to the ATO, preferably through your accounting software (or relying on your bookkeeper) to see what kind of GST refund you'll receive.
You could get up to: $533 if you are a single individual. $698 if you are married or have a common-law partner. $184 for each child under the age of 19.
Subtracting GST from Price
To calculate how much GST was included in the price, divide the total price by 11 ($1000∕11=$90.91). To calculate the price without GST, divide the price by 1.1 ($1000∕1.1=$909.09).
In order to qualify for this, you have to have worked in 2023 and had an income below $150,000. You also qualify if you received Employment Insurance, paid EI premiums or made CPP contributions. You should receive this via cheque or direct deposit by April 2025.
You are not a resident of Canada for income tax purposes. You do not have to pay tax in Canada because you are an officer or servant of another country (such as a diplomat) or a family member or employee of such a person. You are confined to a prison or similar institution for a period of at least 90 consecutive days.
File your tax return to get the credit
You do not need to apply to receive the GST/HST credit. All you have to do is file your tax return every year, even if you do not have any income to report. The CRA automatically checks your eligibility when your tax return is assessed each year.
When to expect your refund. You can claim a refund if your net tax (line 109 of your GST/HST return) is a negative amount. We normally issue refunds within 4 weeks of receiving your return.
1. How can I claim refund of excess amount available in Electronic Cash ledger?
GST stands for Goods and Services Tax, a broad consumption tax levied on most goods and services sold for domestic consumption, collected by businesses from consumers and remitted to the government, effectively acting as an indirect tax. It's a unified tax system in many countries, replacing multiple older taxes, and is applied at each stage of production and distribution, with the final burden falling on the end consumer.
GST/HST credit eligibility requirements
The Regular GST Scheme is for businesses with a turnover above the prescribed limit. Under this scheme, businesses collect GST from customers and can claim Input Tax Credit (ITC) on their purchases, reducing their tax liability. Regular taxpayers must file monthly or quarterly GST returns, such as GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B .
It helps businesses avoid paying tax twice on the same amount — also known as the cascading effect of taxes. With ITC, businesses can claim credit for the GST they've already paid on their purchases, which reduces their total tax bill and improves cash flow. However, not every business or expense qualifies for ITC.
But persons who are engaged exclusively in the business of supplying goods or services or both that are not liable to tax or wholly exempt from tax or an agriculturist, to the extent of supply of produce out of cultivation of land are not liable to register under GST.
You can claim a credit for any GST included in the price of any goods and services you buy for your business. This is called a GST credit (or an input tax credit – a credit for the tax included in the price of your business inputs).
GST, or Goods and Services Tax, is an indirect tax imposed on the supply of goods and services. It is a multi-stage, destination-oriented tax imposed on every value addition, replacing multiple indirect taxes, including VAT, excise duty, service taxes, etc.