Consignment sales

*Technical question
Taxpayer (consignor) has a “sale by agent arrangement” where title to the goods is transferred directly from the owner (consignor - taxpayer) to the purchaser through a consignee (store) as an agent.

Consignor (provider of goods) provides goods to the consignee (store) - both HST registrants.

Once the sale is completed the store pays the consignor 60% of the total sale including HST.

The taxpayer (consignor) calculates sales from consignment as follows - the amount they receive is divided by 1.13 to get Net sale & HST.

e.g. Taxpayer received $113.00
In bookkeeping:
Net Sale $100.00
HST collected $13.00

Thoughts?

Sorry, is the taxpayer the consignor or the store?

ASSUMING that it is the store AND because the consignor is also a HST registrant:
ASSUMING Customer paid $100 + $13 HST.
Store gives consignor $60 + $7.8 HST
Agent (store) keeps $40 + $5.2 HST

https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/forms-publications/publications/gi-009/consigned-goods.html

IMO bookkeeping would be:

Cash $113.00
Due to consignor ($67.80)
Revenue ($40.00)
HST ($5.20)

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These transactions probably only happened in Ontario; however, if the store is in another province, the HST rate would be that province’s rate.

John

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I have a client who runs a consignment store with thousand of consignors, but only three that are GST registrants. On the ground, the client’s software has no way of adjusting the GST to just the “consignor commission” part, so our entries look more like what I have below. Same net effect, just an extra in and out of the HST accounts.

Cash received $113.00
Due to consignor ($67.80)
Revenue ($40.00)
HST collected ($13.00)
HST paid $7.80

The consignee is still required to report all the HST s/he collects, but the consignor is essentially treated as a supplier. The net of the HST collected and HST paid is still $5.20.

Hope this helps.

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Thanks for the response @jglass - greatly appreciated!
The taxpayer is the consignor

Ah! That makes a difference.

Continuing the assumptions in my earlier post:
If the store sold the goods for $100, and collected $113 the consignor would receive $67.80, of which 7.80 would be HST.

DR Cash $67.80
CR Sales $60
CR HST $7.80

HTH,

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One follow up question - in your experience are consignment sales of this nature considered business income (box 135) or commission income (box 139)

In my experience, commision is for someone working for only one company, and probably contractually obligated to only work for that company: realtor, some investment advisors, multi-level marketing, etc.

Not sure about the specific of your client’s situation, but I’ve never seen a consignment store having that kind of exclusivity relationship with a consignor. I’d lean towards business.

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@NiceGuy the store is earning a selling commission. The taxpayer is earning business income (and has inventory to consider in the entries people have noted above)

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@dklassencga thank you kindly

@jglass @fabien @dklassencga @john4

Would like to clarify example of $100.00 sale transaction when both the store and owner are HST registrants.
*** Store (agent/consignee)**
*** Owner (consignor)**
50/50 split on sale

Store
dt Cash $113.00
ct Due to Consignor $56.50
ct Sales $50.00
ct HST collected $13.00
dt HST paid $6.50

Owner
dt Cash $56.50
ct Sales $50.00
ct HST collected $6.50

If the store is HST registered but the owner is not

Store
dt Cash $113.00
ct Due to Consignor $50.00
ct Sales $50.00
ct HST collected $13.00

Owner
dt Cash $50.00
ct Sales $50.00

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Looks good by me.

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That’s bang on

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Follow up question - when the store (consignee) makes a sale what is the correct invoicing arrangement?
Does the store have the owner (consignor) invoice them?

e.g. Store makes $100.00 sale + HST $13.00 do they have the owner (consignor) send them an invoice for $56.50 if they are both HST registered?

Thanks kindly - have a great weekend!

These are questions to which you can find an answer in your Accounting 101 textbook, not questions for a tax forum such as this…

I have one client with a similar situation and, yes, he gets invoices from the consignor. A couple point on that:

  1. Otherwise, there is no way my client, the consignee, know that a consignor is GST registrant and making a taxable supply.
  2. This meets the CRA record-keeping requirement for my client to claim the GST ITC’s.
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