Set Up Automated Sales Tax Center

Hello @Michelle L,

I’d be more than glad to help you set-up the Automated Sales Tax Center. Let me show you how.

1. On the left side tab, select Taxes, then Set up sales tax.
2. You'll be asked to verify your address. Remember, we are basing tax calculations on this address so it's important that it is correct. 
   If it's correct, select Looks good.
   If it’s not, select the pencil icon then correct it.
3. Next, you'll be asked if you are required to collect taxes outside of your home state; this helps us determine the tax agencies to set up. 
   Select No or Yes.
4. If you're only required to collect tax in your home state, we'll ask you to give us a little more information: 
   When did your current tax period start?
   How often do you have to file your sales tax returns?
   When did you start collection tax for this agency?
5. If you need to collect taxes in multiple states (for example, if you ship products to many locations like Amazon sellers do), you'll need to give us information for the other agencies you pay. Your home state agency will already be listed.
   To set up all other agencies you are registered with, select Add Agency.
6. Finally, we will work on calculating tax rates and setting up agencies. You'll see a screen confirming that your setup is complete. 
   Select Got it and you'll be taken to the sales tax page.

NOTE: When Auto Sales Tax is enabled, you'll see a Permit no. field on your checks and other expense transactions. There is currently no way to turn off or remove the field.

Please check this article for more details: Set Up and Use Automated Sales Tax.

Never hesitate to post again. I’m always here to help.

This did not help at all.  I could not get past Step 1.  When I open the Tax link on the left dashboard it goes straight the the old Sales Tax Center.  There is no option to Set Up Sales Tax.

I attempted to do this on Thursday last week and since then my sales tax menu is completely messed up and unusable. I called QB and apparently there is a glitch and they are working on a solution, but until that solution is done I would 100% NOT do the automated sales tax center thing even if you can find how to do it. 

Also, I had mine disappear like yours as well and then popped up in an invoice by the sales tax with a link that said something like, "Let QB help you with sales tax". Check on it, but don't do it right now! :D

Hey @Michelle L and @ashleyamdj,

You can trigger your sales tax by turning it off and turning it back on. Let me provide some details and help you further.

The steps given by my colleague above is for setting up the Automated Sales Tax for the first time.

When you're using the old sales tax center, you'll be prompted to Make the Switch or Continue to old tax center. And in your case, you've chosen to continue using the old sales tax.

To switch from the old sales tax, you'll need to temporarily turn off your sales tax to trigger it. But before turning it off, you'll need to remove the sales tax from your transactions.

Once you've removed them, you can now turn it off by clicking on Edit sales tax settings from the Related tasks box in the Taxes page.

Once completed, you can now turn it back on. And continue to Make the Switch.

Please let me know if you have any other concerns. I'll be around to help you.

None of this was helpful.  Turn off my sales tax??  Remove the sales tax from my transactions??  What transactions?  

Hello MichelleL,

Thank you for getting back to us here in the Community. Allow me to chime in and help you move into the new Automated Sales Tax in QuickBooks Online.

Please make sure you select Accrual Basis accounting through your settings to move into the new Automated Sales Tax. You can then revert into the Cash Basis method once it goes through.

Here are the steps:

1. Log into your QuickBooks account.
2. Click the Gear icon.
3. Below Your Company, click Account and Settings.
4. Go to Advanced.
5. Below Accounting, select Accrual.
6. Click Save.
7. Click Done.
8. On the left panel, click Taxes.
9. Choose the right option if you're being asked to switch over.

Please see the sample screenshots below for your visual reference:

If you're still not being able to migrate, I recommend reaching out to our Support Specialists this time. One of them will be taking over and perform the transition on your behalf.

Here's how you can reach them:

1. Log into your QuickBooks account.
2. Click the Help option in the upper-right corner.
3. Select Contact us.

Let me know if you have any additional questions concerning moving to Automated Sales Tax. I'll be here to help.

I have the same problem. The option to change is not listed in the taxes settings. 

Hi @Service. Thanks for reaching out to the Community and performing some steps to switch to automated sales tax.

First off, I'd like to verify if you've switched to automated sales tax before and use manual sales tax again? If yes, then this is the reason why you no longer have the option to change it back in the Taxes settings. Please know that once you've revert to manual sales tax, you can no longer switch it back to automated sales tax.

Right now, our product engineers are still working to have that option back. For the meantime, you can visit our blog and sign up to our Newsletter. This way, you’ll receive email updates about changes in the product. Our developers get inspiration from customers, so your voice makes a huge impact.

For additional reference, you may want to check these articles:

• Sales tax in QuickBooks Online.
• Set up your sales tax

• Switch to Automated Sales Tax

If there's anything else I can do for you concerning your QuickBooks account, let me know by commenting below. I'd be happy to offer additional assistance. 

@Service 

As a temporary solution, explore this AST reporting and filling app.

https://taxjar.grsm.io/mytax

Hope it helps.

I have never moved to the new sales tax center. I have always been on the old one. When given the opportunity to move to the new sales tax center, I just declined it. So just like the original poster in this thread, I no longer am presented with the choice to move. I am interested in the opportunity to move to the new one, if I can find more information on the functionality and benefits of it. I am going to need to start a new thread or do some more research on this issue. You can answer this question though: if I have never moved, and if the button to move is no longer presented to me, can I still make the move?

Anyhow, back to a more pressing issue:  I can use the old sales tax center if it is fully functional as before. This morning, January 2, 2020, when I click on the sales tax center, the throbber spins on the page, which means that something is not fully functional or fully loaded. Do your techs know about this? At least on my end, I am going to try to reboot or clear a cache or memory to see if I can get the throbber to go away. 

Hi there, @Service. 

Thank you for letting us know about the issue you have been experiencing. Upon checking with our engineering teams, there is no reported issue regarding it. 

I recommend performing some troubleshooting steps to check if this is a web-related issue. Let's start by accessing your account in a private window to determine if this is the case. This mode prevents browsing history from being stored. 

Here's are the shortcut keys: 

• Ctrl + Shift + P (Internet Explorer or Firefox)
• Command + Shift + N (Safari)
• Ctrl+ Shift + N (Google Chrome) 

Once working, we'll have to go back to your regular browser and clear the cache to free up storage space and boost your operating system performance.    

However, if you continue to get the same result, I suggest using a different browser. 

For additional reference, you may want to check these articles: 

• Set up your sales tax 

• Set up and use automated sales tax 

Get back to me if you have follow up questions. I'm always here to help. Have a great day!

Do we have a date as to when I can switch to the new auto tax? I signed up for Avatar and in order to transfer the transactions to QB online I need to have auto tax enabled. I see the engineers have been working on it since the end of January, has it been fixed yet?

Hello, @guy7. 

Thanks for joining the thread. For now, we're unable to provide a specific time frame on when we're going to have the option to switch back to automated sales tax.But rest assured that I've taken notes and we are working to get this fixed for you.

Also, I suggest using a third-party app as Fiat Lux - ASIA provided above. This way, you can enable the tax and can transfer the transactions in QuickBooks Online (QBO).

You can visit the Blog and register to our Newsletter to receive email updates about the product and the latest applications added in QBO.

Let me know if you have another question. I'm always here ready to help. 

I'd be very wary about moving to this new automated sales tax system. It is extremely poorly implemented and doesn't work properly.  Support is woeful, multiple calls and they waste hours of my time walking through the same steps before realizing they can't get it to work either.  I have a restaurant and need to collect sales tax for the state along with a local town meals tax - but this doesn't seem to be something they can do now.  There is no documentation.  You loose the history of what you previous liabilities and payments were.  Over a week and I can't raise an invoice.

Also, the new sales tax liability report is extremely difficult to filter through if you have multiple tax districts.  DO not move to this new system.  A fifteen minute process took an extra 3 hours to figure out.

Update - Now received a call back from a support supervisor.  Unfortunately she hadn't read the case notes - so we went through the same process (3rd time for me) before she also realized that what I need to fulfill the legal requirements for my business cannot be done with this new 'improved' system but used to work with the old version.  I have been told 3 times now, I might add condescendingly as if I just don't like change, that the new system is so much better and they can't move me back to the old version - however today they said they will request that it be reverted.  I have worked in IT responsible for rolling out new software versions and developing enhancements - it really seems no proper consideration was done for customer needs/legal requirements in the specification and testing.  Also obviously no training or documentation was provided internally (to support staff etc) or externally.

Did I understand this correctly? Manually remove the sales tax from all prior transactions?

I assume when AST is turned on all that sales tax will magically reappear?

Thank you for your help.

Thanks for joining us here in the Community, @herringaid.

You've got me to provide some clarifications about switching to Automated Sales Tax in QuickBooks Online.

The information given by my peer Alessandra_B above is one way of toggling the sales tax setting in QBO so the AST option will be available. It means that, you'll need to manually remove the sales tax from your transactions, so you can turn off the said option. This way, the system wouldn't recognize any sales tax entered and will allow you to switch it off.

After that, you'll be prompted with the Automated Sales Tax button upon enabling the sales tax again. Know that you'll need to re-enter the sales tax from your previous transactions since the Automated Sales Tax will be used to your succeeding entries after it was being enabled.

However, you may follow the instructions given by AlcaeusF, so there's no need for you to eliminate the sales tax. You can just proceed with switching to AST.

To give you the complete details about about utilizing the Automated Sales Tax feature and on how to set them up, please see these links attached:

• Set up and use automated sales tax in QuickBooks Online
• Switch to automated sales tax in QuickBooks Online

Let me know if you have any other questions. I'll make sure you're all set. Have a lovely day! 

Totally agree with james41.  I spent over an hour on a chat with "customer service" just trying to make her understand what was going on.  We never got to solving my problem!  I have switched over (I think!?!) but nothing they are telling me to do is available on my screen.  Very frustrating when someone can not understand what you are saying.  I have printed my report and paid the tax on the state website but Quickbooks does not give me the option to record the payment.  And there is no history in the sales tax area at all. I've been dealing with this since April 30.  No one gets it!  I want to scream!!!! 

Thank you for joining this thread, @Roie.

I appreciate you for providing details about your concern. Allow me to provide some information about recording Sales Tax in QuickBooks (QBO). 

In QBO you have to view first the return in sales tax before you can record the payment. The transaction for the period of that Sales Tax Payment must be in QBO before you can record the payment made.

Here's how:

1. Go to Taxes select Sales Tax. Check which return is due this month, then hit View return.
2. If you need to file an older return, pick the From drop-down and choose the past month. Then, click Refresh.
3. Review your sales tax. Make sure everything is correct. If you need to add an adjustment for things like credits, discounts, or corrections, select + Add an adjustment.
4. Take note of your gross sales, taxable sales, tax due, and adjustment amount (if you added one). You’ll need these numbers later when you fill out your sales tax return form.

Once done, follow the steps below to record the Sales Tax Payment:

1. Go to the Taxes menu.
2. From the Sales Tax Owed list, select and highlight the tax agency you're recording the payment for.
3. Choose Record Tax Payment.
4. From the Bank Account drop-down arrow, click the bank account you're making the payment from.
5. Pick the payment date and tax ending tax period ending dates from the drop-downs.
6. Enter the tax payment amount in the Tax Payment field.
7. When you're ready, tick Record Tax Payment. If you need to print a check for the payment, check the Print a Check checkbox and then select Record Payment and Print Check.

After that, here's how to check your filing status:

If filed online, go to your tax agency’s website to check your return’s filing status.

However, if filed by mail, you can also contact your tax agency directly to get an update on your return. 

For more details, please refer to this article link: File your sales tax return and record tax payment in QuickBooks Online. 

Also, to you make sure that everything is accurate before paying taxes, you can run reports that will help you review your sales tax payable in QBO.

Fill me in if you have other concerns with QuickBooks. I'll be around to help. Stay safe and take care always, Roie. 

Thanks for trying DivinaMercy_N but your first line in Here's how: already tells me you don't understand.

When I go to Taxes there is no option to choose!  It goes directly into what I am assuming is sales tax.  Then I must choose a date range.  When I choose January 2020 to March 2020 (Quarterly filing) it does not give me the option to "view return" and the sales tax due shows "0" above the date options.  However, if I do a liability report for the same period it shows me, what I assume is, the correct tax due.   There is no "sales tax owed list", there is no "record tax payment". It's a dead end!! :(

Thanks for your prompt response, @Roie.

Your sales taxed owed will be shown under Upcoming event in the Sales Tax tab. Once you have already set up your sales tax and added the right sales tax agency, QuickBooks will then calculate sales tax based on what you sell and where you sell it.

Also, make sure that transactions created have sales tax. You can find it below the sales form and checked the Tax column (invoices, sales receipt, receive credit, and receive credit card credit).

When it's time to pay your sales taxes, it will allow you to create an adjustment to record the sales tax payment correctly by clicking the View return button. Make sure to check your filing schedule in your tax agency. You can also review or change it on Tell us where you collect tax section. There you can turn on and turn off sales tax, add and edit agency and add rate.

I've added a screenshot as your visual reference.

For more details about how QuickBooks Online calculate the sales tax when you make a sale, you can refer to this article: Learn how QuickBooks Online calculates sales tax.

Just in case you wanted to set rules for how to tax a product or service, you can refer to this article: Add sales tax categories to your products and services.

Keep me posted if you have more questions. I'll keep my notifications open. Stay safe and well!

Please see the screenshot of Taxes on my computer.  It does not have any of the options you are mentioning.

I have refreshed several times.