TREADSTONE LAW · ONTARIO · DIGITAL LEGAL SERVICES · EST. MMXXI ·TSL
Learn/Ask a Lawyer/Tax/Do I still need my own HST…
Tax

Do I still need my own HST number if the marketplace I sell through already collects tax for buyers?

TSL Written by the Treadstone Law team· Updated August 2026

Possibly, and the platform collecting tax at checkout doesn't automatically mean you don't. Your own obligation to register for GST/HST generally depends on your own sales exceeding the small-supplier threshold, currently $30,000 in worldwide taxable supplies over the relevant period, regardless of whether a marketplace is separately collecting tax from buyers in situations the platform rules make it responsible for.

Where the platform is the one legally required to collect tax, commonly for non-resident vendors or specific facilitated categories, that's a separate obligation from your own registration requirement as the underlying seller; being below the platform's own collection trigger for a given transaction doesn't mean you're below your own small-supplier threshold, and vice versa. A growing seller can cross the small-supplier threshold and need to register and charge their own HST even while continuing to sell through the same marketplace.

Because these are genuinely two different questions, what the platform is required to do, and what you're required to do as the seller, track your own sales against the small-supplier threshold directly, and don't assume the platform's checkout tax handling means your own registration question is settled.

Key takeaways

  • The small-supplier threshold for your own GST/HST registration is $30,000 in worldwide taxable supplies.
  • The platform's own tax-collection role is a separate question from your own registration obligation.
  • Crossing the small-supplier threshold requires you to register even if you keep selling through the same platform.
  • Track your own sales directly rather than assuming the platform's checkout handling covers you.
This is general information, not legal advice. It doesn’t create a lawyer–client relationship, and the rules can change. For advice on your situation, a Treadstone tax lawyer can help.
Was this helpful?Share:

Go deeper

Still have questions?

Search 6,000 answers, or send yours to a Treadstone lawyer — we answer in plain language.

All answersStart a File →