Utah sales tax filing update October 2019

What's changing in Utah?

Utah has passed a law requiring marketplaces to collect and remit sales tax on sales facilitated through the marketplace effective October 1, 2019.

  • Amazon, eBay, Etsy and Walmart began this collection on October 1, 2019.
  • You can view the state's guidance document here.

How does this affect me?

If you sell through a marketplace that has agreed to begin collection in this state, you'll see sales tax collected in, for sales on and after October 1, 2019 on your TaxJar Dashboard and on your Utah Transactions page.

  • If you have never set up a filing frequency for Utah in your account's State Settings, our system will default the state to a monthly frequency and due date on your Dashboard after we see tax collected there. (We default to a monthly frequency and due date if you haven't yet adjusted any frequencies on your end, but the state itself would ultimately determine your exact filing frequency.) 
  • If you are currently opted in to receive email reminders for your sales tax due dates, you'll also see Utah listed as a state where you have an upcoming monthly return due in those emails.

I've never registered for a Utah license. Do I need to register for a sales tax license in Utah now?

Yes. If you are a retailer with a physical presence in Utah or you are a remote seller who has crossed the economic nexus threshold for Utah ($100,000/year in gross revenue, or more than 200 separate sales transactions in Utah in the previous or current calendar year), then you will need to register for a Utah sales tax license.

  • If you've imported your sales across all platforms into your TaxJar account, you can determine if you have economic nexus in the state by running the Sales & Transactions Checker.
  • If you do not meet any of the criteria that create nexus in Utah,  you won't need to register for a sales tax license in this state.

I have already registered for a license in Utah and all of my sales are Marketplace-only sales. Should I cancel my existing registration?

 No. If you are a marketplace seller who has already registered due to physical presence (such as inventory stored in your Marketplace's warehouse) or you have voluntarily registered, you should remain registered, according to the DOR.

Do I need to collect taxes on my Utah sales on other platforms?

Yes. If you have nexus in the state (physical or economic) and you make sales to customers in Utah on platforms outside of the marketplace that is automatically collecting and remitting, you will also need to collect tax on your end on the Utah orders that are processed on the other platforms.

Do I still need to file returns in Utah?

Yes. Once you register for a license, you will be required to file a return based on the frequency the state has assigned you.

  • If you've previously registered, the state expects you to remain registered and continue to file returns.

I still need to file returns in Utah. How do I do this without paying double tax on the sales that were collected and remitted by my marketplace?

When you file, you'll include your marketplace sales in gross sales. 

  • Then, you'll enter your gross sales including your marketplace sales from your TaxJar report on line 1 (total sales of goods and services) on your tax return.
  • Then,  for line 2 (Exempt sales included in line 1) enter only your marketplace sales.

If all of your sales are marketplace sales, once you deduct the marketplace sales, you will need to file a $0 return.

  • If you make sales on other platforms in addition to the marketplace, you'll need to make sure you remit the tax you collected for those sales when you file.
  • If you're enrolled in AutoFile for Utah, our system will handle the marketplace sales deduction process automatically.

How does this affect my TaxJar report for Utah?

Your Utah sales tax report will be updated in early November 2019 (when returns for sales after October 1, 2019 are due) to specifically reflect sales that had tax collected and remitted by marketplaces that are supported as marketplace facilitators in TaxJar reports.