Sales Tax Compliance
Management of state and local sales tax obligations across multiple jurisdictions. Includes nexus analysis, tax rate research, return preparation and filing, and exemption certificate management.
The Work
Florida’s sales tax system has layers. There’s the 6% state rate, then discretionary surtaxes that vary by county. Palm Beach County adds 1%. Broward adds 1%. Miami-Dade adds different rates depending on where in the county the sale occurs. If you’re selling across South Florida, you’re dealing with multiple rates and multiple filing requirements.
Then there’s the question of where else you might have obligations. Selling online to customers in other states? Attending trade shows? Storing inventory in warehouses outside Florida? Each of these activities can create nexus in other jurisdictions. Most business owners don’t discover these obligations until a state sends a notice demanding back taxes.
Nexus Analysis
Nexus Analysis
We determine where you actually have filing obligations based on your sales activity, physical presence, and economic thresholds. This includes Florida’s discretionary surtax requirements and out-of-state nexus created by remote sales, employees, or inventory storage.
Filing and Remittance
Filing and Remittance
Returns prepared and filed on schedule for each jurisdiction where you have obligations. Tax collected is reconciled against what’s owed. Payments submitted before deadlines. Rate changes and jurisdictional updates tracked so your filings stay accurate.
The Problem
Sales tax agencies don’t accept confusion as an excuse. Applied the wrong rate to a transaction? You owe the difference plus penalties. Didn’t realize you had nexus in Georgia because you hit their economic threshold? They want three years of back taxes plus interest. The rules are complex, but the consequences for getting them wrong are straightforward.
The problem compounds as your business grows. What started as one Florida filing becomes multiple state registrations, different filing frequencies, varying rate structures, and exemption certificates that need tracking and renewal. Each new sales channel or customer location potentially adds another compliance requirement you didn’t anticipate.
Rate Confusion
Rate Confusion
A customer in Jupiter pays a different rate than a customer in Boca Raton. Ship to Broward and the rate changes again. Your point-of-sale system might be calculating based on your location instead of the customer’s destination. Small errors on individual transactions add up to significant underpayments over a year.
Exemption Certificate Gaps
Exemption Certificate Gaps
That wholesale customer who gave you a resale certificate three years ago? Certificates expire. If you can’t produce a valid exemption certificate during an audit, you owe the tax you should have collected. The exemption becomes your liability.
The Result
Sales tax becomes a process that happens without consuming your attention. Returns get filed on time in every jurisdiction where you have obligations. Rates stay current as counties adjust their surtaxes or states modify their rules. When you expand into new markets or add sales channels, someone who understands the implications can tell you what changes before you find out from a state notice.
If an audit happens, the documentation is already organized. Transaction records, exemption certificates, and filing history are maintained in a way that supports your position. You don’t scramble to reconstruct what you collected and why. The records exist because someone was maintaining them all along.
No Late Penalties
No Late Penalties
Consistent on-time filing eliminates the late penalties and interest charges that accumulate when deadlines slip. Over the course of a year, avoiding even a few late filings more than covers the cost of having someone manage the process properly.
Clean Audit Position
Clean Audit Position
Accurate records and timely filings reduce audit risk. If you do get examined, organized documentation and someone who can respond to requests properly makes the difference between a routine review and an expensive problem that drags on for months.
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