Quick Answer
WooCommerce requires manual tax configuration for Canadian GST/HST — it doesn't auto-calculate provincial rates out of the box. You need either a dedicated tax plugin (TaxJar, Avalara, or the free WooCommerce Tax plugin) and your own GST/HST registration to correctly charge and collect tax.
WooCommerce is a powerful e-commerce platform but requires deliberate setup for Canadian taxes. Unlike Shopify's Shopify Tax Canada or Etsy's marketplace facilitation, WooCommerce provides no automatic Canadian tax calculation — everything must be configured by you or your developer.
Configuring Canadian GST/HST in WooCommerce
To charge correct Canadian taxes in WooCommerce:
- Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Tax and enable tax calculation
- Set your store base country to Canada
- Choose "Customer billing address" as the tax calculation basis
- Add each province's rate manually OR use a tax plugin
Provincial GST/HST Rates to Configure
| Province | Tax Type | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Alberta, NWT, Nunavut, Yukon | GST | 5% |
| Ontario | HST | 13% |
| BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba | GST + PST | 5% + prov rate |
| NS, NB, NL, PEI | HST | 15% |
| Quebec | GST + QST | 14.975% combined |
Your Ongoing GST/HST Obligations
WooCommerce collecting the right tax at checkout is just step one. You must also:
- File GST/HST returns on your required schedule
- Remit net tax to the CRA (tax collected minus ITCs)
- Track all GST/HST collected separately in your bookkeeping
- If in Quebec: file separate QST returns with Revenu Québec
WordPress Hosting and GST/HST
Your WooCommerce costs — WordPress hosting, premium themes, WooCommerce extensions, and plugins — may or may not include GST/HST depending on whether the vendor is registered in Canada. Canadian vendors charge GST/HST; many US-based hosting providers may not. Track which purchases include Canadian tax so you can claim ITCs on those that do.
MaxRefund Handles GST/HST for Canadian WooCommerce Stores
We register your WooCommerce store for GST/HST, advise on plugin setup, and handle all your quarterly or annual GST/HST filings.
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