Sales tax exceptions in QuickBooks Online

You can use a sales tax exception to track changes to your taxes and returns.

What are exceptions?

When preparing Sales Tax returns, you may see a column titled Exception Amount. The amounts in this column represent transactions you have previously filed for, but have since changed, deleted, or added. This is to ensure that no sales tax collected (or credits earned) is missed or duplicated.

View transactions that contribute to exception amounts

To view the exceptions that are pending for the current filing:

1. Go to Taxes and select Sales tax (Take me there). 
   Tip: If you use Payroll in QuickBooks Online, you may need to select Sales Tax as opposed to Payroll Tax.
2. ​Next to Sales Tax, find the tax agency associated with the return you'd like to prepare the return for using the dropdown.
3. On the Filings tab, locate the tax you're going to file.
4. In the Action dropdown, select View exception details. This will give you the line-by-line, transaction-by-transaction detail for your exceptions.

Why do some exceptions cancel out and look to be for the same transaction?

If you delete and recreate a transaction for a previous period, then both changes will show as exceptions, but will net out to zero. This is also caused by editing and saving a transaction, even if the line item in question was not changed. This is perfectly normal, and should not affect the balance of your filing.

I need to change the amount of my filing in QuickBooks. What should I look out for?

When filing your return, use the Adjust link on the far right of the line to increase or decrease the amount as necessary. Pay special attention to the adjustment account that you select, and, if necessary, consult an accounting professional to ensure that your chart of accounts is correct after the adjustment.