Credit card processing and merchant services in Northwest Territories
Some NWT communities are reached by winter ice road for only part of the year. Get paid in person, by phone or by payment link, wherever your customers happen to be.
Card surcharges
Allowed with limitsCredit cards only, capped at the lesser of 2.4% or your cost of acceptance, with 30 days' notice; no NWT ban found.
Sales tax
5% GST only, no territorial tax
Last checked
October 6, 2026
About half the people in the Northwest Territories live in Yellowknife, which had 20,340 residents in 2021. The rest are spread across the other communities, 33 in all by the federal northern development agency's count. The territory counted 41,070 people in the 2021 Census, and Statistics Canada counted 1,617 businesses with employees there in June 2025.
Geography shapes payments here more than tax does. Many NWT communities have year-round road access, but others are fly-in, and some can be reached by winter ice road for only a short time each year. If you supply those communities, you'll likely take orders by phone or email. That's what the virtual terminal is for: key in the card, send an invoice or a payment link, or set up recurring billing for standing orders. When orders come through a website, our online payments screen them with AVS, CVV checks and velocity rules.
Sales tax is simple. With no territorial sales tax in the NWT, the 5% GST is the only rate to set up, and a small supplier with $30,000 or less in taxable revenue over the last four quarters doesn't have to register for it.
If you're weighing a credit card surcharge, the limits are Canada-wide. It applies to Visa and Mastercard credit only, tops out at 2.4% (or less, if your cost of acceptance is lower), and needs 30 days' notice and signs where customers enter and pay. For Interac, only your acquirer can apply a fee, capped at $0.25.
Pricing is interchange-plus, every account has its own dedicated rep, and you won't be asked to sign a long-term contract. Send us a statement and our free review will show how your current fees compare.
What Northwest Territories merchants should know
Surcharging credit cards in the NWT
The NWT has no surcharge ban that we could find, and FCAC treats Quebec as the only exception to a merchant's option to surcharge credit cards. The card networks set the rest. Surcharge Visa and Mastercard credit cards only, never their debit or prepaid cards, and keep it at or below 2.4% or your average cost of acceptance, whichever is lower.
Visa needs 30 days' written notice to your acquirer, and Mastercard needs 30 days' notice to Mastercard and your acquirer. Disclose the surcharge at the point of entry and the point of sale, and include the amount on the receipt.
Sources: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, Merchant surcharges, service and convenience fees, and discounts; Visa Canada, Surcharging FAQ for businesses (PDF); Mastercard Canada, What merchant surcharge rules mean to you in Canada
The NWT has no territorial sales tax
The CRA's rate table lists the Northwest Territories at 5% GST with no territorial portion, so there is no territorial sales tax to set up.
A business becomes required to register for GST when its taxable revenue goes over $30,000 in a single calendar quarter or over four consecutive calendar quarters. Below that, it's a small supplier and registration is voluntary.
Sources: Canada Revenue Agency, Charge and collect the GST/HST: which rate to charge; Canada Revenue Agency, When to register for and start charging the GST/HST
Fees on Interac Debit in the NWT
You can't add your own fee to Interac Debit payments. Interac's fee page says a surcharge fee, if imposed, must be applied by the merchant's acquirer, must be printed on the transaction record, and is capped at $0.25.
Source: Interac, Understanding fees
Cities we cover in Northwest Territories
Payment services we provide
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Common questions
Do NWT businesses charge a territorial sales tax?
No. The Northwest Territories has no territorial sales tax, so taxable sales carry only the 5% GST. If your taxable revenue is $30,000 or less over four consecutive calendar quarters, you're a small supplier and GST registration is optional.
How do I take payments from customers in fly-in communities?
Take the order by phone or email and charge it through a virtual terminal, or send an invoice or payment link the customer pays from their own device. For regular orders, set up recurring billing. Our online checkout adds AVS, CVV checks and velocity rules to screen card-not-present payments.
Can I surcharge credit cards in the Northwest Territories?
Yes, within the card network rules. The surcharge applies to Visa and Mastercard credit cards only, can't exceed the lesser of 2.4% or your cost of acceptance, and needs 30 days' notice plus disclosure at entry, at checkout and on the receipt.
Can I charge a fee on Interac debit in the NWT?
Only through your acquirer. Interac says merchants may not apply a surcharge to Interac Debit directly; a fee applied by the acquirer is capped at $0.25 and has to appear on the transaction record. No surcharge of any kind is allowed on Visa or Mastercard debit cards.
Other provinces and territories we serve besides Northwest Territories
Disclaimer: general information, not professional advice
This page is general educational information, not legal, tax, accounting or financial advice. Rules and rates vary by place and change, so confirm them with the official source and a qualified professional before you act. Full terms are in our Terms of Service.
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