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For Bookkeepers & Small Business

HST Quick Method Calculator

Compare the Quick Method against the Regular Method side-by-side. Find your break-even point, see the 1% first-year credit applied, and check eligibility — using current CRA Quick Method remittance rates.

Last updated: 2026-04-23

Save 2+ hours — extract these numbers automatically

Upload any bank statement PDF and get clean Excel/CSV in seconds.

Business type
$

Total revenue from taxable supplies, before adding HST/GST.

$

Used for the Regular Method comparison. Pull this from your bookkeeping or bank statements.

Your results

Quick Method rate applied: 8.80% on tax-included sales

Quick Method tax owing
$9,944.00
Regular Method tax owing
$11,500.00
Quick Method saves you
$1,556.00

Quick Method is the better choice with these numbers.

Break-even ITC threshold
$3,056.00

If your annual HST-paid on business expenses exceeds this amount, the Regular Method is better. Below it, Quick Method wins.

Show calculation breakdown
Sales (before tax)
$100,000.00
HST/GST charged @ 13%
$13,000.00
Sales (tax-included)
$113,000.00
× Quick Method rate 8.80%
$9,944.00
= Quick Method tax owing
$9,944.00

Get your HST-paid totals from bank statements automatically

The hardest part of HST filing is summing up taxable expenses. StatementsToExcel converts any bank or credit card statement to clean Excel — bookkeepers use it every quarter for HST returns.

How this calculator works

The Quick Method calculates your remittance as tax-included sales × your province’s remittance rate. The remittance rate is lower than the regular HST/GST rate to roughly account for input tax credits you’d normally claim.

The Regular Method is HST collected − HST paid on expenses. It rewards businesses with high expense ratios. If you have lots of taxable expenses, you reclaim more.

Break-even logic: there’s a single dollar amount of HST-paid expenses where both methods produce identical results. Below it, the Quick Method wins. Above it, the Regular Method is better. The calculator surfaces this break-even number so you know exactly where your business sits.

Source & methodology

Rates per CRA publication RC4058 — GST/HST Information for the Quick Method of Accounting. Calculator uses the rate for the province of permanent establishment. For multi-province operations or place-of-supply edge cases, consult your accountant or RC4058 directly.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the HST/GST Quick Method?
The Quick Method is a simplified GST/HST accounting option from the CRA. Instead of tracking every input tax credit (ITC) on business expenses, you remit a fixed percentage of your tax-included sales. The percentage is lower than the regular HST/GST rate — that difference is meant to approximate your typical ITCs. It saves bookkeeping time and often saves money for service-based businesses with low expense ratios.
Who can use the Quick Method?
Most small businesses with under $400,000 in annual taxable supplies (including GST/HST) across associated businesses. Some businesses are excluded — accountants, bookkeepers, financial consultants, lawyers, charities, listed financial institutions, and a few others. Always confirm eligibility with CRA publication RC4058 or your accountant before electing.
How do I elect into the Quick Method?
File Form GST74 with the CRA. The election generally takes effect the first day of your reporting period. You must stay on the Quick Method for at least one year before switching back. Your bookkeeper or accountant can file this for you.
What is the 1% credit?
In your first fiscal year using the Quick Method, you can deduct an additional 1% from the tax owing on the first $30,000 of tax-included eligible supplies. After year one, the credit no longer applies. Check the box in the calculator to see this applied.
Do these rates change?
Quick Method rates change rarely — the last broad change was when HST harmonization shifted in various provinces. We update these tables when CRA publishes a new RC4058. Always cross-check with the CRA publication for filings of record.
Where do I get my actual HST-paid number for the Regular Method comparison?
Add up the HST/GST you paid on business expenses during the period. This typically comes from your bookkeeping software (QuickBooks Online, Xero, Wave) or directly from your bank and credit card statements. If you don't have categorized data yet, StatementsToExcel can convert your bank statement PDFs into clean Excel/CSV in seconds — making it fast to total up taxable expenses for HST filing.

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