Who is this pack for?

People in their first weeks in Canada, and the settlement agencies who sit with them. It explains the first money questions without asking for a SIN, a landing date, or an immigration file.

HST is the Harmonized Sales Tax: the federal GST combined with a provincial sales tax into one rate at the till. Ontario and the Atlantic provinces use HST. Alberta has GST only. British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba keep GST plus PST. Quebec uses GST plus QST.

Why do you only need three characters of my postal code?

Grocery flyers are published by area. The first three characters (the FSA) are enough to show nearby stores. The rest of the code is a street-level detail we do not need and do not store on this page.

Is the paycheque number what I will actually take home?

It is a planning estimate for a full year of equal hourly cheques, using the same engine as MapleTrack. Your first cheque can differ. It is not a T4 and not tax advice.

Should I open a TFSA or an FHSA this week?

Usually neither, in week one. A TFSA is after-tax savings you can withdraw anytime. An FHSA is for a first home, with different CRA rules. A bank or credit union opens them. This page does not.

For people new to Canada

Your first week with Canadian money

See exactly how week one runs here.

Four short cards: the province you live in, what the tax on a receipt is, this week's grocery flyers near you, and what a first hourly paycheque might look like. Then a plain TFSA vs FHSA note. No SIN, no landing date, no government form.

Settlement agencies can share this page. Province and postal area stay in the link. We do not ask for immigration papers, and nothing here is a filing.

Open the pack

Province

You name the province

Sales tax and flyer prices change where you live. One tap. You can change it later.

Receipt

The till line makes sense

GST is 5% everywhere. Some provinces fold their tax into HST. Others add PST or QST at the till.

Flyers

Prices from your area

The first three characters of a postal code are enough. We never need the rest of the code.

Pay

A first cheque, estimated

Hourly work is often paid every two weeks. The same engine as MapleTrack. Not a T4.

Later

TFSA and FHSA can wait

A bank opens these. Room starts the year you become a resident. Not week-one work for most people.

Your pack

Now do it for your address

The same five stops, with your province and postal area. Nothing is filed. No SIN.

Settlement agencies can share this page. Province and postal area stay in the link. We do not ask for immigration papers, and nothing here is a filing.

Where do you live?

Sales tax and flyer prices change by province. Pick one. You can change it later.

Ontario

What HST is

GST is the federal sales tax, 5% everywhere. Some provinces fold their own tax into it and call the combined tax HST: one line on the receipt. Others keep GST and add a provincial tax at the till (PST, or QST in Quebec).

In Ontario that combined tax is HST. You pay 13% HST on a general purchase.

Basic groceries are zero-rated across Canada. Most of a grocery shop has no sales tax. Prepared food, snacks and non-food items are taxed at the normal rate.

On a $100.00 general purchase

Subtotal: $100.00
Tax: $13.00
Total: $113.00

On $100.00 of basic groceries: tax $0.00, total $100.00.

Planning figures, not tax advice or a filing.

Open the Ontario calculator

First grocery area

Flyer prices are set by store and neighbourhood. The first three characters of a postal code (the FSA) are enough. We never need the rest of the code.

Postal code or area

A full code or just M5V. Only the first three characters are kept.

See Ontario flyers

First hourly paycheque

Many first jobs in Canada pay by the hour, every two weeks. Enter a rate and hours. We use the same estimate as the rest of MapleTrack: not a T4, and not advice.

Hourly rate (CAD)

Hours per week

How often you are paid

Add a rate and hours to see a first-cheque estimate.

This assumes a full year of equal cheques starting in January. Your first cheque can differ. Add the real job in MapleTrack when you have a pay stub.

TFSA vs FHSA

You do not need either in week one. A bank or credit union opens these. MapleTrack does not open accounts or talk to CRA for you.

TFSA

Tax-Free Savings Account

You contribute money you have already paid tax on. Growth and withdrawals are tax-free. Useful for an emergency fund or a goal that is not a first home.

2026 annual room is $7,000.00 if you are 18 or over and a Canadian resident that year.

Room starts the year you become a resident, not from 2009. Years before you arrived do not count.

FHSA

First Home Savings Account

For a first home in Canada, under CRA rules. Contributions can lower taxable income. Growth can come out tax-free if you use it for a qualifying first home.

2026 annual room is $8,000.00, up to $40,000.00 over your lifetime.

Eligibility is a CRA question, not something this page can decide. Ask the bank when you are ready. Not in week one for most people.

Keep the province and the grocery area

A free account remembers the province and postal area you just chose. Add a paycheque later if you want Safe-to-Spend. The pack itself stays free to share.

Create a free account Browse this week's flyers

We never ask for your bank password.

MapleTrack is not CRA, IRCC, or a settlement agency.

Common questions

Who is this pack for?
People in their first weeks in Canada, and the settlement agencies who sit with them. It explains the first money questions without asking for a SIN, a landing date, or an immigration file.
What is HST?
HST is the Harmonized Sales Tax: the federal GST combined with a provincial sales tax into one rate at the till. Ontario and the Atlantic provinces use HST. Alberta has GST only. British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba keep GST plus PST. Quebec uses GST plus QST.
Why do you only need three characters of my postal code?
Grocery flyers are published by area. The first three characters (the FSA) are enough to show nearby stores. The rest of the code is a street-level detail we do not need and do not store on this page.
Is the paycheque number what I will actually take home?
It is a planning estimate for a full year of equal hourly cheques, using the same engine as MapleTrack. Your first cheque can differ. It is not a T4 and not tax advice.
Should I open a TFSA or an FHSA this week?
Usually neither, in week one. A TFSA is after-tax savings you can withdraw anytime. An FHSA is for a first home, with different CRA rules. A bank or credit union opens them. This page does not.