# What is the best software for a home bakery in Canada?

> A Canadian home bakery works under provincial rules, the GST/HST six-serving test and 11 priority allergens. How ibakepro handles each, in Canadian dollars from C$23.

A Canadian home bakery needs software that prices in Canadian dollars, can
tell a box of four muffins (GST/HST applies once you are registered) from a
box of six (zero-rated), tracks Canada's 11 priority allergens plus gluten
sources from each ingredient, and fits whatever your province allows. ibakepro
is bakery management software for Canadian bakers from home kitchens to
bakeries with staff and wholesale accounts, from C$23 a month with a 14-day
free trial.

## The GST/HST rule every Canadian baker meets

Basic groceries, including bread and most bakery products, are zero-rated in
Canada. The exception is sweet single servings. Under CRA's GST/HST
Memorandum 4.3, cakes, muffins, pies, pastries, tarts, cookies, doughnuts,
brownies and croissants with a sweet filling or coating are taxable when they
are sold in quantities of fewer than six single servings, and a single serving
is one that weighs less than 230 grams.

What that means across a week of orders, once you are registered:

| Sale | GST/HST |
|---|---|
| One cinnamon bun, or a box of four cookies | Taxable |
| A box of six or a dozen cookies, packaged by you | Zero-rated |
| A whole 8 inch layer cake | Zero-rated (it weighs well over 230 g) |
| A decorated wedding cake you supplied | Zero-rated |
| Plain bread, bagels and rolls | Zero-rated |

You only charge GST/HST once you are registered. Registration becomes
mandatory when your worldwide taxable sales pass C$30,000 over four
consecutive calendar quarters.

In software, that means you set your GST, HST or PST rates, put
a different rate on the product categories that need one, and let a box of
four and a box of six each carry the right tax without you deciding at the
order. ibakepro sets tax by product category, so a pack size can sit in the
taxable category and the dozen in the zero-rated one.

## Provincial rules come first

Whether you can bake at home at all, what you can sell and whether you can
ship it is decided by your province, and the range is wide: some provinces let
low-risk home baking sell without a permit, others require a permit and an
inspection, and at least one does not allow home-based food businesses. Find
yours in [home baking laws by state and country](/blog/home-baking-laws-by-state-and-country)
and check with your local public health authority before your first sale.

Almost everywhere, the line is refrigeration. Shelf-stable cakes, cookies and
bread are the home baker's menu; custard, cream fillings and cheesecake
usually are not.

## Allergens: 11 priority, plus gluten

Health Canada names 11 priority food allergens: eggs, milk, mustard, peanuts,
crustaceans and molluscs, fish, sesame seeds, soy, sulphites, tree nuts, and
wheat and triticale, and also requires gluten sources to be declared. Mustard
and sulphites are the two that bakers trained on other countries' lists tend
to miss: mustard turns up in some savoury bakes and sulphites in dried fruit.

In ibakepro, each ingredient carries its allergens (contains, processed in or
may contain) and they flow through recipes to products, orders and your shop,
so a change of dried fruit supplier shows you which products to relabel. See
[allergen management](/features/allergen-management).

## The rest of a Canadian home bakery

- **Deposits in CAD.** Quotes with several options, a card deposit through
  your own Stripe account and reminders until the balance is paid. See
  [payment schedules and deposits](/features/payment-schedules-and-deposits).
- **Metric or imperial.** Cost a recipe in grams while your flour comes in 20
  kg bags and your customer thinks in inches.
- **Two-way SMS.** Canadian numbers can text customers and receive replies on
  a dedicated number, an add-on on any plan.
- **Winter delivery.** Delivery dates, zones and fees per order, and the
  practical side is in [cold-climate cake logistics](/blog/cold-climate-cake-logistics-canada).
- **Data region.** Canadian accounts are held in the United States data
  region. See [where is my data stored](/answers/where-is-my-data-stored).

## Which plan fits

| Plan | CAD per month | Fits |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | C$23 | One person, up to 100 orders in the life of the account |
| Growth | C$30 | Two users, unlimited orders, an online shop and Compliance for food safety records |
| Business | C$81 | Unlimited users, wholesale, delivery routing |

Most Canadian home bakers start on Essentials and move to Growth for an
online shop. The Canadian setup is on
[bakery software for Canadian bakers](/bakery-software-canada).