Input tax credits

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Input tax credits

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Find out about input tax credits
Find out if you are eligible to claim ITCs
How to calculate ITCs
How to claim ITCs
Determine the time limit to claim ITCs
Records you need to support your claim

Find out about input tax credits

As a GST/HST registrant, you recover the GST/HST paid or payable on purchases and expenses related to your commercial activities by claiming input tax credits (ITCs).

You may be eligible to claim ITCs only to the extent that your purchases and expenses are for consumption, use, or supply in your commercial activities.

To claim an ITC, the expenses or purchases must be reasonable in quality, nature, and cost in relation to the nature of your business.

List of common purchases and expenses for which you may be eligible to claim ITCs

  • business start-up costs
  • business-use-of-home expenses
  • delivery and freight charges
  • fuel costs
  • legal, accounting, and other professional fees
  • maintenance and repairs
  • meals and entertainment (allowable part only)
  • motor vehicle expenses
  • office expenses
  • rent
  • telephone and utilities
  • travel

List of common purchases and expenses for which you cannot claim ITCs
  • certain capital property
  • taxable supplies of property and services bought or imported to make exempt supplies of property and services
  • membership fees or dues to any club whose main purpose is to provide recreation, dining, or sporting facilities (including fitness clubs, golf clubs, and hunting and fishing clubs), unless you acquire the memberships to resell in the course of your business
  • property or services you bought or imported for your personal consumption, use, or enjoyment


Find out if you are eligible to claim ITCs

You may be eligible to claim an ITC if all of the following apply:

  • You acquired, imported or brought into a participating province property or services for consumption, use, or supply in the course of your commercial activities
  • You are a GST/HST registrant during the reporting period in which the GST/HST was paid or became payable on property or services
  • GST/HST must have been paid or payable by you in respect of the supply, importation, or bringing in of the property or services
  • You obtain sufficient documentary evidence to substantiate the ITC prior to making the claim in a GST/HST return. For more information, see Records you need to support your claim
  • You claim the ITC in a GST/HST return filed within the time limit. For more information, see Determine the time limit to claim ITCs

If you use the quick method of accounting you cannot claim ITCs for your operating expenses. However, you may be eligible to claim ITCs for certain purchases such as purchases of land and purchases for which you can claim a capital cost allowance for income tax purposes, such as computers, vehicles, and other large equipment and machinery. For more information, see the quick method of accounting.

Most charities are limited in the ITCs that they can claim because of the special calculation method called the "net tax calculation for charities" that they must use to complete their GST/HST returns. For more information, see calculation method assigned to charities.

If you are a new registrant

If you are a new registrant, you may be eligible to claim an ITC for the GST/HST paid or payable on property such as capital property, real property, and inventory that you had on hand to use in your commercial activities at the time you became a registrant. We consider that you bought the property at that time and paid GST/HST equal to the basic tax content of the property. For more information, see Determine the percentage of use when there is a change in use, sale or improvements to capital personal property.

See example - If you are a new registrant



You may also be eligible to claim an ITC for any GST/HST you prepaid for rent, royalties, or similar payments for property that relate to the period after you became a registrant, to the extent that the property is for consumption, use, or supply in the course of your commercial activities. You cannot claim an ITC for the GST/HST paid or payable on services supplied to you before you became a registrant, or on the value of any rent, royalty, or similar payment that relates to a period before you became a registrant, even if you paid that GST/HST after you became a registrant.

How to calculate ITCs

Generally, if you have an eligible expense that you intend to use only in your commercial activities, you can claim ITCs for the full amount of the GST/HST paid. In certain situations there are restrictions on the amount that you can claim as an ITC. For more information on how to calculate ITCs for different type of expenses, see Calculate input tax credits.

How to claim ITCs

Once you calculated the amount you can claim, you report it on line 108 (or line 106 if you file on paper) of your GST/HST return.

Recapture of ITCs for large businesses

As a result of British Columbia, Ontario, and Prince Edward Island harmonizing their provincial sales tax with the GST to implement the HST, as a temporary measure, large businesses have to recapture (repay) their ITCs for the provincial part of the HST paid or payable on specified property and services. Generally, you would be a large business during a given recapture period if your total revenue from annual taxable supplies is greater than $10 million in your last fiscal year that ended before a recapture period. Certain financial institutions would also be subject to these rules even if their revenue does not exceed the $10 million threshold.

Generally, you must report your recaptured ITCs in the reporting period in which the ITCs first became available. Failing to recapture ITCs as and when required could result in penalties.

To simplify compliance, Form RC4531, Election or Revocation of an Election to Use the Estimation and Reconciliation Method to Report the Recapture of Input Tax Credits, allows large businesses to estimate the amount of recaptured ITCs in their monthly or quarterly reporting periods and reconcile any differences between the amounts reported during the fiscal year and the actual amounts at fiscal year-end, using Schedule C, Reconciliation of Recaptured Input Tax Credits (RITCs), within three months of the fiscal year-end.

For information on incorrectly reported recaptured ITCs, see Correct a GST/HST return

For more information on the recapture of ITCs, see GST/HST Technical Information Bulletin B-104, Harmonized Sales Tax – Temporary Recapture of Input Tax Credits in Ontario and British Columbia and GST/HST Info Sheets GI-165, Prince Edward Island: Transition to the Harmonized Sales Tax – Builders and Recaptured Input Tax Credits and GI-171, Phasing out of Recaptured Input Tax Credits in Ontario.


Determine the time limit to claim ITCs

Most GST/HST registrants have four years to claim their ITCs. This includes all registrants (other than financial institutions) with sales under $6 million. A two year limit applies to certain financial institutions and some businesses with more than $6 million in sales.

Time limits
Type of business Conditions Time limit The latest you can send us your GST/HST return to claim your ITC

Most registrants

You do not meet any of the conditions for the two year time limit listed under:

Four years

No later than four years after the due date for the return in which you could have first claimed the ITC

See example - Most businesses



Business with more than $6 million in threshold revenuesFootnote1

You are not a charity

OR

Both of the following apply:

  • your threshold revenues1 exceeded $6 million in your current fiscal year and your last fiscal year
  • less than 90% of your supplies in both of those years are taxable supplies

Two years

No later than the due date for the return that is two years after the end of the fiscal year in which you could have first claimed the ITC

See example - Businesses with more than $6 million



Financial institution

You are not a deemed financial institution (see the conditions for "Deemed financial institution").

Two years

No later than the due date for the return that is two years after the end of the fiscal year in which you could have first claimed the ITC

Deemed financial institution

We consider you to be a financial institution because of your election to deem certain supplies to be exempt financial services.

Four years

No later than four years after the due date for the return in which you could have first claimed the ITC


Footnote 1

Based on revenue from your taxable supplies and those of your associates. It includes most zero-rated supplies, but does not include revenue from:

  • supplies made outside Canada
  • zero-rated exports
  • zero-rated supplies of financial services
  • exempt supplies
  • taxable sales of capital real property
  • goodwill

Return to footnote 1 referrer


Records you need to support your claim

As a GST/HST registrant you have to provide specific information on the invoices, receipts, contracts, or other business papers when providing taxable property and services. A purchaser needs this information to claim eligible ITCs. In certain situation, the documentation requirements have been reduced. For more information, see Exceptions to invoice requirements.

To ensure that your ITC claims only include GST/HST charged by someone who is registered for GST/HST, see Confirming a GST/HST account number. To confirm a QST number, go to Revenu Québec.

The following chart provides information that needs to be included on your receipts and invoices to support your claim:

Information requirements for sales invoices

Information required Under $30 $30 to $149.99 $150 or more
Supplier's business or trading name, or an intermediary's name Yes Yes Yes
Date of invoice or, if no invoice issued, the date tax is paid or payable Yes Yes Yes
Total amount paid or payable Yes Yes Yes
An indication of the total amount of GST/HST charged or that the amount paid or payable for each taxable supply (other than zero-rated supplies) includes the GST/HST at the applicable rate No Yes Yes
An indication of which items are taxed at the GST rate and which are taxed at the HST rate No Yes Yes
The supplier's business number (BN) or an intermediary's BN No Yes Yes
Your name or trading name or the name of their authorized agent or representative No No Yes
A brief description of the goods or services No No Yes
Terms of payment No No Yes

Exceptions to invoice requirements

In certain situation, the documentation requirements have been reduced.

Allowances or reimbursement of expenses to an employee or partner

For allowances or reimbursement of expenses to an employee or partner, your books and records have to show:

  • the name and BN of the employer or partnership that paid the allowance or reimbursement
  • the name of the employee or member of the partnership who has received the allowance or reimbursement
  • the total amount of the allowance or reimbursement received by each employee or member of the partnership
  • the total GST/HST considered to have been paid for the allowance or reimbursement
  • the reporting period in which the allowance or reimbursement was paid
  • the type of the supply/expense

Computerized books and records

Computerized books and records have to indicate:

  • the name or trading name and address of the supplier or that of the supplier's authorized agent or representative
  • the supplier's business registration number (BN)
  • the date the GST/HST was paid or became payable and the amount of GST/HST paid or payable
  • the type of the supply
  • the name or trading name and address of the recipient of the supply or that of the recipient's authorized agent or representative

Contractual agreements

For contractual agreements, the books and records and related documents have to show:

  • the name or trading name and address of the supplier or that of the supplier's authorized agent or representative
  • the supplier's BN
  • the reporting period when the GST/HST was paid or became payable and the amount of GST/HST paid or payable
  • the type of the supply
  • the name or trading name and address of the recipient of the supply or that of the recipient's authorized agent or representative

Unvouchered cash payments to coin and dollar bill operated machines

For unvouchered cash payments to coin and dollar bill operated machines, your books and records have to show:

  • the location where the taxable supply was made
  • the reporting period when the GST/HST was paid or became payable
  • the amount paid for the supply
  • the amount of GST/HST paid or payable
  • the type and quantity of the supply

Procurement cards

For procurement cards, under certain conditions the CRA will consider the following minimum information to constitute satisfactory supporting documentation at the time of claiming ITCs:

  • date of transaction
  • merchant name
  • place of supply (City and/or Province)
  • merchant category
  • transaction amount
  • cardholder (employee) name
  • procurement card number

For more information, see Procurement cards - Documentary Requirements for Claiming Input Tax Credits.

Taxi or limousine fares

For taxi and limousine fares, your books and records have to show:

  • the supplier's name or trade name
  • the date of the supply
  • the fare
  • the amount of GST/HST charged, or a statement that the fare includes GST/HST

Date modified:
2016-10-06