How to Set up Sales Tax in QuickBooks Desktop?

Known and eminently recognized for managing major financial requisites of your business, QuickBooks is great software to consider for taking care of the sales tax too.

In business, as you would already be very well aware of that you need to collect taxes for the respective goods and services you offer to sell. The principle role of QuickBooks here is to maintain an accurate record or registry of these taxes so that you are in complete control of it. Know how to set up sales tax in QuickBooks Desktop.

Most importantly, with QuickBooks assisting you to keep a regulated tab on the sales taxes, it also contributes to remitting them to the respective tax collecting firm or agency when needed.

How to Set up Sales Tax in QuickBooks Desktop?

This article will help you in setting up sales tax in QuickBooks Desktop 2024 and gives you the leverage to stay one step ahead in every field of your business.

Turn on and Set up Sales Tax Items or Tax Groups

The foremost action for setting up sales tax in QuickBooks is to enable this particular feature and set it up according to tax items/groups.

Step 1: Visit the Edit menu and choose Preferences.

Step 2: Under the Preferences window, find Sales Tax and select it.

Step 3: Navigate to the Company Preferences tab.

Step 4: To enable Sales Taxes, tap on Yes.

Step 5: Based on county, city, district etc, you need to set up according to sales tax items/sales tax groups. Here is where you would be collecting the sales tax.

Step 6: To start adding Sales Tax, click on Add Sales Tax.

Step 7: Based on Accrual/Cash, set up the Sales Tax. While doing so, consider the company’s accounting preference.

Step 8: You can choose to pay the sales tax by setting up your preference as monthly, quarterly or annually.

Step 9: Hit OK.

Now there are two critical aspects to setting up sales tax with respect to QuickBooks. One is the creation of new sales tax items and the other one is editing an existing sales tax item.

Let’s get to the steps of understanding each one of the above-mentioned.

Steps to Create New Sales Tax Items

Step 1: Select Sales Tax Item after navigating to the Type dropdown.

Step 2: Give a preferred name for the respective tax item by entering the same on the Sales Tax Name field. Advised by experts, you can ideally use the location of tax as the name for it.

To proceed further with the information, enter them on the Description Field.

Step 3: Insert a definite rate for the item on the Tax Rate (%) field.

Step 4: Set up your respective tax-collecting agency as a Vendor and enter its name of it on the Tax Agency field.

If you do not find the agency, it means that the agency is not on the list. For adding your Tax Collecting Agency, choose Add New.

Step 5: Hit OK.

Steps To Edit an Existing Sales Tax Item:

Step 1: Scroll to Lists Menu and choose Item List.

Step 2: Locate the respective sales tax item which you wish to update.

Step 3: Make a right-click on the respective sales tax item and choose Edit Item.

Step 4: You can now edit and update information such as sales tax rate, name or the agency as well.

Step 5: Once you are done with the editing, hit OK.

The next thing to understand here is that at times, you would need to set up sales tax in QuickBooks for multiple sales taxes. These various sales tax items are generally displayed on the same sales transaction.

However, even if you set up multiple sales tax items, you can still track and report individual sales taxes.

Steps to Set up for Multiple Sales Tax Items in QuickBooks

Here is how you can set up for multiple sales tax items in QuickBooks:

Step 1: Select Sales Tax Group after navigating to the Type dropdown.

Step 2: Locate the Group Name/Number field and fill in with the preferred name you wish to have for the sales tax item group.

To proceed further with the information, enter them on the Description Field.

Step 3: Start inserting each sales tax that you are planning to include as part of the group. If you notice that the tax item has not been set up yet, you can choose Add New to start.

Step 4: Press OK once you are done.

How to Pay Sales Tax in QuickBooks Desktop?

For some of the goods and services you provide, you might need to collect taxes. You can quickly track and send these taxes to the proper tax collecting agency by using QuickBooks Desktop to keep an accurate record of them. In this blog, you will read all the necessary points mentioned regarding pay sales tax in QuickBooks Desktop.

Run a Sales Tax Liability report before paying your sales tax because it will give you information for your state or provincial sales tax forms. To avoid errors in your bookkeeping and sales tax reports, DO NOT pay your sales tax using the Write Checks or Pay Bills windows.

To create a sales tax payment in QuickBooks, use the Pay Sales tax window. This window shows the:

• Amount of sales tax you must pay for every usage of a sales tax item.
• Any correction you’ve made that has to be applied to your payments.

To Pay Your Sales Tax:

• Select Pay Sales Tax under Sales Tax from the Vendors menu.
• Choose the checking account you want to use to pay your taxes from the Pay From Account drop-down menu. Keep in mind that the drop-down menu only displays bank accounts.
• Verify that the date is accurate in the Show sales tax due through field.
• Make that the check number is entered in the Starting Check No. column matches the next check you want to use.
• The list includes each and every sales tax that your business owes, together with the taxing authority to whom the tax is owed and the amount due as of the sales tax due date. If the list is empty, your sales setup may not be correct.
• Enter the amount you wish to pay for each tax item on the list in the Amt Paid column if you only want to make a partial payment.
• If you want to pay all the taxes owed, choose Pay All Tax. If your taxing authorities are following the same payment schedule, this is advised. Take note that as soon as you check the Pay column, the Pay All Tax button transforms into Clear Selections.
• If you still need to make an adjustment for a credit, fine, etc., choose Adjust.
• Mark the box that says To be printed if you need to print or write the checks by hand later and then lastly you have to select Ok.

You can see and change the sales tax transactions in the agency’s sales tax payable account register if you want to double-check them or add memos to them.

Looks like, setting up sales tax in either QuickBooks Desktop is pretty easy right? Hopefully, that is what you feel right now!

If you still feel that this article wasn’t sufficient in terms of your knowledge needs, you can reach the experts directly beyond this.

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