Sales Taxes -> GST/HST -> Free online GST/HST Registry
Free Online GST/HST Registry
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) GST/HST registry allows you to check to see if a business is registered to collect GST/HST. To use the registry, the following information must be provided:
 | GST/HST number (first 9 digits), also known as business number, or registration number |
| business name as registered with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) |
| date of the transaction |
See also the article on the free online QST registry provided by the Quebec Revenue Ministry.
GST/HST Registry Warning
An August 2012 article by Torkin Manes LLP pointed out that the GST/HST registry only checks the first 10 characters (including spaces) in the business name, so it is possible to get erroneous results from the registry. I checked this and confirmed that the article is quite correct. I entered the GST/HST number of one corporation with the name of a different corporation (first 10 characters of the names identical), and was given confirmation that "the GST/HST number was registered on the transaction date entered". We recommend always saving a pdf of, or printing, the confirmation page for your records, as it may help if the transaction is later questioned by CRA.
Tax Tips:
For businesses: When dealing with a new vendor, check to see if their GST/HST number is valid. This will help ensure that you will receive your input tax credits.
For individuals: You can check to see if a firm's GST/HST number is valid, so you don't pay GST/HST unnecessarily.
Revised: July 22, 2024