xBoox

Configure GST/HST tracking

Choose whether the Workspace tracks Canadian sales tax and set the primary province used for available tax codes.

Configure the Workspace

  1. Open Settings > Business Profile.
  2. Find Sales Tax.
  3. Enable or disable GST/HST tracking.
  4. When tracking is enabled, choose the primary province.
  5. Review Setup Impact and save the Business Profile.

The saved setting affects Tax choices in Expenses, Income, Bank Transactions, and supported Journal Entry adjustments, and controls whether GST/HST reports appear.

When tracking is disabled, xBoox hides Tax and Tax Amount controls for new transactions, Category tax defaults, tax-only summaries, and tax-breakdown columns that would otherwise contain only zeroes. Reports use one tax-inclusive Amount column instead. Existing records that already contain tax information keep that historical detail visible and read-only; changing the Workspace setting does not erase or rewrite earlier tax snapshots.

When tracking is enabled, xBoox also creates or restores the managed GST/HST control accounts required by the Workspace. A manually inactive account remains inactive. If a custom account already uses a required managed number or system identity, xBoox blocks the change and asks the Owner to resolve the conflict; it does not overwrite or renumber the custom account.

For managed expense categories, the primary province also supplies a starter Tax code suggestion. Ontario taxable categories generally use HST 13%; Alberta uses GST 5%; and British Columbia uses the category's GST-only or GST/PST starter treatment (for example, Meals and vehicle fuel are GST-only). This is a starting suggestion, not proof of the tax on a particular purchase.

For ordinary goods, the managed Office Expense & Supplies and Computer, Tools & Equipment categories suggest the province's combined sales-tax code where one is available. In British Columbia that is GST/PST 12%; in Quebec the QST component is 9.975%; in HST provinces it is the applicable HST code. Mixed service categories, including Legal & Accounting and Software & Subscriptions, retain conservative suggestions and require the receipt to confirm the actual tax. This change does not run a bulk update of existing saved category Tax codes. An existing GST-only default may remain in place until you review it. A saved Exempt or Out of Scope category choice remains in place when Workspace tax settings change. Check the saved Tax choice against the receipt before posting.

Tax codes have effective dates. For Nova Scotia, HST 15% applies through March 31, 2025, and HST 14% begins April 1, 2025. Choose the transaction's date before confirming its Tax code. Managed-category suggestions use the historical Nova Scotia code for a transaction dated before April 1, 2025. A Tax code outside its effective dates cannot be posted; select a valid code for the transaction date before continuing.

Travel has no automatic Tax suggestion. Travel can include airfare, meals, accommodation, fees, and purchases made in different places. Select the Tax treatment shown by the supporting receipt before saving or posting.

When tracking is enabled

  • Choose the applicable Tax code on each transaction.
  • Review the calculated tax component fields for the selected Tax code.
  • Adjust an applicable component when the source document supports a different amount.
  • Use GST/HST Summary and Detail to review recorded amounts.
  • On the managed GST/HST Payable account in a Journal Entry, you may explicitly

classify the entered line amount as collected tax on Line 103 or an ITC on Line 106. xBoox does not calculate that Journal Entry amount for you.

  • For a receipt or paid invoice, use the tax printed on the document even when

the category suggestion is different. Changing the province refreshes managed starter defaults for future bookkeeping; custom categories and explicit saved Exempt and Out of Scope choices remain in place.

For tax-inclusive amounts that contain more than one tax, xBoox calculates and rounds each component separately to the nearest cent, then verifies that the before-tax amount plus the component taxes equals the amount paid. For example, GST and PST are not estimated by proportionally dividing an already-rounded combined-tax amount. When a receipt or supported source provides explicit GST, HST, PST, or QST amounts, those source component amounts take priority over a derived split. A one-cent adjustment may be required to keep the transaction closed when the source provides only a combined tax amount.

In Bank Transactions, Expenses, and Income, the selected Tax code determines the amount fields. A GST-only code shows GST; a PST-only code shows PST; HST shows HST. Combined codes show their separate components, such as GST and PST for GST/PST BC. GST/QST keeps QST separate from PST. Exempt, Zero-rated, and Out of Scope remain distinct choices with zero tax. The amount you enter is tax inclusive: changing a component changes the before-tax portion, not the total paid or received. xBoox marks an adjusted component and saves the confirmed component amounts. Use the restore automatic calculation action to return to calculated amounts. Changing the Tax code clears the manual adjustment and calculates the components for the new code. Review the tax shown on the source document before saving; a tax-code selection by itself uses calculated amounts rather than a manual override.

When tracking is disabled

  • New transactions use Out of Scope treatment with zero tax.
  • The Tax field may remain visible but locked to Out of Scope.
  • GST/HST report navigation is hidden.
  • Journal Entry Sales Tax is locked to Out of Scope.

Important boundaries

xBoox records and summarizes sales-tax data. It does not:

  • file a GST/HST return;
  • track filed and unfiled return periods;
  • record remittance or refund settlement status;
  • guarantee that a selected tax treatment is correct for a specific purchase or sale.

Consult an accountant when the correct tax treatment is uncertain.

Exempt, Zero-Rated, and Out of Scope

These choices all calculate zero tax, but they mean different things:

  • Exempt — the supply is inside the GST/HST system but the law exempts it.

Typical examples include many financial services and interest income. An exempt purchase does not create an input tax credit.

  • Zero-Rated — the supply is taxable at 0%. Examples can include qualifying

exports and other supplies specifically zero-rated by the CRA. A zero-rated sale is not the same as an exempt sale.

  • Out of Scope — the activity is not a purchase or sale subject to

GST/HST. Examples include a transfer between accounts, a credit-card payment, an income-tax instalment, shareholder-loan movement, and owner funding.

Use the receipt or source document rather than guessing from the Category name. For example, a monthly bank fee is normally Out of Scope, while interest income is normally Exempt. A Category default is an entry aid, not a tax determination.

Important rules

  • GST/HST registration is independent of Sole Proprietor or Corporation status.
  • Changing the Workspace tax profile changes future available choices; historical transactions retain saved tax snapshots.
  • Only the Workspace Owner can change tax settings.

If the Business Profile cannot save Sales Tax

  • When Registered is selected, choose a valid Primary Province or Territory before saving.
  • When the province changes, confirm the reset of tax-code defaults for new bookkeeping. Historical transaction tax snapshots are not rewritten.
  • Use the dialog's Help Center button for the exact recovery steps.

Resolve a Workspace Health Check message

Workspace Health Check can report that GST/HST is Registered while the saved Primary Province / Territory is missing or invalid. This is an advisory message and does not change the Workspace or prevent access.

  1. Select Open Business Profile in the message.
  2. In Settings > Business Profile, find Sales Tax.
  3. Confirm that Registered reflects the business's actual status.
  4. Choose the applicable Primary Province / Territory.
  5. Save the Business Profile.

Select Help Center to keep these instructions open in a new tab. Select Continue to close the message without making a change. xBoox does not automatically select British Columbia or any other province.