Frequently asked questions about automated tax filing

Caution

This guide is for informational purposes only, and isn't intended to replace professional tax advice. Tax laws change frequently. If you have further questions about your tax returns, then you should contact local tax authorities or a tax professional. It's your responsibility to consult with tax authorities or tax professionals to ensure that you file and remit your taxes correctly.

Review these frequently asked questions to learn more automated filing.

How is my tax calculated with automated filing?

The amount of tax that's due on your return should generally equal the amount of tax collected during the return period. There might be differences in US states that impose additional gross receipts taxes or that allow filing discounts.

Does automated filing support marketplaces?

Shopify Tax automated filing only includes information for orders that are placed on Shop, in jurisdictions where this data is required to file compliantly. Otherwise, taxes aren't filed for sales where you aren't the seller of record. This includes sales on marketplaces such as Amazon, Meta, or TikTok.

If you sell through a marketplace, then certain states and localities require that you report those sales in your gross sales totals. These sales aren't included in taxable sales, so they aren't remitted as part of your return. Instead, tax on sales made through these marketplaces is remitted by the marketplace in question. To review orders in your store that are marketplace liable, refer to the Filed by channel column of the taxes finance report. If the entry for a sale is marked as Filed, then the marketplace has indicated that it files taxes on your behalf.

How are tax payments made?

During the account details setup, you specify a payment method for remittance. This account information is submitted to state tax authorities at the time of filing, and is the account that the tax remittance is debted from. Payments are made between the 8th day of the month that your taxes are filed and the state-specific due date.

How are pick up and retail orders calculated?

As of July 1, 2024, product tax codes and categories are recorded as they existed at the time that the products were ordered. Destination and origin addresses are matched for these orders. From January 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024, if multiple order edits with address changes occurred, then the initial order addresses are used.

How are sales with refunds reported?

Refunds are included in automated filing calculations when they can be attributed to a specific line item on the invoice. Learn about issuing refunds.

How do I stop a return from being filed in a given month?

You can stop a specific return from being filed during a filing period by skipping automated filing. This skips automated filing for the current filing period only, so you can file the return manually. This action can be taken only before the return is scheduled for filing or if there is an issue that can't be resolved. Learn more about skipping automated filing.

How can I tell if my return was filed?

Your return is marked Filed in your returns dashboard when it's been successfully submitted to the state tax authorities. Learn more about managing automated filing.

Where can I find a copy of my filed return?

You can find the filed return report in the documents section of the return detail page. Learn more about reviewing returns.

How can I amend a return?

Amendments to a return need to be handled manually through state tax authorities.

For additional details about any of these topics, contact Shopify Support.