Comments on: Complete Guide to Photography Sales Tax

By: niftyknowledgerocks

niftyknowledgerocks — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 19:17:07 +0000

GreytoBluePhoto Thanks for taking the time to comment, glad you enjoyed it!

By: lcss

lcss — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 04:44:52 +0000

HI there…i live in Washington state, where they do require sales tax to be charged on portrait/wedding photography even if delivered digitally. Which I have been doing. However, let’s say another business hires me to create images that they then use for their own website (images delivered digitally.) Would that count as a non taxable service? I can’t seem to find anything about that.

By: aglingb

aglingb — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 03:57:14 +0000

Hmmm… very interesting! Thanks so much for the info! It seems right now I am in a weird situation. I live in Oregon and am starting my business up, first year. We don’t do sales tax in Oregon! yay! But I will be moving to the East Coast in the Spring. So now for my pricing sheet I can say for examples “Services & Products for bookings after April 10, 2014 (or whatever date I leave Oregon) are subject to Connecticut Sales Tax.” If a b&g living in Massachusetts book with me now, since I am in Oregon, it doesn’t seem that I should charge them Sales Tax right now. But of course for once I am back there, I would have to charge my state (CT) sales tax, plus possibly any sales tax if client and/or wedding venue is in another state.

By: GreytoBluePhoto

GreytoBluePhoto — Wed, 08 Jan 2014 22:22:32 +0000

Awesome article! Very helpful for getting everything straightened out this quarter. Thanks from Austin, Texas!

By: niftyknowledgerocks

niftyknowledgerocks — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 22:51:52 +0000

staciejensen1 Well, you won’t feel too bad for too much longer, more and more states are requiring Amazon to collect sales tax, which means everybody is paying sales tax on purchases now…

By: niftyknowledgerocks

niftyknowledgerocks — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 22:50:47 +0000

JackyTrevino Glad you enjoyed the article and that some of the information is helping you get on track with your business. Contacting a CPA was a super smart move and I hope that the meeting went well. Uncollected sales tax does need to be paid out of your own pocket and is often subject to penalties and interest if you fail to collect it when required. This is why I tell photographers it is really important to have all your business ducks in a row BEFORE you start taking money from clients, selling things, providing services, etc.. Definitely follow up and let folks know how it went, your experience can definitely help others.

By: JackyTrevino

JackyTrevino — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 16:24:12 +0000

Awesome Article!!!
I have been 1 year in business as sole-proprietor, and I have not been charging sales taxes. What will happen to me? Will I just have to pay them from my own income? Or will I have to pay lots of penalties? After reading this article I contacted a CPA experienced with photographers; will meet him next week.

By: staciejensen1

staciejensen1 — Sun, 30 Jun 2013 00:56:24 +0000

Yuk, I hate the word use tax now that I am a business owner :) Amazon use to be so fun!

By: niftyknowledgerocks

niftyknowledgerocks — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 11:21:23 +0000

In reply to DavidWahlman.

DavidWahlman Hi Dave, thanks for reading the article and super happy you found it helpful.
The obligation to collect sales tax from clients/customers on taxable sales does not hinge on the type of business you are. All that matters is that you are a photography business, making taxable sales. So if you are a sole proprietor and sell something taxable, you need to collect sales tax from your client on behalf of your state or possibly local jurisdiction depending on your location. Same is true if you are an LLC, Corp., etc..
You will find that casual sales – sales by those not in business – also can be taxable depending on the details of the sale and on state/local tax laws. Crazy!!

By: DavidWahlman

DavidWahlman — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 01:23:10 +0000

So here’s my question. Does sales tax apply to a sole-proprietor or only to a registered business. I know we’ll pay income tax in the end, but what about just sales tax for a SP? Thanks for all the helpful information.