That 7% PST on Accounting?
B.C. Just Hit Pause
Accounting

If you had heard that accounting bills in B.C. were about to get 7% more expensive on October 1, there is a Friday update worth knowing: that change has been put on hold.

WHAT CHANGED

On Friday morning, September 18, the B.C. government announced that it is pausing the planned expansion of Provincial Sales Tax to several professional services, including accounting and bookkeeping.

In other words, the existing PST exemption for accounting and bookkeeping services stays in place for now.

A PRETTY BIG CHANGE, TWO WEEKS BEFORE LAUNCH

The new rules were scheduled to begin October 1, so accounting firms and other affected businesses had already been preparing for the switch. Billing systems needed updating, invoices needed another tax line, and clients were getting ready for the extra cost.

Now, those changes can stay on the shelf.

The pause also applies to architectural, engineering and geoscience services, certain non-residential real-estate services, and security and private-investigation services.

The Province says the decision is intended to give businesses some breathing room during the current period of trade and economic uncertainty. It estimates the pause will save people, businesses and local governments approximately $260 million in 2026–27.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

For most B.C. businesses, the immediate takeaway is simple.

If you purchase accounting or bookkeeping services, you should not suddenly see 7% PST added to those services on October 1 simply because of the planned expansion.

For accounting firms, the October 1 implementation work can also be paused. That said, I would not delete the spreadsheet, throw out the notes or celebrate by uninstalling the billing software just yet.

This is a pause, not necessarily a permanent cancellation. No replacement implementation date has been announced, so this is one of those tax changes worth keeping an eye on rather than forgetting about entirely.

COFFEE-BREAK TAKEAWAY

If you had October 1 circled on the calendar because professional accounting and bookkeeping services were about to become subject to PST, you can cross it out — for now.

The existing exemption remains in place while the expansion is paused.

And if the rules change again, we will keep watching so you do not have to spend your morning coffee refreshing provincial tax bulletins.

SUGGESTED WEBSITE EXCERPT

B.C. has paused its planned October 1 PST expansion to accounting and bookkeeping services. Here is what the last-minute change means for B.C. businesses.

SOURCES FOR REVIEW

B.C. Government — September 18, 2026 announcement ↗
PwC Canada — 2026 B.C. budget tax highlights ↗