6 Steps to Managing Sales Tax Compliance

Understanding and adhering to sales tax compliance is a crucial aspect of running both small and large e-commerce businesses. It's more than just a legal requirement; it's an integral part of building and maintaining trust with your customers and ensuring your business operations run smoothly. Compliance with sales tax regulations helps avoid penalties and additional costs, which are vital for maintaining your business’s financial health.

We’ll cover everything you need to know about sales tax compliance, including steps on how to ensure your business stays compliant.

What Is Sales Tax Compliance?

Staying sales and use tax compliant is vital for any business. It involves preparing and filing sales and use tax returns in the states where you’ve registered to collect and pay sales and use taxes. Returns must be filed on the schedule given to you by the state — whether on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis.

How Nexus Affects Sales and Use Tax Compliance

Sales tax nexus is what will ultimately define your sales tax compliance process and  responsibilities. Nexus refers to a specific connection between a business and a state or jurisdiction that obligates you to collect and remit sales tax there.

Physical vs. Economic Nexus

There are two types of nexus — physical and economic. Here’s how they differ:

• Physical Nexus: Traditionally, physical nexus is established when your business has a tangible presence in a state. This could be an office, retail store, warehouse, or even an employee working in the state. For example, a boutique in Texas with a local warehouse where goods are stored establishes a physical nexus in Texas, requiring the boutique to collect and remit sales tax on sales made to Texas customers.
• Economic Nexus: Economic nexus, a more recent development that was established in the 2018 Supreme Court case of South Dakota vs. Wayfair, occurs when a business reaches a certain threshold of sales or transactions in a state, regardless of physical presence. For instance, if an e-commerce store based in California makes over $100,000 in sales or 200 transactions in New York, it establishes an economic nexus in New York and must comply with its sales tax laws despite having no physical presence there.

Steps for Staying Sales Tax Compliant

As a company, you likely have a lot of sales tax obligations. These six steps below will highlight how you can stay compliant and avoid hefty fines and penalties.

1. Determine Your Sales Tax Obligations

The first step is determining where your business has sales tax nexus. You’ll want to gather all necessary sales and tax data as this will let you determine where you’ve hit nexus thresholds. It’s vital that you understand where you have nexus now, and where you may trigger it in the near future. You should also track whether you have sales tax obligations based on economic or physical nexus, or a combination of both.

It’s also important to note that every state sets its own nexus rules and thresholds. These can be different based on what you sell and who you sell your items to.

2. Register for State Sales Tax 

If you hit nexus in a new state, you’ll need to register to collect sales tax. You won’t be able to collect any sales tax until your company is properly registered. Keep in mind that every state and taxing jurisdiction has a different process when it comes to registering your business. 

3. Figure Out Your Taxability

Not every item you sell is created equal, with most having different product taxability rules. Each state and jurisdiction may also have different rules regarding product taxability. This means that things can quickly get complicated for your business.

For example, sales tax on grocery items and sales tax on clothing differ by state, and updates to state legislation can also cause rules to change over time.

If you are dealing with SaaS or digital goods, most states tax streaming services, digital audio files, digital books, and games differently. Some states consider them tangible personal property, while others don’t consider them physical property since they are digital.

4. Ensure Your Sales Tax Rates Are Correct

There are more than 13,000 sales and use tax jurisdictions in the US. This means that sales tax can get complicated quickly, as each jurisdiction has different sales tax rates and taxability rules. States and local jurisdictions can also change sales tax rates.

It’s important to have sales tax software to monitor and provide you with the most up-to-date transaction tax rates. If you don’t calculate the correct tax rates, you may overcharge or undercharge your customers. This could cause you to face hefty penalties as you won’t be remitting the correct amount to the state.

5. File Your Tax Return and Pay Taxes

After determining your nexus obligations, taxability, and registering to collect sales tax, you’ll need to remit sales tax and file tax returns for each state and local tax jurisdiction where you owe taxes. Each state has different rules and regulations for taxpayers. This includes due dates for filing, the format in which you can file (paper or electronic), and the frequency.

In addition, you’ll also have to consider the due date for when tax payments are due.

6. Respond to Tax Notices

Businesses receive notices from taxing authorities when an error occurs. These tend to have short response times and require fast attention. As you’re responding to notices, you should provide all necessary documentation to the taxing or state jurisdiction.

How to Prepare For and Manage Sales Tax Audits

Understanding the nuances of a sales tax audit and what could potentially trigger such an examination is crucial for any business. Audits are typically initiated to verify the accuracy of sales tax collection and remittance, and triggers can include discrepancies in filed returns, excessive exemptions, or a significant change in sales or tax collected. Being proactive and well-prepared can significantly mitigate the stress and potential repercussions of an audit.

Here are some strategies for sales tax preparation and ongoing compliance:

• Maintain Detailed Records: Keep comprehensive records of all transactions, tax payments, and exemptions. Having well-organized documentation readily available can streamline the audit process.
• Regularly Review Sales Tax Processes: Conduct internal reviews of your sales tax procedures to ensure they align with current laws and regulations. This practice helps identify and rectify potential issues before they trigger an audit.
• Understand Your Obligations: Familiarize yourself with the sales tax laws in every jurisdiction where you have a nexus. Knowing your responsibilities can help prevent practices that might lead to an audit.
• Seek Professional Guidance: Consider consulting with a sales tax expert or advisor for tax purposes. They can offer insights into best practices for sales tax compliance and audit preparation. Their expertise can be invaluable in navigating the complexities of sales tax laws.

By implementing these strategies, businesses can position themselves to manage sales tax audits more effectively and maintain ongoing compliance with less effort and concern.

How to Stay Ahead With Sales Tax Compliance

Navigating the landscape of sales tax compliance requires vigilance and a commitment to best practices. Here’s a recap of essential strategies to ensure your business remains compliant:

• Automate Where Possible: Use technology to automate calculations and sales tax filings. This can reduce errors and save time. 
• Stay Updated: Keep abreast of legislative changes and updates in sales tax laws in all jurisdictions where you have a nexus. Changes can happen frequently, and staying informed is key to compliance.
• Consult Experts: Leverage the knowledge of sales tax experts and advisors to stay informed about best practices and emerging trends. Their insights can help you anticipate changes and adjust your strategies accordingly.
• Document Everything: Maintain thorough records of all sales, taxes collected, assessments, exemptions, and remittances. Proper documentation is not only critical for audits but also for analyzing your tax strategy’s effectiveness.
• Review Regularly: Periodically review your sales tax processes and records to ensure everything is in order. This proactive approach can help identify potential issues before they become significant problems.

Emphasizing the importance of staying informed about legislative changes and trends in sales tax compliance cannot be overstated. As the regulatory environment evolves, so too should your strategies for managing sales tax.

Sales Tax Compliance: Conclusion

It’s no secret that sales tax is complex. Each state has different rules, regulations, and tax exemptions, making it difficult to handle on your own. To stay compliant, it’s worth considering a sales tax solution that will help  you handle all your tax liabilities.

The best sales tax software, like Zamp, is a complete service that checks all the boxes, including nexus tracking, registrations, tax return preparation, rooftop accurate calculations, API integrations, product taxability research, mapping, filing, and reporting.

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