HALIFAX -- Nova Scotia says Ottawa is asking it to pay back HST revenue that was overpaid in recent years.

Finance Minister Randy Delorey says he can't confirm reports that the figures owed by the four Atlantic provinces amount to hundreds of millions of dollars.

But Delorey does say Nova Scotia's portion is less than $100 million.

He says the harmonized sales tax overpayment will be reflected in the upcoming spring budget.

Delorey won't say what the loss of revenue will mean for the province's attempts to remain in the black.

In the December fiscal update, the province said it had a slim surplus of $12.1 million, although that figure was $5 million less than estimated in last April's budget.