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October 9, 2022
Question

How to deal with an "Election by a Principal and the Principal’s Agent" tax remittance in our bookkeeping

  • October 9, 2022
  • 1 reply
  • 0 views

We are registered to collect and remit sales tax in Quebec. 

We've started selling online through a platform (Depop) that collects and remits sales tax on behalf of their sellers. They require the Election by a Principal and Principal's Agent form to show they are remitting taxes on behalf of registered businesses, which seems pretty straightforward. My question is, how do I deal with this in my bookkeeping?

 

We receive the full payment from the customer (Sale + shipping + sales tax) into our Paypal account, then the commission + the sales tax are immediately paid out to Depop (the selling platform) from the Paypal account.

 

For example: 

Buyer paid $75 + $13 Shipping + 11.44 in HST ON - we receive a deposit of $99.44 in our Paypal account.

Depop immediately receives a payment of $8.80 (commission) + the 11.44 sales tax

 

Normally I would just create an expense with the $8.80 commission -- but now where does the $11.44 HST go? Is it considered an expense as well if we have elected to have Depop remit our sales tax?

 

Thanks community!

 

1 reply

October 10, 2022

Hi coucouLou,

 

Thanks for reaching out here.  Welcome!  It's important that you're able to record your sales tax in accordance with government guidelines and keep your books balanced.  I'd be happy to point you in the right direction so you can accomplish your QuickBooks goals with peace of mind!

 

To ensure your HST is recorded accurately so you can complete the Election by a Principal and Principal's Agent form correctly, I recommend reaching out to your accountant for their expertise and best course of action.  If you don't have an accountant, we can help you locate a ProAdvisor in your local area. 

 

Feel free to reach back out if you have other questions.  We'd be glad to assist!