Filing and Input Tax Credits

GST/HST filing terms covering returns, net tax, and input tax credits after registration.

This subsection covers the GST/HST concepts that matter after registration, when the business is filing returns and calculating what is owed.

What Belongs Here

Use this subsection when the issue is a GST/HST return, an input tax credit, net tax, or the amount that must ultimately be remitted.

This is the right place once registration already exists and the question becomes:

  • what has to be filed and when
  • what GST/HST paid on business inputs can reduce the result
  • how the final amount owing or refundable is determined

Best Starting Pages

Practical Reader Path

  • Start with GST/HST Return if the issue is the filing itself.
  • Start with Input Tax Credit if the question is about recovering GST/HST paid on business inputs.
  • Use Net Tax when the core question is how the final amount owing or refundable is determined.

Quick Distinctions

If the issue is…Start with…
The form and due date for the reporting periodGST/HST Return
Whether GST/HST paid on purchases can be claimedInput Tax Credit
The bottom-line filing resultNet Tax

In this section

  • GST/HST Return
    The GST/HST return reports sales tax collected, input tax credits, adjustments, and the resulting net tax.
  • Input Tax Credit
    Input tax credits let GST/HST registrants recover eligible GST/HST paid on business purchases and expenses.
  • Net Tax
    Net tax is the GST/HST return result after tax collected or collectible is offset by eligible credits and adjustments.
Revised on Friday, April 24, 2026