Sales tax for online sellers: know where you stand in every state.
Sales tax for online sellers is easier when you can see it: your sales into every state, on every channel, set against each state's published threshold every month, with marketplace-collected tax tied out to your books. You see the states you're nearing before a state asks, from $99 a month.
Free books review · written quote before you start · works with your existing books
Sales tax tie-out: September
| Amazon: tax collected | 2,318.60 |
|---|---|
| Amazon: withheld by Amazon | (2,318.60) |
| eBay: tax collected | 284.15 |
| eBay: withheld by eBay | (284.15) |
| Marketplace tax on your books | 0.00 |
| Shopify: tax you collected | 1,412.35 |
| Sales tax payable | 1,412.35 |
| Tax in Shopify payout | 1,412.35 ✓ |
| Difference | 0.00 · ✓ Tied out |
Also tracked Sep
- Sales by state, every channel ✓
- Marketplace vs direct sales ✓
- Threshold watch list ✓
- Posted to the ledger ✓
Sales by state, compared with each state's published threshold
ILLUSTRATIVE TIE-OUT — DEMO STORE, NOT A CLIENT
You ship to customers in many states.
You sell $50k to $1M a year through marketplaces, your own store, or both, and you want to know which states you're getting close to.
Every state keeps its own score.
States can require sellers to collect sales tax on sales delivered into the state, even with no physical presence there. Each state sets its own rules, so the picture changes as you grow.
Each state measures differently
Some states count gross sales toward their threshold, others retail or taxable sales. The same month can look different in every state.
Who handles what →Marketplace tax runs through your settlements
Many states require marketplaces to remit tax on the sales they facilitate. That tax still passes through your reports, and booked wrong it inflates your sales.
Read the answer →Your own store is tracked separately
Sales through your own website can bring their own registration requirement. California, for example, generally requires registration when a marketplace seller also makes direct sales to California customers outside a marketplace.
See Shopify accounting →Tax you collect belongs to the state
Tax collected on your own store is held for the state. Kept as a liability, it's set aside before you plan the next order.
See cash-flow forecasting →Untracked months add up
Sales by state are quick to watch as they happen, and slow to rebuild a year later.
Read the answer →What our sales tax tracking includes.
Each month you see where you sell, what's been collected and what's on your books, in one place.
- Sales by state, split by channel MONTHLY
- Marketplace and direct sales shown separately MONTHLY
- Threshold watch list, with states you're nearing flagged MONTHLY
- Marketplace-collected tax tied out to settlements MONTHLY
- Sales tax payable reconciled for your own store MONTHLY
- Figures by state, ready for you or your filing service MONTHLY
Sales tax figures closed with your books by day 15 of the following month.
Profit & Loss — September
| Amazon sales | 38,420.00 |
|---|---|
| Shopify sales | 21,760.00 |
| eBay sales | 4,310.00 |
| Net sales | 64,490.00 |
| Cost of goods sold | (23,190.40) |
| Marketplace fees | (9,874.15) |
| Gross profit | 31,425.45 |
SAMPLE · ILLUSTRATIVE FIGURES · NOT A CLIENT
Sales tax tracking, one published monthly price.
Sales tax tracking and nexus monitoring is $99 a month, alongside your bookkeeping plan. Start with a free books review, and your price is confirmed in writing before you commit.
| Service | Billed | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Sales tax tracking & nexus monitoring | /month | $99 |
| Software setup & migration | one-time | $499 |
Catch-up bookkeeping
Months behind? We bring your books current first, with sales by state rebuilt for every month, priced per month behind. See catch-up →
Four steps to books you can trust.
Free books review
You send the access invitations. We look at where your books stand.
Quote in writing
Your plan and price, before you commit to anything.
Catch-up
Missing months brought current and reconciled.
Monthly close
Books closed every month, reports in your inbox.
[[FILL]]
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E-commerce bookkeeper · [[FILL: credential, exactly as held]]. One named person watches your sales by state every month and flags the states you're nearing. Every close is reviewed before it reaches you.
We work in the tools you already use.
Sales tax payable sits in your own QuickBooks Online or Xero account, tied to each channel's reports.
WORKS WITH
Product names belong to their owners.
A full year of sales by state.
At year-end you and your advisers get the whole year by state and by channel, already tied to your books.
- Sales by state for the year ✓
- Marketplace-collected tax, tied out ✓
- Sales tax payable reconciled ✓
Questions sellers ask about their sales and their books.
Why doesn't my 1099-K match what I actually made?
Why the gross figure differs from your deposits, and how to tie it out.
Read the answer → AnswerE-commerce CPA, accountant or bookkeeper: who do you need?
Who keeps the books, and who handles returns and filings.
Read the answer → AnswerMonths behind on your books?
What happens, and how missing months get rebuilt.
Read the answer →Behind on your books? See catch-up bookkeeping →Get a free books review →
Sources
- Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board: Remote Sellers · fetched 2026-10-07
- Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board: Marketplace Sellers · fetched 2026-10-07
- California Department of Tax and Fee Administration: Tax Guide for Marketplace Facilitator Act · fetched 2026-10-07
Sales tax questions from online sellers
How much does sales tax tracking cost?
It's $99 a month, alongside your bookkeeping plan. Every price is on our pricing page and confirmed in writing after your free books review.
If Amazon collects the tax, do I need to track anything?
Yes. Many states require marketplaces to remit tax on the sales they facilitate, and that tax still passes through your settlement reports, so we tie it out. Sales through your own store are tracked separately, and states differ on whether marketplace sales count toward your threshold.
What does nexus monitoring tell me?
Your sales into each state every month, measured the way that state measures them, with the states you're nearing flagged. You and your tax adviser decide when to register, with the figures in hand.
Who files my sales tax returns?
You or the filing service you choose. We hand over sales and tax collected by state each month, so the returns start from figures that match your books.
What records should I keep for marketplace sales?
Each marketplace's tax reports, kept month by month. California, for example, says sellers should keep documentation showing the marketplace is responsible for the tax. We keep those reports with your monthly close.
See where your books stand — free.
Get a written review of every channel: what's reconciled, what's missing, and the exact price to fix it. No card, no commitment.
Get my free books review