Event Ticket Tax in Canada: GST, HST, PST and QST

This guide breaks down how GST, HST, PST, and QST apply to event tickets across every Canadian province and territory.

Do You Have to Charge Tax on Event Tickets?

In most cases, yes. If you're a GST/HST registrant (which you must be once your taxable sales exceed $30,000 in a calendar quarter or over four consecutive quarters), you charge GST/HST on admission to events. Registered charities are the main exception: see charity events below.

The CRA considers a ticket to a concert, show, sporting event, conference, or party as a "supply of a service," which is generally taxable. The rate depends on the province where the event takes place, not where the buyer lives.

Province-by-Province Tax Rates

Here's how sales tax applies to event admission tickets in each province and territory as of October 2026:

Provincial sales tax can still apply to goods sold with or alongside a ticket, like merchandise or a T-shirt included in the price. Rates from the CRA's GST/HST rate table and provincial PST guidance; Nova Scotia's HST dropped from 15% to 14% on April 1, 2025.

How Tax Works with Event Ticketing Platforms

When you sell tickets through a platform like Bloom Tickets, the responsibility for charging and remitting tax typically falls on you, the event organizer. The platform facilitates the sale, but you are the one supplying the event admission.

That's why choosing a platform with built-in tax tools matters. On Bloom Tickets, you can:

• Set federal and provincial tax rates per event
• Automatically calculate tax on every ticket sale at checkout
• See a full tax breakdown in your dashboard's transaction history
• Download tax reports for accounting and CRA filing

This eliminates the manual spreadsheet work many organizers dread, especially if they host events in multiple provinces with different rates.

Special Cases and Exemptions

Charity Events

Most supplies made by registered charities, including most event admissions, are exempt from GST/HST, though there are exceptions. Charities also have their own small-supplier thresholds: $50,000 in taxable supplies, or $250,000 in gross revenue. Non-profits that aren't registered charities follow different rules, and many of their admissions are taxable. Check the CRA's guide GST/HST Information for Charities (RC4082) or ask an accountant. Planning a fundraiser? See our nonprofit fundraising events guide.

Free Events

No admission charge means no sales tax obligation on the ticket itself. If you're running a free RSVP event, tax doesn't apply. On Bloom Tickets, free events are fully supported with zero platform fees.

Small Supplier Threshold

If your total taxable sales from all sources (not just events) are $30,000 or less in a calendar quarter and over the last four consecutive quarters, you're considered a "small supplier" and are not required to register for or charge GST/HST. If you go over $30,000 in a single quarter, you must start charging tax on the sale that takes you over; if you go over across four quarters, you have until the end of the following month. Charities and other public service bodies use a $50,000 threshold.

Should You Include Tax in Your Ticket Price?

This is a display decision. Some organizers prefer to show a clean price (e.g., "$25 per ticket") and add tax at checkout. Others prefer an all-in price so attendees know exactly what they'll pay.

Bloom Tickets supports both approaches: you can absorb fees into the ticket price or pass them on at checkout, and tax is calculated on the ticket either way. For how platform fees themselves work, see ticketing fees in Canada, explained.

Frequently asked questions