New York Sales Tax

go to memindex.com and see if the taxes are what you have in mind. All figured for New York.

baddco:

go to memindex.com and see if the taxes are what you have in mind. All figured for New York.

yes it is, but it doesn't show the Sales tax on check out

In the statement it shows what you are taxed. Unless I misunderstood the original question. Run that by me again please, So I don't look like a total fool.

baddco:

In the statement it shows what you are taxed. Unless I misunderstood the original question. Run that by me again please, So I don't look like a total fool.

What statement? I went to the website you posted, I went to estimate shipping I see you have all the counties in NY. Thats nice, I need that too.

When the order is complete ( even if you cancel it ) it emails you an itemized statement, Shows items ordered, taxes ( for county the account was set up in ) and flat rate shipping, It works really slick.

baddco:

When the order is complete ( even if you cancel it ) it emails you an itemized statement, Shows items ordered, taxes ( for county the account was set up in ) and flat rate shipping, It works really slick.

I see, do you have AIM or Yahoo? If you do please PM me.

Does it just email you what the tax is, or does it show it on checkout?

I have neither, Sorry

It generates a statement at check-out and displays everything.

I wanted to develop it further, but it's not my site. I created it for my wifes company. Once they thought it was working well enough for their needs they took out my admin access. But Zen Cart has many , many possibilities. I started off with OScommerce, but gave up on them really quick. The entire site took me a bit over a week-end to get on line and functional. But as I say..there is so much more that could be done to it they didn't want. Like inventory control.

baddco:

I have neither, Sorry

It generates a statement at check-out and displays everything.

I wanted to develop it further, but it's not my site. I created it for my wifes company. Once they thought it was working well enough for their needs they took out my admin access. But Zen Cart has many , many possibilities. I started off with OScommerce, but gave up on them really quick. The entire site took me a bit over a week-end to get on line and functional. But as I say..there is so much more that could be done to it they didn't want. Like inventory control.

I see, I contacted a fellow business owner here in NYS State and he said its based on where you reside, if your paying taxes, and have to pay for each county, it would hurt the county where you live in. So the tax is where you are residing. Also contacted NYS Dept. Taxation and Finance. this is what NYS said:

Thank you for contacting the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance Taxpayer Contact Center.

. If the property or service is delivered to you in New York State, generally, the tax is computed at the combined state and local rate in effect in the locality where the delivery occurs regardless of where you reside. The rate that applies is the rate in effect at the time of delivery.

. If you are a New York State resident and you purchase property or services outside New York State which you bring into New York State to your jurisdiction of residence, the tax is computed at the combined state and local rate in effect where you reside. The rate that applies is the rate in effect at the time you brought the property or service into that jurisdiction.

In addition, if you use the property or service in another locality into New York State, you owe tax to the second locality if you were also a resident of that locality at the time of the purchase and its rate is higher than the rate in effect where the property was originally delivered to you in New York State or bought by you in New York State.

Publication 718, New York State Sales and Use Tax Rates by Jurisdiction, provides the tax rates in effect for all counties and localities. You may also call the Sales Tax Information Center at 1 800 698-2909 for assistance.

Example: You buy garden equipment, for use at your Hudson, New York, residence through an out-of-state catalog company, that did not collect New York State or local sales tax from you. Tax is due on the purchase price of your equipment, including shipping and handling costs charged by the seller, and is computed at the combined state and local tax rate in effect in Hudson, New York, on the date delivery occurred.

Example: You are a resident of Lakewood, New York, and you send your couch to Wattsburg, Pennsylvania, to be re-upholstered. The vendor does not collect New York State or local sales tax from you. The couch is then shipped to your summer residence in Lake George, New York, for use there. Tax is due on the cost of the re-upholstering, including shipping and handling charges made by the upholsterer, and is computed at the rate in effect for Lake George, New York, at the time you took delivery of the couch.

Use our Sales Tax Jurisdiction and Rate Lookup Service to determine the correct local taxing jurisdiction, combined State and local sales tax rate, and the local jurisdiction reporting code for use in filing NYS sales tax returns.

If you require further assistance regarding your inquiry, please call the Taxpayer Contact Center at 1(800) 698-2909 from 8:00A.M. to 5:00P.M., (eastern time) Monday through Friday. Due to heavy call volume delays on Monday and Tuesdays, we suggest you call Wednesday through Friday.

What do you guys think?

No discussion needed - it has been positively established that you must collect sales tax based on the customer's shipping address in NYS. It can be a nightmare to do it 100% correctly, but the state doesn't care about that as long as they get their return and information.

The "you" in the quote is the customer, not the seller.

gjh42:

No discussion needed - it has been positively established that you must collect sales tax based on the customer's shipping address in NYS. It can be a nightmare to do it 100% correctly, but the state doesn't care about that as long as they get their return and information.

The "you" in the quote is the customer, not the seller.

I am just going to charge 8% for everyone in NYS. I know someone else who is doing it and has 2 online businesses been up and running since 2000

Good luck! If you are a very small business, you probably won't get audited.

gjh42:

Good luck! If you are a very small business, you probably won't get audited.

Yeah I don't know, I'm hearing different things from a lot of ppl. I guess I'm confused I dunno. I want to set this up right so I'm not screwed in the long run

Question to New Yorker Zen Carters: how are you best managing this - through the NY - County Name method mentioned here, or by Zip Code, e.g., through the Local Sales Tax Mod?

It seems to me that the county method is easiest to implement, but relies on customers selecting their own county, and won't cover pre-existing customers. Whereas the local sales tax mod may be more work? to set up, but will better handle other zip code issues that may arise in the future.

Thoughts?

The zip code method cannot be completely accurate, because zip codes can span across county or tax zone lines; of course, the county method depends on the customer being accurate and truthful about their zone.

Someday maybe NYS will implement an API for their address/tax zone calculator so we can do it right all the time.

Given neither method is completely accurate, is one preferred over the other? I would think the zip code method gets closest.

I think preference is a matter of personal taste here. I wouldn't advise one over the other; what I would advise is to go to the calculator in the link and use the "contact us" to ask when the state will implement an API to make it possible for online businesses to determine correct sales tax in real time.
The more people who ask that question, the more chance of the state doing something.

Good idea. I simply posted that question in the last comment box at http://nytax-metrics.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/nytax_metrics.cfg/websurveys/ws?_133=100

Anyone else out there have any experiences one way or another with using the zip code vs county method? I need to implement something in the coming weeks... I don't think the state will move that fast. ;)

I'm having a lot of problems with doing these suggested steps:

1. Create a zone for each of the counties/cities and keep the code as the state (NY)
2. create tax zones for each tax rate (Is thisa zone definition? Is the zone named for the NY county or for the sales tax rate ie 8%? Are there different tax zone definitions for each county or for each rate?)
3. create a zone definitions for each tax zone (Then what did we just do in step 2?)
4. Remove your state as a state by itself and replace with your state and your county.

I created a zone for each county, then I created a zone definition for each county (maybe this was wrong), and put in a tax rate for each. Now, when I display the sales tax, I see a whopping tax six times the product cost. Could someone please explain exactly what you do after the first step where all the counties are defined as zones?

scombs:

I'm having a lot of problems with doing these suggested steps:

2. Create a zone for each of the counties/cities and keep the code as the state (NY)

3. create tax zones for each tax rate (Is thisa zone definition? Is the zone named for the NY county or for the sales tax rate ie 8%? Are there different tax zone definitions for each county or for each rate?)

4. create a zone definitions for each tax zone (Then what did we just do in step 2?)

5. Remove your state as a state by itself and replace with your state and your county.

I created a zone for each county, then I created a zone definition for each county (maybe this was wrong), and put in a tax rate for each. Now, when I display the sales tax, I see a whopping tax six times the product cost. Could someone please explain exactly what you do after the first step where all the counties are defined as zones?

I am experiencing the same problem. :frusty:

As I understand it, the "Priority" number that you choose when you are setting your tax rates determines whether the taxes will be "compounded" or "added". I'm a bit confused as to how the Priority numbers have to be set so that just one rate is applied, not ALL the county rates for the entire state. ugh. Anyone?

Reactivating this thread as a new user. I need to calculate GA county taxes. Fortunately there are basically only 2 different ones but lots of counties. Biggest problem is that the city of Atlanta has an additional 1% sales and use tax and is divided into 2 counties so I need to use zip codes for the calculation. I have the list from the Dept of Revene but right now I have no idea how to implement this into Zen Cart. I don't want to charge the highest Atlanta rate of 8% for every GA citizen for fear this will keep the 6% tax customers away. Any new solutions to this?