Managing automated filing with Shopify Tax

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.

After your account details and state tax returns are set up, you can monitor your tax returns on the Tax filing page in your Shopify admin. This page displays a list of tax returns that have been set up to file automatically, along with the return's status and supplementary information. To learn more about the information provided on this dashboard, refer to the following table.

Information provided by the automated filing dashboard

Heading	Definition
Filing period	The month that you need to file your tax returns in.
Tax returns	The tax return, as identified by the tax form used for the return.
Status	The status of the tax return. Not started: Returns that are set up but haven't yet been started for the current filing period. Open for review: Returns that are prepared and can be reviewed. Tax returns are open for review from the 1st to the 6th day of the month. Returns that are open for review don't require approval, and are scheduled to be filed on the 7th day of the month. Action required: Returns that can't be filed due to an issue that prevents Shopify Tax from filing. To file a return, issues must be resolved before the filing deadline. Learn more about timelines for automated tax filing. Scheduled: Returns that are queued for filing. Scheduled returns can't be edited or skipped. Skipped: Returns that won't be filed due to being skipped. This status is displayed only during the filing period in which the return is skipped. After the filing period is over, the status is updated to Not filed. Filed: Returns that have been submitted to the relevant tax authority. Not filed: Returns that were skipped or weren't filed as a result of unresolved issues.
Sales period	The period for which the tax return is submitted. The date range varies depending on whether the return is monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually.
Sales	The total sales that were made during the period for which the tax return is submitted.
Taxable amount	The total taxable sales that were made during the period for which the tax return is submitted.
Tax due	The tax that's due to the relevant tax authority. This amount is withdrawn from the account that you specified during your account setup. Ensure that the specified funds are present in the account when the return enters Scheduled status, because the exact date that the funds are withdrawn might vary. Pre-payments for the amount of tax due isn't available.

Review a tax return

You can click any return to review it in more detail. The detail page for a return includes additional information on the return, including:

• important dates related to the return, such as the last date you can make changes, the due date, and the date filed if the return has already been submitted
• form setup details such as the form type and filing frequency
• the exempt and non-taxable amount of sales that were made during the period for which the tax return is submitted

Steps:

1. From the Shopify admin, go to Finance > Tax filing.
2. Click the tax return that you want to review.
3. Review the summary of the tax return.
4. Optional: Click Return report in the Documents section to download a copy of the return.

Skip automated filing

If you need to file a return yourself, then you can skip automated filing and file your return manually. You can skip filing for returns that have one of the following statuses:

• Not started
• Open for review
• Action required

You can't skip returns that have one of the following statuses:

• Scheduled
• Filed
• Not filed

Skipping automated filing can't be undone. If you skip filing, then you must file your tax return yourself. If you skip filing as a result of an unresolved issue, then ensure that the issue is resolved before the next filing period to continue filing automatically.

Steps:

1. From the Shopify admin, go to Finance > Tax filing.
2. Click the tax return that you want to skip.
3. Click Skip automated filing.

Edit a tax return

Note

Changes that you make to your tax returns take effect only for future filing periods. Editing a tax return doesn't change your tax return for the current filing period.

Steps:

1. From the Shopify admin, go to Finance > Tax filing.
2. Click Set up tax returns.
3. Click the state that you need to edit a return form for.
4. Make any necessary changes, and then click Save.

Delete a tax return

Note

Deleting a tax return takes effect only for future filing periods. Deleting a tax return doesn't delete your tax return for the current filing period.

Steps:

1. From the Shopify admin, go to Finance > Tax filing.
2. Click Set up tax returns.
3. Click the state that you need to delete a return form for.
4. Click Remove.
5. Click Confirm.

After a tax return is deleted, returns are no longer automatically filed. To resume automated filing, you must set up the tax return again.