For Canadian lodges and outfitters

GST, HST and PST in Outfttr, for lodges that price in US dollars

You already collect sales tax, and you know what you charge. This page shows how to set that up in Outfttr when your prices are in US dollars.

Outfttr is software, not a tax adviser. You decide your tax treatment with your accountant, then set Outfttr up to match.

Try the Demo

Or call (833) 202-0404

Setting up your taxes

  1. 1

    Name each tax and give it a rate

    In Settings, add each tax with a name you choose, a percentage, and the day it starts. One combined HST, GST plus a provincial tax, or GST only: the list is yours. Outfttr does not suggest or pre-fill tax names or rates.

  2. 2

    Say what each tax applies to

    Choose everything, lodging and packages only, items only, or items you pick. Each package and charge item then has its own tick box for every tax.

  3. 3

    Override a single charge when you need to

    Staff can tick a tax on or off for one charge without changing the package or item it came from.

  4. 4

    Enter rate changes by date

    When a rate changes, enter the day the new rate starts. Trips arriving before that day keep the old rate. Each charge stores the name, rate and amount of every tax on it.

  5. 5

    Check what the guest sees

    The invoice shows each tax on its own line, in the order you set in Settings. A Canadian business that bills in US dollars gets the line "Amounts in US$ Funds."

  6. 6

    Use the Taxes report

    Under Reports, the Taxes tab shows the taxable amount and the tax charged for each tax, with a CSV download. Booking charges count in the period the trip arrives. Walk-in sales count on the day of the sale.

Pricing in US dollars

Your prices and invoices stay in US dollars. Outfttr gives you the Canadian-dollar figures for your tax reporting.

  • For a Canadian business, the tax currency is set to CAD. When your prices are in US dollars, the Taxes report adds a tax summary in Canadian funds.
  • You pick a quarter, a year, or your own dates. The summary converts at the average of the Bank of Canada's daily USD/CAD rates for those dates, and shows the rate and the number of business days in the average.
  • You can type your own rate over that average. Until the period is over, the summary is marked Estimated.
  • You can export the summary to CSV, with US and Canadian columns side by side for each tax.
  • If you turn on a second currency, you can set your own price in it on a package or charge item instead of converting. Tax on that charge is then worked out on that price.
  • A payment link in the other currency keeps the exchange rate it was created with.

Which conversion method you use for your returns is your choice with your accountant. See the CRA's guidance, compare it with what the summary does, and use the rate box or the CSV if your method is different.

What Outfttr does not do

  • A tax applies to a whole charge or not at all. If only part of a package is taxable where you are, the taxable and non-taxable parts go in as separate charges.
  • Each tax is worked out on the charge's pre-tax amount. Outfttr does not charge one tax on top of another.
  • Invoices have no separate field for a tax registration number. The invoice memo, your own text printed at the bottom of every invoice, can carry it.
  • Outfttr does not file returns, remit tax, or decide what is taxable.

What an invoice looks like

A made-up example. The amounts and both tax rates are invented to show the layout. They are not what any lodge charges.

Made-up example of invoice lines with two taxes
Three-night stay$1,000.00
GST (5%)$50.00
Provincial tax (7%)$70.00
Total$1,120.00

Amounts in US$ Funds.

A lodge that set up one combined HST would see one tax line instead of two. In the Canadian-funds summary, at a made-up rate of 1 USD = 1.3500 CAD, the two tax lines above would read CA$67.50 and CA$94.50.

Where to check your own rules

Official pages only. We link them and leave the reading to you and your accountant.

For any other province or territory, ask its tax office or your accountant.

Common questions

Can we charge guests in US dollars and report tax in Canadian dollars?

Yes. Your prices and invoices stay in US dollars. For a Canadian business the tax currency is CAD, and the Taxes report adds a summary in Canadian funds. It converts at the Bank of Canada's average rate for the dates you pick, or at a rate you type in. Which conversion method you use for your returns is your choice with your accountant.

Can we set up one combined tax, or several separate taxes?

Either. You add each tax yourself with its own name and rate, so a lodge can have a single HST, GST plus a provincial tax, or GST only. Outfttr does not suggest or pre-fill tax names or rates.

Can a package be taxed on only part of its price?

Not as one charge. In Outfttr a tax applies to a whole charge or not at all. If only part of a package is taxable where you are, the taxable and non-taxable parts go in as separate charges, with the tax ticked on the taxable one.

Does Outfttr file our returns or give tax advice?

No. Outfttr is software, not a tax adviser. It does the arithmetic for the setup you give it, shows each tax on the invoice, and reports the totals. Deciding your tax treatment, filing and remitting stay with you and your accountant.

Not tax advice

This page describes software, and it is not tax, legal or accounting advice. Confirm your tax treatment with your accountant or your tax office, then set Outfttr up to match.

See it with sample data

The demo has a full season of sample data.

Try the Demo

Or call (833) 202-0404