If you run a small business in Canada, sales tax is the paperwork that never really goes away. You charge it on your invoices, you pay it on your own purchases, and every quarter (or year) you have to figure out the difference and send the government their share. Most people track this in a spreadsheet with a dozen columns, a couple of broken formulas, and a growing sense of dread as the filing deadline gets closer.
There is a simpler way. When you tell Voice Money Manager which province you operate in, it knows your tax rules, and it splits the sales tax out of every single transaction and scanned receipt automatically. By the time you sit down to remit, the totals are already done: tax collected on one side, tax paid on the other, and the net you owe (or get back) at the bottom.
HST vs GST + PST, in plain English
Canada has two systems running side by side, and which one you deal with depends on where you are:
- HST provinces (like Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI and Newfoundland) roll the federal and provincial portions into one Harmonized Sales Tax. You track one number.
- GST + PST provinces (like British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba) keep them separate: a 5% federal GST plus a provincial sales tax that has its own rate and its own rules.
- Quebec runs GST plus QST, and Alberta and the territories have no provincial sales tax at all, just the 5% GST.
The rates and the rules on what is taxable change from time to time, and some items are exempt or zero-rated. That is exactly why setting your profile once and letting the app apply the split is so much safer than re-typing rates into a spreadsheet every quarter.
How to set it up
- Set your province and tax profile once. Tell the app where you operate and whether you charge HST, or GST plus PST. It applies the right split going forward, no formulas required.
- Add income and expenses your way. Speak a sale out loud, type it, or scan the receipt. The app reads the total and pulls out the tax portion for you.
- Let it tag tax collected vs tax paid. Tax you charged a customer is collected; tax on your own purchases counts toward your input tax credits.
- Check the running totals anytime. Open your tax summary and see collected, paid, and net so far this period, no reconciling required.
- Remit with confidence. When the filing date arrives, the numbers you need are already sitting there, backed by the receipt images behind them.
A real example: Priya, a Toronto design freelancer
Priya is a graphic designer registered for HST in Ontario. Over one quarter she invoices clients for design work and charges 13% HST on top. She also buys software subscriptions, a new monitor, and pays for the occasional client lunch, all of which include HST she paid. Here is what her tax summary looks like when she opens the app at filing time:
| HST collected on invoices ($18,000 in sales) | $2,340.00 |
| HST paid on business purchases (input tax credits) | $610.00 |
| Net HST to remit | $1,730.00 |
Priya didn't add up a single column. She charged tax as usual, scanned her purchase receipts as they came in, and the app kept a running tally of both sides. The $1,730 is simply what she collected minus the credits she is entitled to claim. She still runs the final figure past her accountant before filing, but the shoebox-and-spreadsheet scramble is gone.
Why the receipt image matters
Claiming input tax credits is only worth it if you can back them up. Because every scanned receipt keeps its image attached to the transaction, the proof for each credit lives right beside the number. If the CRA ever asks, you are not digging through a drawer; you are tapping a line item and showing the receipt.
Stop re-typing tax rates into a spreadsheet
Set your province once and let Voice Money Manager split HST, GST and PST out of every transaction automatically, so remittance is just reading a total.
Set up sales taxFAQ
Does it handle provinces with separate GST and PST? Yes. If you operate in a GST + PST province, the app tracks the two portions separately so you can remit each to the right place. Confirm your PST registration and filing rules with your provincial authority.
What if a purchase is tax-exempt or zero-rated? You can adjust the tax on an individual transaction so it reflects reality. When you are unsure whether something is taxable, check with your accountant or the CRA rather than guessing.
Can I see tax collected and tax paid before the deadline? Anytime. The tax summary updates as you go, so you can set money aside for your remittance instead of being surprised at quarter-end. For a fuller year-end view, see getting tax-ready.