inputting HST on imported goods

Hello Dan188,

It sounds to me like you're trying to record a sales tax only transaction. I know that imported goods sometimes fall under these circumstances where they're charged the sales tax amount only at the border and it can be tricky to figure out how to record it when you're not sure. Don't worry, I'll show you how.

1. Select Enter Bills from the Home window.
2. Make sure the Expenses tab is selected.
3. Choose an expense account related to imported goods from the Accounts drop-down.
4. Enter 0.01 in the Amount column.
5. Select the tax code that represents all taxes paid. (In this case, you'll want an HST code.)
6. On a second line, choose the same account as before from the Accounts drop-down.
7. Enter -0.01 in the Amount column.
8. Select the same tax code again.
9. Edit the amount in the sales tax field to match the sales tax charged at customs.
10. Select Save & Close to save the transaction.

Give it a shot! Note that you'll have to create a vendor for customs in order to be able to save the transaction, but you should be good to go with this formula. Make sure to go to the Pay Bills feature to complete the recording of this expense payment as well.

I'm here if you have further questions. Have a great day!

Hi Dan

I generally enter these as a journal entry; debit directly the HST payable account and specify line 106 for an input tax credit, and credit either cash or accounts payable as applicable (being sure to specify the supplier eg Canada Customs, FedEx, whoever).