Hamilton Sales Tax 2026: Small Business Guide (13.0% combined)
Complete Hamilton, Ontario sales tax guide. GST/HST/PST breakdown, registration, and filing.
Hamilton businesses navigate both federal (GST) and provincial tax systems. Here's the 2026 compliance playbook.
Current Hamilton combined rate: 13.0%
HST 13%. City accommodation tax 4%.
Who must register?
Mandatory registration if your worldwide taxable revenue exceeds CAD $30,000 in any 12-month period (rolling). Below that threshold you're a small supplier — optional registration.
If you choose not to register, you can't claim Input Tax Credits (ITCs) on business expenses.
Input Tax Credits (ITCs)
The magic of the system: tax you pay on business expenses is refundable. If you collect $13.0% on sales and pay 13.0% on business purchases, you only remit the difference.
Track every receipt. Missed ITCs silently increase your tax burden.
Filing frequency
CRA assigns based on revenue:
- Annual: under $1.5M/year (with quarterly installments)
- Quarterly: $1.5M–$6M
- Monthly: over $6M
How to register and file
1. Register for a Business Number with CRA at canada.ca/en/revenue-agency
2. Add a GST/HST program account
3. Collect HST 13.0% on taxable sales to Hamilton/Ontario customers
4. File GST34 annually/quarterly as assigned
Hamilton-specific considerations
- Hamilton has a Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) of 4% on hotels and short-term rentals (in addition to HST)
Common mistakes in Hamilton
- Failing to register when crossing the $30k revenue threshold
- Charging the wrong rate for out-of-province customers (Canada is destination-based)
- Missing ITC claims due to poor receipt tracking
How TinSuite handles Hamilton tax
- Auto-applies correct 13.0% rate for Hamilton deliveries
- Tracks $30k revenue threshold and alerts when to register
- ITCs auto-claimed from Plaid-connected business purchases
- GST34 generated from your books, filing-ready
- Bilingual EN/FR-CA interface