GST/HST Registry: How to Check a GST/HST Number

The CRA’s GST/HST Registry is a free service that lets a GST/HST registrant check whether a supplier’s account number is registered. You use it so your input tax credit claims include only GST/HST charged by registered suppliers. You only need three details: the first nine digits of the number, the business name, and the transaction date.

If you’ve ever looked at an invoice and wondered whether that HST number is real, this is the check to run. Here is how the GST/HST Registry search works, what to have ready, and what to do with the result.

What the GST/HST Registry is for

The HST registry has one job. It helps a GST/HST registrant confirm that the business charging them GST/HST is registered, so the input tax credits they claim only cover tax charged by registered suppliers.

It is not a general business directory. The CRA’s terms of use say it is not intended to be a search engine, which is why you need the details of a specific transaction before you can use it.

What you need before you search

Before you start an HST number lookup, gather these three things:

• The first nine digits of the supplier’s account number. Enter digits only, with no letters. The CRA also notes this is not a social insurance number, consumer number or certificate number.
• The supplier’s name. Use the legal, operating or trading name shown on the invoice. The CRA also accepts the name posted on a sign at the place of business.
• The transaction date. This is the date on the receipt, invoice, contract or other business paper.

Suppliers are expected to show their GST/HST account number on receipts, invoices, contracts and other business papers. If you can’t find it, ask the supplier. If they still don’t give it to you, the CRA says to call its Business enquiries line at 1-800-959-5525 to confirm the business is registered.

Step-by-step: how to check a supplier’s number

Here is how to check an HST number using the CRA’s GST/HST Registry search:

1. Open the CRA’s “Confirming a GST/HST account number” page on canada.ca and select Search now.
2. Read the terms of use and agree to continue.
3. Enter the first nine digits of the supplier’s number in the GST/HST number field.
4. Enter the business name. Copy it as it appears on the invoice rather than typing it from memory.
5. Enter the transaction date in the format yyyy-mm-dd.
6. Submit the search.

All three fields are required, so you can’t run the check with a number alone or a name alone.

Save your proof

Once you’ve confirmed a supplier, the CRA tells you to print the Search Details screen. That printout supports your claim that you only took input tax credits on GST/HST charged by registered suppliers. Keep it with the invoice it relates to, so it is easy to find when you file your return.

Why the number has two parts

You only type nine digits into the registry, but the full GST/HST account number is longer. It has 15 characters in three parts:

• The 9-digit business number (BN)
• The letters RT, the program identifier for GST/HST
• A 4-digit reference number

A typical example looks like 123456789 RT 0001. The reference number exists because a business can hold more than one account of the same kind. If you want the background on where the first nine digits come from, see our guide to getting a business number in Ontario.

What if no result appears?

Start with the name. The CRA says that if the name on the invoice returns nothing, you should contact the business owner and ask for the exact name they gave the CRA. A trade name that is fine on an invoice may not be what the CRA has on file.

If the supplier can’t or won’t give you a number, call the CRA’s Business enquiries line at 1-800-959-5525. A supplier who dodges the question is worth slowing down for. Our post on tax scams targeting new Canadian business owners is a useful read before you pay anyone you’re unsure about.

Quebec QST is different

This tool does not check QST numbers. The CRA’s page sends you to Revenu Québec to confirm a QST number, so don’t expect the GST/HST Registry to answer that question.

How to find your own GST/HST number

Your own number starts with your nine-digit business number. The CRA lists four ways to find an existing one:

• Check your records. Look for letters or notices from the CRA, or confirmation details you saved at the end of a registration session.
• Sign in to your account. If you’ve added My Business Account to your CRA account, your BN is on the Welcome page. If you registered through your province, your provincial online account may show it too.
• Search an online business registry. Options include Corporations Canada, the Ontario Business Registry (information may take 2 business days to appear after registration) and Canada’s Business Registries.
• Call the CRA. The number is 1-800-959-5525, Monday to Friday, 8 am to 8 pm ET.

Your GST/HST account number is that business number followed by RT and a four-digit reference number. One thing trips up new owners: new CRA program accounts are added to your existing BN, so having a BN does not mean you already have a GST/HST account.

FAQs

The short version

• The GST/HST Registry is a free CRA tool for checking whether a supplier’s GST/HST number is registered.
• Have three things ready: the first nine digits (no letters), the supplier’s name, and the transaction date.
• Print the Search Details screen and keep it with the invoice.
• If nothing comes back, ask the supplier for the exact name they gave the CRA, or call 1-800-959-5525.
• QST numbers are checked through Revenu Québec, not here.