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April 9, 2020
Question

QB online has changed it sales tax processing. It does not work for me. is anyone else having problems with new sales tax system?

  • April 9, 2020
  • 20 replies
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20 replies

April 9, 2020

Let me share some information about the new sales tax feature in QuickBooks Online (QBO), giudidetorres.

 

May I know what problems you encountered with the new sales tax system? QBO tracks your state’s tax laws to accurately calculate sales tax and returns using the Automated Sales Tax feature. Also, it will automatically calculate the total tax rate for each sale based on the following:

 

  • Your customer’s tax-exempt status
  • Where you sell and where you ship
  • Your service or product’s tax category

For more details about sales tax calculation, check out this article: Learn how QuickBooks Online calculates sales tax.

 

If you're referring to the Location of Sale box turns blank and reverts sales tax rate upon saving invoice using the automated sales tax settings, then we have an ongoing issue about this one. Our engineers are still working on the permanent fix.

 

In the meantime, just manually override the tax rate on the invoice. 

 

Once done, please reach out to our Customer Support Team. They'll pull up your account in a secure environment and add you to the list of affected users. 

 

Just request a callback from our support agent. This way, you won't have to wait on the line. Here's how:

  1. Click the Help icon on the top right. 
  2. Tap the Contact Us button at the bottom. 
  3. Enter a short description of your concern. 
  4. Tick Continue
  5. Choose Message an agent to connect with our support. 

I've got a link here where you can find articles about managing sales tax in your account: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/taxes/pay-sales-taxes/08?product=QuickBooks%20Onli....

 

Keep me posted if you need a hand with running sales tax reports or any QBO related. Wishing you and your business continued success in all that you do. Take care always.

April 9, 2020

Yes - moving to the new automated taxes has completely broken my billing.  I have no desire to manually edit every single invoice and that's the path they are telling me I have to take.

 

This one "upgrade" has basically broken my account and put me in a situation where if they don't fix it soon I'll have to look for some other accounting package that doesn't force me to remember and edit their broken tax calculator.  All I need is to add the local tax but for some reason they've decided to make it a manual process I have to do every single time I make an invoice.

 

Not only that, it breaks the recurring transactions if you edit them and also changes older invoices as well.  This is a horrible move on Intuit's part and I hope they fix it soon.

DivinaMercy_N
April 9, 2020

I appreciate you for sending feedback to us @robert54.

 

I can see that my colleagues already shared information about the new sales tax feature. Also, the product request to switch back to the old sales tax interface is already relayed to our software engineers. 

 

In the meantime, you can check this article link for reference: Create and set up local taxes. This link provides steps to set up local tax for employees. 

 

QBO also has reports you can pull up to view your sales tax information. 

  1. Go to the Reports menu.
  2. From the Sales tax section.
  3. Select the Sales Tax Liability Report, Taxable Sales Detail, or Taxable Sales Summary.

To keep you updated you can visit the Intuit blog for QBO latest product updates. 

 

You can always come back here if you need anything else. Stay inside and keep safe.

July 15, 2020

Hi --

 

I run a seasonal landscaping business. We collect downpayments at the beginning of the season and apply them to work as we do it.  Most of my clients "hit" their downpayment amount in the month of June.

 

I record the downpayments on sale invoices, item DOWNPAYMENT, listed as OTHER CHARGE. The item ties to the liability account.   When the client's bill is bigger than the initial downpayment, I subtract the amount of the downpayment, leaving the amount due.

 

My sales tax report this month is picking up all those negative downpayments as non-tax sales (but as revenue, not a liability), meaning that my non-tax sales are negative and making the Taxable Sales amount larger than the Total Sales Amount.. That doesn't make sense and is sure to raise a red flag in the State Sales Tax Audit Department!   I looked back at June 2019 and this didn't happen.   I switched to QB Desktop Mac 2020 over the winter.  Is this a new feature?

 

Should I be handling the downpayments differently?  I've been using QB Mac for 20 years and have never had this issue.  I inherited the system, but it's never been this odd.

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

January 25, 2021

We are having the same issue.  I've been chatting with a tech for 2 hours and we can't figure it out --- ugh!!!  Please update if you figure out how to put downpayments in -- we own a landscaping business as well

July 30, 2020

I am having the same issue. I need to collect and remit a 1% county tax that requires a separate return and payment. QBO does not have my county as a tax authority, and will only let me direct the money towards my state agency. This means I will need to keep track of every invoice by hand and do journal entries to shift tax liabilities into a custom category each month. One mistake and I am out thousands of dollars in fines. It's not a matter of if, its when.

 

I have spoken with two tech supports who were very friendly, but did not have any solution to this problem. The case has been open for 5 weeks.

 

Please give the option for Manual Sales Tax to my account, and ideally all accounts. 

 

If this isn't solved soon, I will need to find software that lets me track my taxes, which is really a core requirement for accounting software.

 

January 19, 2021

I switched over to the new sales tax center last week and none of the past information is showing up. I can't see anything in "History". It states that all sales tax that is due for each month last year was zero and is also past due. This is incorrect because I have to pay sales tax every month to the state comptroller. I have sales tax due in two days and it says the amount due is "0". We should owe thousands in sales tax! Also, we are a mobile company and sales tax is set to each customer's address. We have tons of agencies set up in Quickbooks and none of them are showing up: City, County, SPD, Emergency, etc. I have spoken to so many QB staff over the phone and everyone tells me something different. None of them know what to do. Many of them just hang up after pretending to put me on hold so they can get help! UGH! So frustrating! After about 15 attempts today, I finally just called customer service myself instead of waiting for a call back through my QB account. She assured me that her boss (who is a "Coach") would call me back in about 2-2.5 hours because he was currently in a meeting. That was 5 hours ago and still no call back! I can't pay sales taxes. I can't send correct invoices. I CAN'T DO ANYTHING! SO WHY AM I PAYING AN EXTREME AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR ZERO SERVICE!!! NEXT STEP - CANCEL THIS SERVICE AND FIND ANOTHER COMPANY AND THEN FILE A COMPLAINT. Not sure who to file a complaint with. I can't reach anyone in Quickbooks so surely a company complaint will go nowhere as well. Maybe with the Better Business Bureau? Anyone else have this issue or file complaint with the BBB?

February 2, 2021

This new automated system is completely broken. It will not show my past returns. A prior payment was applied to the wrong quarter and now has screwed everything up and there is no way to correct it. I cannot pull up the past return to adjust. So it applied my third quarter payment to 4th quarter. So it is showing my 3rd quarter outstanding. It is the only return I can pull up. 

 

I WANT MANUAL SALES TAX BACK.  THIS IS HORRIBLE!!! 

 

I HAVE WORKING IN QB SINCE 1990 AND HAVEN'T HAD A PROBLEM WITH SALES TAX AT ALL PRIOT TO THIS.....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rubielyn_J
February 2, 2021

I understand the hassle that this caused you, @mdhovde. Let me help to get this sorted out so you could get back to business. 

 

The new sales tax system is irreversible once you switch from the old one. You can use custom rates on your transactions if you need to track special taxes manually.

 

I also suggest contacting our support team to check your account if you have the option to switch back to hybrid.

 

Here's how: 

  1. Sign in to your QuickBooks Online company.
  2. Go to the Help (?) icon at the top right.
  3. Enter your concern, then click Let's talk.
  4. Select Contact Us to connect with a live support agent.
  5. Choose Start a chat or Get a callback from the next available expert.

For future reference, learn how to file your sales tax return and record your tax payment.

 

You always have me if you still have other questions about sales tax. I've got you covered. Have a great and prosperous day ahead. 

February 17, 2021

I'm still having this issue and support offered NO support! UGH!!!

JenoP
February 17, 2021

Hi there, Shoplady2.

 

Can you share more details about your concern? We just want to make sure that we're giving you the troubleshooting steps or information that can resolve the issue. 

 

Please add a reply below to share more details. Thanks!

April 6, 2021

Yes having same problem!!

 

Absolute pain in the butt

April 7, 2021

I am having the same problem.  The amounts on the Sales Tax Liability report don't make sense.  I spent two hours with QB support just to find where the number came from.  Our company takes deposits on future furniture sales.  The deposits aren't taxable.  When the furniture sale goes through the entire amount is taxed and the deposit goes on as a negative to record the actual cash or credit sale.  Quickbooks is reducing the taxable sales by the redeemed deposits.  I'm afraid to call support again because it takes so long to get an answer. If anyone has a fix for this please let me know.

July 10, 2021

I’m having the same issue! Deposits are taxed?? Makes literally zero sense.I’ve spent hours with my QB bookkeeper and he told me to call the 800 number for help. Was on the phone after being transferred for over 20 minutes, then call got disconnected. Beyond frustrating 🤨

May 1, 2021

I agree. It is totally broken. It has added my state to my local tax so instead of charging 7.25% it is charging 14.5%. Fortunately in the end it makes the correct calculation... Now, but for months I had to manually change it. Now my gross sales on the dashboard (which seems much more correct) does not agree with the tax report that is laughably low. So I'm unsure if the taxable invoice number is even correct at all. (Not all of my customers are taxable). Then when you calculate the tax in the state online system, what I owe and what QuickBooks says I owe, is completely different. As in 30 bucks off. (QB calculated it too low). Dump this STUPID automated system and go back to the one that worked!!!!

June 17, 2021

I'm having the same issue. So much for getting three months discounted software! Now we are paying for the Desktop, and Online versions. It is quite the gig they have going. My Onboarding Specialist I'm working with for the Online Payroll has been great. I cannot say the same for the Online Plus though.

 

EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING!