Form GST74 is the CRA election or revocation for the GST/HST Quick Method of Accounting. An eligible registrant can also make the election using CRA online services. The election changes how net tax is calculated; it does not replace registration or change the tax rate charged to a customer. CRA: GST74, CRA: Quick Method guide
Check eligibility before electing
A business needs an eligible type, a permanent establishment in Canada, and worldwide taxable supplies (including the GST/HST and those of associated persons) of $400,000 or less in either the first four or the last four consecutive fiscal quarters of the last five (a new registrant not in business for the past year may instead qualify if it can reasonably expect worldwide taxable supplies, and those of associates, of $400,000 or less in its first full year of business). CRA excludes certain accounting, bookkeeping, tax and legal services, listed financial institutions and some public bodies. See the GST/HST Quick Method guide for the full eligibility test, exclusions and remittance rates. CRA: eligibility
Choose the effective date and deadline
The election must take effect on the first day of a GST/HST reporting period. Filing deadlines depend on your reporting frequency:
| Return frequency | Election deadline |
|---|---|
| Monthly or quarterly | The due date of the return for the period in which you begin using the method. |
| Annual | The first day of the second fiscal quarter. For a new registrant’s first return covering less than a full fiscal year, the election is due by that return’s due date. |
For example, an eligible quarterly filer beginning on April 1 chooses April 1 as the effective date and files the election by the due date of the April–June return. Check the actual period and any holiday adjustment. CRA: when to elect
How to fill out and submit Form GST74
- Confirm your RT account, eligibility, reporting period, intended effective date and election deadline.
- Elect or revoke online using the “File an election” service in My Business Account or Represent a Client, or get the current GST74 from the CRA form page, which offers an accessible fillable PDF to complete in Acrobat Reader and a standard print PDF to fill out by hand.
- On the paper form, enter your identification, the election or revocation effective date, and the authorized signer’s certification — see the table below for what goes where.
- Send the completed paper form to your tax services office, or file it electronically using the “File an election” service in My Business Account or Represent a Client. CRA: GST74 form
| Part | What you enter | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Identification | Name and trading name (if different), business number | — |
| Election | Effective date you want the Quick Method to start | Must be the first day of a GST/HST reporting period |
| Revocation | Effective date you want to stop using the Quick Method | Only after at least one year on the election, unless the business no longer meets the eligibility criteria; due by the last return’s due date |
| Certification | Signature of an authorized person for the business, with date | — |
GST74 is different from GST70, which concerns an election to change the GST/HST fiscal year. Choosing a fiscal year does not itself elect the Quick Method. For the return forms themselves, see our GST34 page and GST62 page; see also Can I find a GST Quick Method calculator online? CRA: GST70 account guidance
After electing, and how to stop
Continue charging the applicable GST/HST on taxable supplies. Calculate eligible remittances using the rate appropriate to the business, the place of supply and permanent establishment; some supplies are accounted for separately. Most ordinary operating-expense ITCs are unavailable under the method, while certain capital-property and other ITCs can remain eligible. Keep the records supporting the return. CRA: Quick Method rates and ITCs
A revocation is available only after the election has been in effect for at least one year, unless the business no longer meets the eligibility criteria. File the revocation by the due date of the last return for which you want to use the method. After revocation, wait at least one year from its effective date before electing again. Separately from the initial four-of-five-quarter test, the election generally stays in effect only while total annual revenue (including the GST/HST) from worldwide taxable supplies (including zero-rated supplies), and those of associates, does not exceed $400,000; CRA sets the date the regular method starts based on filing frequency — generally the beginning of the next fiscal year for annual filers, or the beginning of the second or the next fiscal quarter, depending on the circumstances, for monthly and quarterly filers. CRA: revocation
Revenu Québec generally administers GST/HST for businesses physically located in Quebec, subject to exceptions. Where it administers the account, its election guidance uses Form FP-2074-V for the Quick Method of Accounting. Revenu Québec: election CRA: Quebec