Sales Tax Application | Register for a State Sales Tax Number

Apply for Your State Sales Tax Number

A sales tax application registers your business with a state revenue agency so you can legally collect, report and remit sales tax in that state. Complete the form below and we prepare and file your registration with the correct agency – most applications take only a few minutes to submit.

"*" indicates required fields

Please Select State Sales Tax Registration ( Required )*

Please select the State the business is requesting for new registration ( Required )

Total

For Additional Registrations, please select the States below. This is optional and only applies if you wish to register in more than one state.

Please Select Second State Sales Tax Registration ( Optional )

Please select the Second State the business is requesting for new registration ( Optional )

Please Select Third State Sales Tax Registration ( Optional )

Please select the Third State the business is requesting for new registration ( Optional )

Is the company seeking to register in one single state?*

Typically, most new businesses register in one state.

Yes, One Single State Application

No, Multiple State ( Two or more ) Application

Company Contact Information

Company Name*

DBA (Doing Business As)

Company Contact Person Name*

First Last

Company Contact E-mail*

Enter Email Confirm Email

Company Contact Phone Number - For Company Verification*

In order to verify the information, a representative will call this number.

Send Updates To My Mobile Number

Get updates on your mobile device?

Mobile Phone

Mobile device to get updates.

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Company Contact Phone Number

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Additional Phone Numbers

Business Phone

Alternate Phone

Fax

Start Date of Company*

EIN - Employer Identification Number

If applicable, enter your existing EIN (Employer Identification Number) below. Example: 12-3456789

Business Entity Classification Type*

Please Select Entity Below

State of Company Incorporation

Secretary of State ( SOS ) Number

If incorporated in AR, CA, CO, IN, LA, MO, NJ, NC, or TX with a Secretary of State number, enter it here.Typically applies to LLCs, and Corporations

Physical Business Address [Cannot be a Post office Box]

Address*

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Name of COUNTY and/or TOWNSHIP*

Business Mailing Postal Address [ Post Office Box Acceptable ]

SAME AS Physical Business Address Above

Address

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Business Activity Description

Please Enter Company Purpose*

Owner's Information

Owner's Name*

First Last

Owner Address

SAME AS Physical Business Address

Owner Address

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Owner's Social Security Number*

Use hyphens when entering your Social Security Number. For example: xxx-xx-xxxx

Owner's Date of Birth*

Owner # 2 Information

Owner #2 Name

First Last

Owner #2 Address

SAME AS Physical Business Address

Owner #2 Address

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Owner #2 Social Security Number

Owner #2 Date of Birth

Business License & Permits (Federal/State/Local)

Obtain all required licenses and permits for your business.

Review of Your Business Type & Industry
Federal, State, County, City, & Local Licensing
Includes Online Access to Forms
Submit Only the Applications You Choose

Add Business / Permit to State Sales Tax Registration

Yes (+$82)

Expedite Request - Included

w/Same Day eConfirmation guaranteed in most cases*

Yes

Total

Description

Payment Information

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Confirm State of New Registration

This is the state where the business is to be newly registered.

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Name on Credit Card*

First Last

Credit Card*

American Express

Discover

MasterCard

Visa

Card Number

Expiration Date

Security Code Cardholder Name

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Credit Card Number

Enter numbers only. No dashes or hyphens.

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Credit Card Expiration

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Credit Card Security Code

The card security code (CSC) is a 3 - or 4 - digit number, usually printed on the back of the card by the signature line.

Driver's License Number

Used for verification purposes only

Credit Card Billing Address*

Street Address Address Line 2 City State ZIP Code

Please enter the billing address of the credit card.

Consent & Signature

Credit Card Authorization Consent Agreement*

***** Please scroll and read and agree to the Credit Card Authorization Consent Agreement

I am an authorized user of the credit card. “ I “ refers to the cardholder / authorized user.

I understand my card will be pre-authorized, and a hold will be placed on the credit card for the exact amount of the charge.

I understand the information is verified on the application for errors. At times, the information verification process may add additional time. I understand this may create a delay in the processing of the application.

I understand as this is a unique service for the business information entered, and a refund will be issued only if the business is registered, or if the application for the company is rejected; if this applies to your application, your card will either not be charged or will be refunded.

I understand the information must be verified on the application submitted, and any errors, intentional or otherwise, may create a delay in the processing of your application.

Once the application is reviewed and the application is processed, I understand I will receive an email confirmation, at which point my credit card will be charged.

I am authorizing a single, one (1) time credit card charge to be processed through License Tax Sales Services.

I understand no additional charges will be authorized, and only the last four digits of the credit card are kept on file, solely for record keeping purposes.

I authorize a charge for the above amount to the credit card indicated in this authorization form according to the terms outlined above.

This payment authorization is for the services described above, for the amount indicated above only, and is valid for one time use only.

I certify that I am an authorized user of this credit card and that I will not dispute the payment with my credit card company; so long as the transaction corresponds to the terms indicated in this form.

This authorization is for a single transaction only, and does not provide authorization for any additional unrelated debits or credits to your account.

Accept Consent for Credit Card Authorization Consent Agreement

Please note charges will appear on the credit card as* Licensing Registration Services *

Signature*

Submitting the application may take a minute or two.

What Is a Sales Tax Application?

A sales tax application is the registration a business files with a state’s tax authority before it begins making taxable sales in that state. Once the registration is approved, the state issues an account number. The number and the document that carries it go by different names depending on where you register:

Seller’s permit – California, Texas, Wisconsin and several other states
Certificate of Authority – New York
Vendor’s license – Ohio
Transaction privilege tax (TPT) license – Arizona
Sales and use tax permit, sales tax license or sales tax number – most other states

The name changes but the function does not. Every one of them authorises you to collect sales tax from customers and obliges you to file returns on a schedule the state assigns.

When You Need to Register

You generally need to file a sales tax application in any state where your business has nexus – a connection strong enough for that state to require you to collect its tax. Nexus is usually created in one of two ways:

Physical presence – an office, a store, a warehouse, an employee or contractor, or inventory held in the state, including stock sitting in a third-party fulfilment centre.
Economic activity – exceeding a state’s sales revenue or transaction-count threshold. Thresholds are set individually by each state and are reviewed periodically, so they need checking against the state you are selling into.

Timing matters more than most new sellers expect. States generally expect tax to be collected from your first taxable sale in the state, not from the date your permit arrives – so registering before you start selling avoids having to cover tax you never charged.

What You Need Before You Start

Having these to hand makes the application straightforward:

Legal business name, and any trade name or DBA you operate under
Business structure – sole proprietor, partnership, LLC or corporation
Federal EIN, or your Social Security number if you are a sole proprietor without one
Physical business address and a mailing address
A description of what you sell, and your business activity or NAICS code
The date you started, or expect to start, making sales in the state
An estimate of your monthly taxable sales
Names, addresses and identification details for owners, partners or officers
Bank account details – some states request these for electronic filing and payment

How the Application Process Works

Choose your state. Select the state you need to register in. If you have nexus in more than one, additional states can be added to the same application.
Complete the form. Provide your business details once, in plain English, rather than working through each state’s own portal and terminology.
We review and file. Your information is checked for the things that most commonly cause a state to reject or query an application, then submitted to the correct agency.
You receive your number. The state issues your sales tax number along with the filing frequency it has assigned you – monthly, quarterly or annual.

Sales Tax Application, Permit, Certificate and EIN – What’s the Difference?

These terms get used interchangeably, and mixing them up is one of the most common reasons a registration goes wrong.

Sales tax application – the registration you file. That is what this page is for.
Sales tax number, seller’s permit or sales tax permit – what the state issues once your application is approved. See our sales tax permit application page.
Resale certificate – the document you give a supplier so you can buy inventory for resale without paying tax on it. It is not a registration; you need a sales tax number first. See how to apply for a resale certificate.
EIN – a federal employer identification number issued by the IRS. It identifies your business to the federal government and is not a substitute for state registration.
Business license – permission from a state, county or city to operate at all. Separate from sales tax, and often required as well.

If you already registered and simply need to find or confirm a number, two other pages cover that: looking up an existing sales tax number and verifying that a sales tax number is valid.

How Long Does a Sales Tax Application Take?

It depends entirely on the state. Some states process online registrations quickly and issue a number within the same business day; others review applications manually and post the certificate, which can take several weeks. A handful charge a registration or security deposit fee, while many charge nothing at all.

Applications are most often delayed by the same few things: a business name that does not match state incorporation records, a missing or mismatched EIN, an incomplete owner or officer section, or a start date that conflicts with sales the state can already see. Checking those before filing is the single biggest thing you can do to speed the process up.

Where to Apply, State by State

Requirements, rates and agency names differ in every state. Our state sales tax guides cover registration requirements, current rates and the responsible agency for each one, including Texas, California, Florida, New York, Georgia, Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Whichever state you need, the application form on this page covers it.

Common Questions About Sales Tax Applications

Do I need a separate application for every state?

Yes. Sales tax is administered state by state, so each state where you have nexus requires its own registration and issues its own number. Additional states can be added to a single application rather than filed separately.

Can I apply before my business is formed?

Generally no. Most states match your application against their incorporation or business-entity records, so the entity should exist and the name should match exactly before you register.

Do I still need to file returns in a month with no sales?

In most states, yes. Once you hold a sales tax number you are usually expected to file a return for every period on your assigned schedule, reporting zero if you made no taxable sales. Missing zero returns is a common source of penalties.

What if I have already been selling without registering?

Register as soon as you can. States take a considerably better view of a business that comes forward than one they find later, and several operate voluntary disclosure programmes that limit how far back they will look.

Does an online-only business need a sales tax application?

Very often, yes. Selling online does not remove the obligation – economic nexus thresholds and inventory stored in fulfilment centres both create registration requirements in states you may never have visited.

Is a sales tax number the same as a resale number?

In everyday use they usually refer to the same state-issued number. The distinction is in how it is used: collecting tax from your customers, or presenting a resale certificate to a supplier to buy stock tax-free.

Ready to register? Start your sales tax application for any state – it only takes a few minutes.

Start your application »