Credit card processing and merchant services in Barrie, ON
Barrie's 6% accommodation tax has to appear as its own line on every guest invoice, and it applies to the room alone. Size the hold on a guest's card with that line in mind.
Since April 1, 2024, the City of Barrie's Municipal Accommodation Tax has been 6%. It applies to accommodation for a continuous period of less than 30 nights at a hotel, motel or inn, or through an internet-based accommodation sharing platform. The City is specific about how it shows up: every guest invoice needs a separate line identified as "Municipal Accommodation Tax".
The 6% is charged on the purchase price of the room. Meeting room rentals, food and beverage, room service, and internet and phone charges are excluded, but the City still wants them itemized separately. If your property management system rolls the restaurant tab into the room rate, it's charging MAT on dinner. For an HST registrant, HST is also payable on the MAT portion. A $200 room night carries $12 of MAT, then 13% HST on $212, which is $27.56.
That bill has to line up with what you hold on the guest's card. Hotels usually place an authorization hold at check-in and capture the final amount at checkout. Build the hold from the room rate plus the MAT and the HST on it, with room for incidentals, so the final charge doesn't run past what the issuer approved. Our guide to authorization holds covers how long holds last and how to release one quickly.
In the hotel bar or a meeting room, wireless POS terminals let guests tap or insert a card where they're sitting. Our terminals accept Interac, Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
We price on interchange-plus with no long-term contract or cancellation fee. Send a recent statement for a free statement review, and see our Ontario page for rules that apply across the province.
Rules that matter in Barrie
Municipal Accommodation Tax
As of April 1, 2024, the City of Barrie charges a 6% Municipal Accommodation Tax on accommodation for a continuous period of less than 30 nights provided by a hotel, motel or inn, or through an internet-based accommodation sharing platform. The tax is payable on the purchase price of the room.
- Every guest invoice must show it on a separate line identified as "Municipal Accommodation Tax".
- If the business is an HST registrant, HST is also payable on the MAT portion.
- Meeting room rentals, food and beverage, room service, and internet and phone charges are excluded from the tax but must be itemized separately.
Sources: City of Barrie, Municipal Accommodation Tax; City of Barrie, By-law 2019-022, Municipal Accommodation Tax (Internet-Based Accommodation Sharing Platforms) (PDF)
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Common questions
How should Barrie's accommodation tax appear on a guest invoice?
On its own line, identified as "Municipal Accommodation Tax". The City of Barrie charges 6% on the purchase price of the room for stays of less than 30 nights, and if you're an HST registrant, HST is payable on the MAT portion too. On a $200 room night, that's $12 of MAT and $27.56 of HST.
Which hotel charges are left out of Barrie's MAT?
Meeting room rentals, food and beverage, room service, and internet and phone charges. The City excludes them from the 6% tax but still requires them to be itemized separately on the invoice, so set each one up as its own charge type in your property management system instead of adding it to the room rate.
How big should the card hold be at check-in?
Big enough to cover the final bill: the room rate, the 6% MAT, the HST on both, and your allowance for incidentals. If the stay grows past what you authorized, you may need an incremental authorization before checkout. Release any unused part of the hold when the guest leaves, so their available credit comes back quickly.
Does the MAT apply to Barrie rentals booked online?
Yes. The City of Barrie's 6% MAT covers accommodation of less than 30 nights provided through an internet-based accommodation sharing platform, as well as hotels, motels and inns, and the City has a separate by-law for those platforms. If you rent through one, confirm whether the platform collects the tax for you before you add it yourself.
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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