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GST/HST info for drivers

Rideshare drivers are responsible for collecting and reporting Goods and Services Taxes (GST). In some provinces this is called the Harmonized Sales Taxes (HST).
This tax is already calculated into the fares your passengers pay, so this doesn’t impact your earnings.
You’ll receive a Quarterly Earnings Summary from Lyft in your Driver Dashboard. Your earnings summary shows the taxes received and taxes you paid for the quarter, as well as your earnings. Learn how to access your quarterly tax summary here.
You’re responsible for filing GST/HST returns and reporting them to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
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Registering for your GST/HST account
Once you give your first Lyft ride, you’ll have 30 days to register for a GST/HST account with the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA).
To register online, visit the CRA's website here.
When you complete your GST/HST registration, you’ll get a GST/HST registration number. You’ll need to add this GST/HST registration number in the ‘Driver info’ tab in your Dashboard.
If you’re having trouble registering for your GST/HST account, contact a tax professional for help.
Getting your Quarterly Earnings Summary
We'll provide your Quarterly Earnings Summary in the ‘Tax Center’ tab of your Dashboard. You can download your Quarterly Earnings Summary after the end of any quarter you’ve received earnings.
To download your summary:
  1. Go to the ‘Tax Center’ tab in your Dashboard.
  2. Under the ‘Documents’ header, select ‘Download’ to download your Quarterly Earnings Summary.
You can expect your earnings summary for each quarter to be published in your Dashboard by the dates below:
  • First quarter: By the end of April
  • Second quarter: By the end of July
  • Third quarter: By the end of October
  • Fourth quarter: By the end of the following January
Understanding your Quarterly Earnings summary
You’ll see the following sections on your Lyft quarterly earnings summary:
Gross fares
Your gross fare is the total amount you earned from the Lyft rides you provided. This also includes tips, bonuses, and any other incentives you may have received.
Bonuses
A bonus or incentive is money you earned outside of ride fare, not including your GST/HST payment. A referral bonus is a common example.
Tips
This shows 100% of all the tips you earned. We don’t calculate GST/HST on tips.
Lyft & 3rd party fees
These are the total fees paid to Lyft, excluding any GST/HST you paid. This includes Lyft fees and any third party fees, such as city fees.
Lyft fees are payments to Lyft, such as The Service Fee. You can view your Driver Addendum for more details.
GST/HST received from passengers
This includes all the GST/HST that Lyft collected from passengers on your behalf. You’ll report this amount to the CRA.
GST/HST received on bonuses
This includes any GST/HST Lyft paid to you on bonuses. You’ll report this amount to the CRA.
GST/HST paid to Lyft on 3rd party fees
You paid this GST/HST to Lyft on any Lyft fees and third-party fees, such as local city fees.
You may be eligible to claim this amount as an input tax credit. Talk to a tax professional for more help.
Ride kilometres
This is the number of kilometres travelled during rides. This includes kilometres travelled on your way to pick up passengers.
Kilometres may be deductible as an input tax credit. Talk to a tax professional for more help.
Tolls
This is the total amount paid to reimburse you for tolls you paid out of pocket.
What you need to file your tax return
You’ll need two things to file your return:
  • Your net tax
  • Lyft's GST/HST registration number
Net tax
Net tax is the difference between the GST/HST you collected, and the amount you paid.
To calculate your net tax, subtract the GST/HST you paid from the amount you collected. The result is your net tax amount.
You’ll find both of these numbers on your quarterly tax summary:
  • The GST/HST you collected: Amount shown for ‘GST/HST received from passengers’ plus the amount shown in ‘GST/HST received on Bonuses’
  • The GST/HST you paid: Amount shown under ‘GST/HST paid on Lyft & 3rd party fees’
Lyft's GST/HST registration number
If you’re planning on claiming input tax credits, you’ll need our GST/HST registration number.
Lyft's GST/HST registration number is 70664 7328 RT0001.
Save on filing with TurboTax
All Canada-based Lyft drivers get 30% off the following TurboTax products:
  • TurboTax Do It Yourself Self-Employed — on-demand product help and support with filing
  • TurboTax Assist & Review Self-Employed — live tax advice and answers to your questions
  • TurboTax Full Service Self-Employed — a tax expert will prepare and file your taxes for you
Note: You must access TurboTax through your Dashboard to get the discount.
If you go to TurboTax directly through their website, you won't get the discount. Lyft can't reimburse you for any charges from TurboTax.
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