Sales tax · Guide
Nova Scotia HST in 2026: 14% since April 1, 2025
The HST rate in Nova Scotia is 14%: the 5% federal GST plus a 9% provincial portion. It fell from 15% on April 1, 2025. The same 14% applies in Halifax and everywhere else in the province.
What is the HST rate in Nova Scotia?
Nova Scotia charges a single harmonized sales tax collected by the CRA. There is no separate PST.
| Period | HST rate | Provincial portion |
|---|---|---|
| On or after April 1, 2025 | 14% | 9% |
| April 1, 2013 to March 31, 2025 | 15% | 10% |
What is the sales tax in Halifax?
The same 14% HST. Nova Scotia’s HST is a province-wide rate, so Halifax, Dartmouth, Sydney and every other community charge the same percentage on taxable purchases.
What changed in April 2025?
The provincial portion dropped from 10% to 9%, taking the HST from 15% to 14%. Transitional rules decided which rate applied to purchases that straddled the change; receipts dated before April 1, 2025 can correctly show 15%.
How Nova Scotia compares
Nova Scotia’s 14% sits between Ontario’s 13% and the 15% charged in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island.
Frequently asked questions
What is the HST in Nova Scotia?
14% since April 1, 2025: 5% GST plus a 9% provincial portion.
What was the Nova Scotia HST before 2025?
15%, from April 1, 2013 until March 31, 2025.
What is the sales tax in Halifax?
14% HST, the same rate as the rest of Nova Scotia.