Introducing Better Sales Tax Reporting in Shopify Tax (2023)

The best description of preparing sales tax returns I’ve heard is that it’s a time vampire. It’s a time suck. You start out thinking things will be pretty straightforward, but it ends up taking way longer than you planned, and then repeats each month or quarter. 

And you’re not alone: Merchants report spending hours or days each filing period stitching together multiple reports, trying to make sense of why numbers differ, making manual adjustments, and playing a maddening game of, “What cities belong to which counties?” No wonder so many business owners throw their hands in the air and pay third parties hundreds of dollars per month just to get their own data formatted.

We recognized the problem, and have been working to do something about it. With the launch of the United States sales tax report—an enhanced capability available exclusively to merchants on Shopify Tax, filing prep just got faster, easier—and more accurate. 

What is the United States Sales Tax Report?

You now have near-instant access to all the details you need to prepare for filing sales tax. This new report provides both net sales and taxable sales, breaks both down by state, county, and local-level jurisdictions, and shows the exact reporting code. 

Transaction details are available to show how each order contributed to the totals. What once might have taken days or hours can now be done in a fraction of the time. 

What are the benefits of the new report?

Fast and easy access to the data you need to file

Sales and tax data is available in a single report with data broken down by state, county, city and time period. Jurisdiction codes are available where possible to assist you in identifying the right amounts for each line item in your filing.

More detailed reports organized to your needs

The report can be personalized to fit your needs. Hide columns, filter by destination or time period. Get the view you want. Remember how in grammar school you’d get full credit only…