Quick answer
Most of the provincial dates in Newfoundland and Labrador are about payroll. Every employer registers with WorkplaceNL and reports the year’s actual earnings by February 28, and an employer whose annual payroll passes an exemption threshold also pays the Health and Post-Secondary Education Tax.1,2,3 Corporations add an Annual Return to the Registry of Companies each year, and HST is charged at the province’s rate of 15%.4,5
Who has to register with WorkplaceNL?
All employers doing business in Newfoundland and Labrador register with WorkplaceNL — sole proprietors, partnerships and corporations alike. An employer that contracts work in the province registers too, even with no workers of its own there.1
The exemptions are few: people employed at a private residence, people employed by an individual to build or renovate a private residence, and professional sports competitors.1
Registration assigns a Firm Number, which identifies the business, and a Newfoundland Industrial Classification code, which describes its industry and is used to calculate its annual assessment.1
How is the WorkplaceNL assessment worked out?
An assessment is a rate applied to assessable earnings, and the rate follows the industry classification.1,2 During the year an employer works from a payroll estimate, which it can update through MyWorkplaceNL; the actual gross earnings and deductions go on the Employer Payroll Statement by February 28 each year.2
The estimate matters. When actual payroll comes in well above it, WorkplaceNL can charge an underestimation penalty.2 A business whose payroll grows mid-year — a new contract, a bigger season — is the one most likely to find its estimate out of date.
What the statement draws on, from the books:
- gross earnings for each worker, by pay date;
- the deductions reported alongside them;
- year-to-date totals, so the estimate can be checked against what has actually been paid.
What is the Health and Post-Secondary Education Tax?
Newfoundland and Labrador taxes payroll. The Health and Post-Secondary Education Tax is payable by an employer on annual remuneration in the province above an exemption threshold, and the provincial Department of Finance administers it and publishes the current threshold and rate.3
Two details catch growing businesses. The tax turns on the year’s total, so a payroll that rises during the year can cross the threshold part-way through. And employers associated with other corporations, or in partnership with other employers, share the threshold and file an allocation agreement dividing it between them.3
Reconciled payroll, month by month, is what shows where a business stands against that line — well before the year is out.
What does the Registry of Companies expect?
The Corporations Act requires every limited liability company operating in Newfoundland and Labrador to be incorporated or registered in the province.6 To keep its status, a corporation files an Annual Return before the end of the month in which its registration, amalgamation or revival date falls, whichever is latest, and the Registry sends a notification 60 days before it is due.4
A company that has not filed by the end of its anniversary month is placed Not in Good Standing, and three years without filing leads to involuntary dissolution or cancellation.4
There is no provincial business-name registry: the province does not currently have legislation governing one.6 A sole proprietor trading under a business name has nothing to register with the province for that name.
What is the HST rate in Newfoundland and Labrador?
HST in Newfoundland and Labrador is 15%. The province’s rate last changed on July 1, 2016, when it rose from 13% to 15%.7,5
It travels on the GST/HST return. CRA sets each registrant’s reporting period from its revenue — monthly, quarterly or annual — and a monthly or quarterly return is due, with payment, one month after the period closes; most annual filers get three months from their fiscal year-end.8
What records does a fish harvester need?
For a self-employed fish harvester, the record-keeping has rules of its own. CRA counts all amounts received from the sale of fish, lobster, scallops and other catch as fishing income, along with fishing subsidy payments, compensation for lost income and income as a sharesperson.9
CRA also notes that a T4 slip may not show all of a fisher’s income for the year, and asks fishers to keep a detailed record of all of it.9 That record — every landing, every buyer’s statement — is the one that counts at tax time, and the one worth keeping month by month rather than rebuilding in the spring.
What does a year of Newfoundland and Labrador dates look like?
| What | When | What the books need |
|---|---|---|
| WorkplaceNL Employer Payroll Statement | By February 28, for the year before | Gross earnings and deductions, checked against the estimate |
| Health and Post-Secondary Education Tax | Once annual remuneration passes the exemption threshold | Year-to-date payroll, and an allocation agreement if associated |
| Registry of Companies Annual Return | Before the end of the anniversary month | Nothing financial, but a date to keep |
| GST/HST return | One month after each monthly or quarterly period; most annual filers, three months after year-end | Sales and input tax credits at 15% |
Frequently asked questions
Does a small employer have to register with WorkplaceNL?
Yes. WorkplaceNL says all employers doing business in the province must register, with a few exemptions such as people employed at a private residence.1
Does every employer pay the Health and Post-Secondary Education Tax?
No. It applies to annual remuneration above an exemption threshold, which the Department of Finance publishes along with the rate.3
Do I have to register my business name in Newfoundland and Labrador?
Not with the province: it has no business-name registry.6 Corporations are a different matter, and file an Annual Return every year.4
When is WorkplaceNL’s Employer Payroll Statement due?
By February 28 each year, with the gross earnings and deductions for the year before.2
Sources
- Register My Business, WorkplaceNL. Accessed .
- Annual Assessment, WorkplaceNL. Accessed .
- Health and Post Secondary Education Tax (Payroll Tax), Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Department of Finance. Accessed .
- Annual Returns, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Government Services. Accessed .
- GST/HST calculator (and rates), Canada Revenue Agency. Accessed .
- About the Registry, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Government Services. Accessed .
- Harmonized Sales Tax, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Department of Finance. Accessed .
- Reporting requirements and deadlines – File your GST/HST return, Canada Revenue Agency. Accessed .
- Self-employed Business, Professional, Commission, Farming, and Fishing Income: Chapter 2 – Income, Canada Revenue Agency. Accessed .
This article is general information about how things usually work in Canada, current as of the date it was last updated. It isn’t advice about your own tax or accounting position, which depends on facts we haven’t seen.