Sales Tax Bootcamp for Online Sellers
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Transcript of Sales Tax Bootcamp for Online Sellers
Housekeeping
• Webinar typically lasts 1 hour
• If you dialed in you will be muted for the duration of the presentation
• You can ask questions via the GoToWebinar question box
• There will be a Q&A at the end
Today’s Topics
• “General Rules” of sales tax
• It’s all about nexus!
• How much sales tax to collect
• Filing sales tax returns
• Marketplace Fairness Act
• Here to help and resources
• Special offer!
• Q&A
Quick Intro: Mark Faggiano
• I love solving complex problems for small business!
• Previous tax products:• FileLater • EasyEstimatedTaxes
• Founder of TaxJar
• Not a CPA or tax professional
• Here to share my knowledge
“General Rules” of Sales Tax
• 45 states + 45 sets of laws = too many rules!
• Sellers are ‘collection agents’
• Sell to someone in your state = collect and remit sales tax
• Sell to someone out-of-state = no sales tax….yet
• How much you collect depends on a lot!
“General Rules” of Sales Tax
• Filing deadlines usually tied to sales volume
• Some states have discounts for early payment
• All states have penalties for late payment
• Save everything in case of audit
Everyone’s Multi-Channel
• Selling items on more than one platform
• Some platforms help you collect sales tax
• None help you file or pay
• Sales tax is being collected in different accounts
• Once you collect, you’re on your own!
Nexus: When to Collect
• Your business has a presence in a state significant enough that you’re required to comply with state sales tax law
• Register your business
• Collect sales tax on orders shippedto that state
• Pay what’s been collected
Nexus: When to Collect
• Nexus for one channel means nexus for your entire business• Ex – FBA nexus gives your eBay
business nexus
• No nexus in a state means youdon’t have to collect
Common Nexus Types
Home or Office Inventory
• Where you live and/or operate your business
• Live in San Jose and sell out of your house
• Comply/collect in CA
• Inventory is in a 3rd party warehouse
• Live in San Jose with inventory in PA
• Comply/collect inCA & PA
Dropshipping doesn’t apply to either scenario
3rd Party Fulfillment & Nexus
• Inventory is becoming nexus• MN on April 1
• Register with each FBA state
• Collect sales tax
• Pay what you collect
• Remit sales tax returns
FBA’s Impact on Nexus
Every ‘FBA state’ says your inventory counts as nexus
• Register with each FBA state
• Collect sales tax
• Pay what you collect
• Remit sales tax returns
Example
• Example: Joe Seller is based in Akron, OH
• Joe uses a 3rd party fulfillment provider• Inventory stored in NV
• He’s complying in 2 states:• OH• NV
How Much Do I Collect?
• Tax rate usually = state + local + special
• Origin-based state• Tax rate = seller’s location• One rate for entire state
• Destination-based state• Tax rate = where item is shipped• Variable rate
• California
Origin: Sale in Ohio
AKRON SHAKER HEIGHTS
Rate collected: 6.75%
• State: 5.75%
• Summit County: 1.00%
Destination: Sale in New York
STAMFORD BUFFALO
Rate collected: 8.75%
• State: 4.00%
• Erie County: 4.75%
California: We’re Special!
• Technically, neither Origin or Destination
• Sales tax rate = state + district tax(es)
• District tax only collected on sales in a district in which you are “engaged in business”• (Pub 44, Page 5)
• Sellers are able to charge 2 different rates• Customers in your district• Customers outside your district
• Pub 177
CA: Same District Sale
SAN DIEGO CLAIREMONT
Rate collected: 8.00%
• State: 7.50%
• San Diego County: 0.50%
CA: Out-of-District Sale
SANTA CLARA ALAMEDA
Rate collected: 7.50 %
Buyer responsible for local use tax OR Seller collects based on destination
How to Collect on Amazon
• It’s up to the seller to correctly setup collection on Seller Central
• Amazon will NOT tell sellers howto collect in FBA states
• Example of collecting ‘wrong’• Collecting only state rate in
destination-based state
How to Collect on Amazon
FBASalesTax.com
• FREE ebook that includes the settings for every FBA state
How to Collect on eBay
• Able to collect only one rate
• Collect at state rate for everyone• Pay out-of-pocket for in-district sales• Competitive advantage?
• Collect at highest rate for everyone• Pay whatever you collect!• Nothing out-of-pocket
Filing Returns
• Combine and file a single return per state• Not separate returns per channel
• Filing on time can equal a discount• blog.taxjar.com/state-sales-tax-discount
s/
• File zero returns!• When you’ve collected $0 in sales tax
Filing in Destination States
• Huge pain!
• You have to tell the states how to divide up the money
• Calculate taxable sales and sales tax collected by jurisdiction
• Gets worse if you’re multi-channel
Status
• Federal legislation
• Passed quickly in Senate in Spring 2013
• Currently stalled in The House
• Will it be added to ‘larger’ bill?
If Legislation Passed Today…
• $1 million remote sale exemption
• Current nexus relationships will remain
• Remote sales = compliance even without traditional nexus
• If you’re under $1MM in remote sales, you still need to comply with nexus states
Existing Nexus Example
• Seller is based in WA
• Annual remote sales = $1.5MM• $900k to NV• $600k to CA
• Seller registers in NV; remote sales = $600k
• Seller now under the $1MM exemption
TaxJar: Here to Help
• Automatically pulls and organizes sales and tax data from your seller account(s)
• Creates daily reports subtotaled by local jurisdiction (county, city, etc)
• Estimates what you SHOULD have collected
• Pro channel for accountants
Actual vs Estimated
• Not sure if you’ve set up your sales tax collection correctly
• Can only enter a single rate per state
• You’ve collected sales tax on only some of your orders
TaxJar: Here to Help
• TaxJar.com
• 30-day free trial (no credit card required)
• Monthly or annual subscriptions
• Pricing based on transaction volume• Starts at $9.95/month for 1k transactions
TaxJar: Special Offer
Get an extra 1 month for FREE
1. Signup for TaxJar and email [email protected]• Extra 15 days FREE
2. Two Options for another 15 days FREE
• TWEET: I just signed up for @TaxJar• Like TaxJar on Facebook
Resources
SalesTaxCommunity.com
Talk with other online sellers!
blog.taxjar.com
Content just for ecommerce sellers
FBASalesTax.com
Free Guide: “Amazon Sales Tax
Quick Reference Guide”