[Fwd: Re: For the Canadians...do I have to charge GST?]

[John Bartol]

As Carter mentioned, you have to collect GST if you are going to charge 
more than 30K for the year.

Here's the short list o' points:
1) To charge GST, you need a GST registration number. Call CCRA (Canada 
Customs and Revenue Agency) to get one.
2) When you register for GST, you are automatically set up with the 
regular method of accounting, unless you opt for the quick method of 
accounting. In a nutshell: regular method requires that you track all 
the GST you spend for eligible supplies/expenses, then remit the 
difference between that and what you collect to the government. With the 
quick method, you simply remit a percentage of the amount that you 
collect -- the amount you hold back is to cover *your* GST costs 
(without calculating them). If you're not going to be spending huge 
amounts of money on eligible supplies, you actually come out ahead using 
the quick method.
3) Clients will usually want you to charge GST -- it makes their 
bookkeeping more manageable. They're used to paying it anyway -- they 
use the regular accounting method, so any GST they pay you is deducted 
from the amount *they* remit to the government at year end.