Setting up GST, PST and HST on a Casio PCR-T285 cash register
For Canadian businesses with a PCR-T285, PCR-T295 or SE-S100. PV ECR Tool puts all of this on one tab; this page explains what the settings mean.
How the register thinks about tax
The register has four tax tables. Each has a rate, a calculation type and a rounding rule. Every department key (and through its department, every PLU) carries a taxable status saying which tables apply to it: none, table 1, table 2, tables 1 and 2, and so on. At the total, the register adds up each table's taxable amount, applies the rate, rounds, and prints the lines TA1 / TAX1, TA2 / TAX2 …
The usual Canadian setup
| Table | Use it for | Rate | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax 1 | GST | 5% | Add-on |
| Tax 2 | PST (BC, SK, MB, QC's QST) | your province's rate | Add-on |
| Tax 3, Tax 4 | Spare: a liquor or accommodation tax, or unused | 0 | — |
In an HST province (Ontario and the Atlantic provinces) there is one combined tax: put the HST rate in Tax 1 and leave Tax 2 at 0. In Alberta and the territories there is only GST: Tax 1 at 5%, nothing else. Provincial rates change; check your province's current rate before programming.
Add-on means the tax is added at the subtotal, which is how Canadian prices are normally shown. Add-in (VAT) means the tax is already inside the price and the receipt only reports it; that's for countries with tax-inclusive pricing, or a till that shows tax-inclusive shelf prices on purpose.
Taxable status on each key
A key's status is a combination: GST only (Tax 1), PST only (Tax 2), GST + PST (Tax 1 + 2), or non-taxable for items like basic groceries. In PV ECR Tool it's a drop-down on each key, labelled with the names you gave the tables. Set it per key; a discount key normally carries the same status as the items it discounts so the tax comes off too.
Rounding
Each tax table rounds its own tax amount: round to the nearest cent is the default and the right choice for Canada. Separately, the register can round cash totals to the nearest 5¢ (penny rounding, set code 0422); card payments stay exact. Turn it on if you take cash.
Entering prices tax-in
The register stores before-tax prices and adds add-on taxes at the total. If you price your goods tax-in (a $25 photo package, tax included), you'd otherwise have to work out $23.81 for the till by hand. PV ECR Tool has a switch at the top of the Keys and PLUs tabs: Prices I type are tax in. Type $25.00, the tool divides by 1.05 (or 1.05 plus your PST) for that key's tax status and writes $23.81 to the register, and the receipt comes to $25.00. Flip the switch to tax out if you'd rather type the stored price and see the customer price beside it.
Checking it on the register
After loading the program, ring one taxable item and one non-taxable item in REG mode and press CASH. The receipt should show the item, TA1 (the taxable amount), TAX1 (the tax), and the total you expect. If the tax is missing, the key's taxable status is wrong; if the amount is off by a cent, check the rounding rule; if it's off by the whole tax, the price was typed tax-in with the switch set to tax out (or the other way round).