Here are 7 things you must know about the HST tax changeover as an AmberPOS client.

1. Make Sure You Are Running AmberPOS V.3.10.6.24 or Later – If you are an AmberPOS customer who is on our annual support program, your software should have already been upgraded to version 3.10.6.24 or later.  Please check your the software version of your AmberPOS software to ensure you are running this version or later.  You can see the version number at the bottom right hand corner of your home page screen of the AmberPOS software.
2. AmberPOS will Automatically Rollover Changes on July 1st, 2010 – When you load up your AmberPOS software on July 1st, an automatic script will run and update your software for you.  There will be a prompt asking you to confirm that it is OK to do this.  Unless there is a specific reason why you do not want your software automatically adjusted for HST, please make sure you or your staff click YES, otherwise your software will NOT be setup for HST properly.
3. Tax1 Name and Rate Will Change From GST to HST – Your Tax1 field will be renamed from GST to HST, and the tax rate in BC will be changed from 5% to 12%.
4. Tax2 Rate Will Change For PST – The name for Tax2 will remain as PST, but the tax rate itself will be changed from 7% to 0%.
5. Tax3 Will Be Added – A new tax called “HST Rebate” will be added, and set to -7%.  This tax rate will be used for items that qualify for an HST Rebate.
6. PST Exempt Items Will Be Updated – All PST Exempt items currently in your database will be changed flagged with the HST Rebate tax.  This means that they will be charged HST at 12% as well as HST Rebate at -7% effectively reducing the total tax paid to 5%.
7. Some PST Exempt Items Will Need Manual Adjustment – Please note that while the majority of your current PST exempt items will automatically become HST exempt (flagged with Tax3), you must go through your inventory items and remove HST exemption status from any non-exempt items which were previously PST exempt. For example, if you had an inventory item for “Consulting” or any services related items which were previously PST exempt, those items must now be manually adjusted to charge HST but NOT to offer the HST rebate.

Please note that if you are not currently a customer on our annual support/upgrades program, or your software has not been upgraded to version 3.10.6.24 or later, you will need to make the above adjustments manually.

If you have any further questions, please contact our support line at 778-285-2855.

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