Betterbee Sales Tax Q&A
Q. I just got an email from Betterbee saying they want me to file an exemption form. Do I really need to do that?
A. Yes, Betterbee is working to stay compliant with sales tax rules across the country. In that effort, and due to the Supreme Court ruling last summer in South Dakota vs Wayfair, Betterbee will start collecting sales tax for many states besides New York. If you think you should be exempt in your state, then please fill out the appropriate form. Without a form on file, we will be required to charge you sales tax for your order.
Q. What if I don't fill out an exemption form?
A. You do not need to fill out an exemption form if you do not want to. If there is no exemption on file, you will be charged sales tax for your order if you live in one of the states for which we collect sales tax.
Q. How do you know how much sales tax to charge?
A. We are working with Avalara, one of the premier companies for ensuring sales tax compliance. We have coded all of our items. When you are ready to check out, they will determine where the order is being delivered, if there is a sales tax exemption filed, what the appropriate sales tax rules are there, and then calculate the sales tax amount.
Q. Betterbee does not even have a store in my state, how can you collect sales tax?
A. The Supreme Court last year reversed their previous ruling that led to the physical presence rule. Now, states are allowed to declare businesses have presence if they sell into the state, not just if they have a physical presence there.
Q. What states will Betterbee collect sales tax in?
A. Betterbee will collect sales tax for AR, CO, CT, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, NE, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV.
Q. What about Use Tax?
A. Use tax is often talked about with Sales Tax. If we do not collect sales tax from you, you might be required to pay Use Tax. In states where we do not collect any sales tax, you might be subject to Use Tax. Consult a tax advisor for that information. If you buy something from us as a sales tax exempt buyer but then change how the items are used, you might be responsible to your state to report and pay use tax. For instance, if you bought 10 beehives for resale without paying tax because you have a resale exemption on file, but then you use 2 of the hives for your own bees, you might need to pay use tax on those two hives.
Q. I have a question about sales tax, who can I talk to?
A. The easiest thing to do is email support@betterbee.com and we will respond to your requests.
