Should I register for sales tax?

How it works

1. 1 Type the line where you sell: the sales at which you have to register for sales tax, VAT or GST. Say whether it’s counted over any 12 months in a row or over a calendar year, and, if you know it, how long you then have to register.
2. 2 Type your sales month by month, from your till reports, bank deposits or books. It adds up each month’s window and finds the month your total passed your line, the day it most likely did, and your deadline.
3. 3 Under the line, it shows how much room is left, when you’d reach it at your recent pace, and what one big job would do. Save the dates to your calendar, copy a note for your bookkeeper, or print a worksheet.

Free, with no account. Everything happens in your browser: your sales figures are never sent to us, put in a link or logged. Remember is off unless you turn it on, and then keeps your setup and figures on this device only. The calendar reminders hold dates, never amounts.

Guidance, not tax advice. Check with your tax office or your accountant.

Good to know

Where do I find my line?

On your tax office’s website. Search for “register for sales tax”, “VAT registration threshold” or “GST registration” with the name of where you sell. It says the amount, what it’s counted over, and how long you have once you pass it. Nothing here is built in for any place, so the answer is only as good as the line you type.

Any 12 months, or a calendar year?

Some places count your sales over any run of 12 months in a row, so a new month can take you over even in a slow year: check every month. Others count from January to December and start again each year. Pick the one your tax office uses.

What counts toward the line?

Usually your sales before expenses of everything the tax applies to, including sales taxed at a zero rate, and the sales of every business you run yourself. Usually left out: exempt sales, selling things the business used, like an old van, and selling the business itself. Places draw this differently, so check the rule where you work.

How does it know the day I passed it?

It assumes the month’s sales came in evenly and finds the day the running total would have crossed your line. If your till or books show the day, type it in, and the deadline is worked out from your date instead.

What if I’ve already missed the deadline?

Register as soon as you can. Many tax offices can backdate a registration to when it was due, and you may owe the tax from then even if you didn’t charge it. Some charge for registering late. Ask yours, or an accountant.

I sell in more than one place.

Each place may have its own line and its own registration, and some count only the sales made there. Check each one with this tool, a line at a time.

Can I register before I pass the line?

Often, yes. With a VAT or GST you can then claim back the tax you pay on what you buy for the business, but you charge customers tax and file returns from the start. The Registering early tab sets out both sides.