This calculator adds New Brunswick’s HST to a price, split into the federal and provincial parts, or switches to reverse mode to take the tax out of a total you’ve already paid.
Stores round the tax on each receipt, so a total can differ from this result by a cent or two.
How the HST works in New Brunswick
New Brunswick charges the 15% Harmonized Sales Tax: the 5% federal GST plus a 10% provincial part, collected as one tax under the federal Excise Tax Act and administered by the Canada Revenue Agency. On a $600 phone, that is $90.00 of HST, for $690.00 in total.
The province joined the HST on April 1, 1997, together with Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. Its most recent rate change:
- July 1, 2016: New Brunswick increased HST from 13% to 15%
New Brunswick is now tied for the highest sales tax in Canada, 15%; the provinces at that rate are New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island. Next door, Nova Scotia charges 14% and Quebec 14.975%; the sales tax by province page compares every province.
The electricity rebate
Since January 1, 2025, New Brunswick has rebated the 10% provincial part of the HST on residential electricity use (the kilowatt hours, not service charges). It appears as a rebate line on the power bill and needs no application. The province estimates the average customer saves about $216 a year.
The rebate covers electricity only. Heating oil, propane and wood still carry the full 15%, unlike in Nova Scotia, where a similar rebate covers every home energy source.
Other rebates of the provincial part
- Books: the provincial part is rebated at the till on printed books, including audiobooks and printed scripture, so they carry only the 5% GST.
- Specially equipped vehicles: the province refunds the provincial part on vehicles equipped for a person with a disability, such as those with wheelchair lifts or auxiliary driving controls.
New Brunswick has no point-of-sale rebate on children’s clothing, which PEI and Nova Scotia both offer. Basic groceries and prescription drugs carry no HST at all under the federal rules, which the zero-rated and exempt section explains.
Credits that return some of the tax
Lower-income residents get part of their sales tax back through the federal Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (the former GST/HST credit) and the provincial NB HST Credit, paid together. Both come automatically when you file a tax return; the payment dates page lists when they arrive.
Buyers of a newly built home pay the HST on the purchase and may qualify for the federal part of the GST/HST new housing rebate; New Brunswick has no provincial new housing rebate.
Related pages
- Sales tax by province: every province’s rate and how the three systems work
- Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador sales tax
- GST/HST calculator for business owners: registration, filing and the Quick Method
- Car sales tax by province