Sales Tax and GST Compliance Services: Illinois, Canada and India

Sales tax and GST compliance is about three separate questions: do you have to register, what do you charge, and when do you file. In the United States the answers come from each state; in Canada from the federal GST/HST plus provincial taxes; in India from the national Goods and Services Tax. Our firm handles Illinois registration, returns and nexus reviews, and coordinates with your Canadian CPA and Indian CA when a business sells across borders.

Who needs sales tax and GST compliance help?

• Online sellers in Aurora, Elgin or Naperville who ship to customers in other states.
• Out-of-state and Canadian sellers shipping to Illinois buyers.
• Restaurants, retailers and contractors who already collect Illinois tax and want a clean filing routine.
• Illinois businesses expanding into Canada or India.
• Indian and Canadian companies selling goods or software into the United States.

What the three systems require

Illinois

Register with the Illinois Department of Revenue before you make purchases, sell or hire, using Form REG-1 on MyTax Illinois, which typically processes in a day or two. Illinois sources many sales to the buyer's location, so the rate follows the delivery address. For sales to undetermined locations, IDOR can assess tax at 15% of gross receipts. The state rate is 6.25%, with local rates added on top, and IDOR's rate tools show the exact combined rate.

For remote sellers, Illinois dropped the 200-transaction test on January 1, 2026. Only the $100,000 cumulative gross receipts test now applies, and IDOR automatically moved some registrants who met only the transaction test to voluntary use-tax status. The amnesty program uses simplified rates of 9% for general merchandise and 1.75% for items taxed at the 1% state rate. See our Illinois sales and use tax guide and the guide for foreign sellers.

Canada

The CRA treats you as a small supplier if worldwide taxable revenue, including associates, is $30,000 or less in a single quarter and over the last four consecutive quarters; once you pass either test you must register. Filing frequency follows annual taxable supplies: annual filing at $1,500,000 or less, quarterly between $1,500,000 and $6,000,000 and monthly above $6,000,000. Nova Scotia's HST fell to 14% on April 1, 2025, Ontario's is 13%, and PST or QST apply separately in several provinces. Read our GST/HST guide.

India

The 2019 GST Council decisions set a registration threshold of Rs 40 lakh for suppliers of goods (Rs 20 lakh in states that chose the lower limit) and Rs 20 lakh for service providers, with Rs 10 lakh in special category states. Rates were restructured from September 2025 into a standard 18% rate, a 5% rate and a 40% rate for a short list of goods and services. Your Indian CA confirms the current thresholds for your state. See GST registration and returns in India.

How the engagement works

1. Consultation. We learn what you sell, where customers are and whether you have inventory, staff or marketplaces in other places.
2. Written engagement agreement. It names the registrations, returns and years in scope before work begins.
3. Document checklist. You send sales reports by state or province, marketplace reports and exemption certificates.
4. Preparation. We test nexus, build the registration or return and map tax rates by location.
5. Review. We reconcile sales tax collected to your books before filing.
6. Filing. We register and file in Illinois. Your Canadian CPA and Indian CA do the same under their laws.
7. Follow-up. We set filing calendars and handle notices.

Documents to prepare

• Sales by customer location and month for at least the last 12 months.
• Marketplace statements that show whether the platform collected tax.
• Exemption and resale certificates received from customers.
• Purchase invoices for goods bought without tax, since use tax may be owed.
• Existing tax IDs and prior returns in each country.

Common situations and fixes

• Sold without collecting tax. We quantify exposure by period, and check whether a voluntary or amnesty route fits.
• Marketplace facilitators. If a platform collects the tax, you may still have registration or reporting duties.
• Wrong location rate. We rebuild the rate table by ship-to address.
• Crossed the Canadian small-supplier threshold. We prepare the facts for your Canadian CPA before the filing deadline.
• Indian GST on exports of services. Your CA reviews zero-rating and documentation, and we align the U.S. side.

A worked example

A Mississauga-based online brand sells $140,000 of goods to Illinois customers over the last 12 months across 90 orders. Its gross receipts pass $100,000, so it registers with IDOR and collects destination-based tax. A second seller sold $80,000 across 250 orders. Before 2026 the transaction count would have required collection, but since January 1, 2026 only receipts count, so its status may change. For both, the Canadian GST/HST position is separate, and we coordinate with their CPA.

How we can help

We work with sellers across the Fox Valley and the Chicago suburbs from our Aurora, Illinois office. We handle the U.S. side and coordinate with your Canadian CPA or Indian CA. For related help see business formation and registrations, bookkeeping and accounting and the three-country indirect tax comparison. The indirect tax filing calendar shows typical rhythms. Our full list of services is on the services page.

Frequently asked questions

General information only. It is not tax, legal, accounting or immigration advice for your situation, and rules change; confirm the current rules with the official source or a licensed professional in the relevant country.