Sales tax registration, collection, filing, and compliance across 45+ states. For ecommerce brands, SaaS companies, and multi-state businesses that have exceeded economic nexus thresholds post-Wayfair. Typical engagement $1,200–$3,800/month depending on state count and transaction volume.
Scope
The 2018 South Dakota v. Wayfair Supreme Court decision changed sales tax fundamentally. Before Wayfair, only businesses with physical presence in a state owed sales tax there. After Wayfair, economic nexus thresholds (typically $100k revenue or 200 transactions) trigger sales tax obligations in most states.
An ecommerce brand with $5M annual revenue selling nationally typically has nexus in 35–48 states. Each state has:
Managing this in-house requires dedicated sales tax staff or expensive Big 4 coordination. Most mid-market businesses outsource to either a sales tax-specific provider (Avalara Managed, Sovos, TaxJar Professional) or a broad accounting provider with sales tax capability.
Most states now require marketplaces (Amazon, eBay, Walmart Marketplace, Etsy) to collect and remit sales tax on behalf of their third-party sellers. This reduces sales tax burden for marketplace sellers but doesn't eliminate it – sellers still need registration in states with direct sales (via their own Shopify store, for example).
Tracking what marketplace facilitators collect vs what direct channels require remains a daily operational task.
| Scope | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Single state filings (5–10 filings/year) | $400–$800 |
| Multi-state small (3–10 states) | $800–$1,400 |
| Multi-state mid (10–25 states) | $1,400–$2,400 |
| Full national (25–50 states) | $2,400–$3,800 |
| Nexus analysis (one-time) | $1,800–$4,500 |
| Voluntary disclosure coordination (one-time) | $3,500–$12,000 per state |
| Sales tax audit response | $150–$350/hour |
Pricing reflects filing volume and complexity. States with higher filing frequencies (monthly) cost more than annual-only states. States with many local jurisdictions (Texas, Louisiana, Alabama) add complexity vs single-rate states.
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