To help you get the most out of Numeral, it’s useful to have a basic understanding of how our filing systems work. This guide covers the key processes, what our team handles versus what you need to know, and where to access important account details and filing records.
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Key Terms
These terms are commonly used by our team when discussing filings. Knowing them can help you communicate clearly and troubleshoot issues faster.
Nexus
Nexus
A tax connection or presence in a state that requires your business to register, collect, and remit sales tax. Nexus can be physical (e.g., office, employee, warehouse) or economic (based on sales volume or transactions).
Trailing Nexus
Trailing Nexus
The continued obligation to collect and remit sales tax in a state for a period after physical or economic nexus ends. States with public trailing nexus policies are listed in the final section.
Tax Delta
Tax Delta
Even with powerful tax engines, small discrepancies often arise between the tax collected and the tax owed—this is referred to as a tax delta. When our team files on your behalf, we report your taxable sales at both the state and county levels. The state then calculates the tax due based on that data. If there’s a significant delta (typically greater than 5%), our team can investigate your sales data and store connections to identify the root cause.
Marketplace Facilitator
Marketplace Facilitator
Services like Amazon, Meta (Facebook & Instagram), TikTok, Walmart, and Shop Pay are considered marketplace facilitators, meaning they collect and remit sales tax on orders processed through their platforms or channels on your behalf.
Filing Frequency
Filing Frequency
How often you must file in a particular region. Filing frequency is usually determined by your sales volume—states may make adjustments when certain thresholds are met.
Streamlined Sales Tax (SST)
Streamlined Sales Tax (SST)
A system used by a number of states to simplify and modernize sales tax administration. SST doesn’t produce traditional returns, but our team provides internal confirmations for your records for all SST-processed filings.
Prepayments
Prepayments
Some states require sales tax prepayments when certain thresholds are reached. We’ll notify you if this applies to your filings.
True-Up
True-Up
Reconciling estimated tax filings with actual sales data, usually at the end of a reporting period. Only a few states—Hawaii and Michigan—require this.
License Renewals
License Renewals
Many states require regular renewal of sales tax permits or business licenses. Missing deadlines can result in penalties or account suspension. We help monitor and manage these deadlines when applicable.
Cash-based Accounting
Cash-based Accounting
Numeral calculates tax based on when an order is placed, not when the order is fulfilled. We also follow a cash-based accounting method, meaning refunds are applied during the tax period in which the refund occurs - not when the original order is created. This ensures you don't ever remit tax to a state that you've already refunded to a customer.
Accessing Your Portal & Setting Up MFA/2FA
Registrations
Registrations
When we register new accounts for you, we create secure login credentials and store them in your Numeral dashboard for easy access. By default, our team is set as the two-factor authentication (2FA) email so we can efficiently manage your filings and accounts.
Exceptions:
Rhode Island & Maryland – These states only allow one 2FA setup. If you need access to other tax accounts here, let us know right away so we can configure 2FA accordingly.
Agent Accounts – In some states, we manage filings through agent accounts that store sensitive data. For security reasons, credentials for these accounts cannot be shared.
Transfers
Transfers
For account transfers, we’ll coordinate with you to collect login details and set up 2FA without interrupting your access. This can be done through the 2FA bot in your dashboard or during a call with a Numeral representative. If you encounter any issues, reach out to your onboarding point of contact or our customer support team for assistance.
🔐 Keep Your Credentials Updated
Some states require frequent password changes. If we update yours while working on a filing, we’ll add the new credentials to your Numeral dashboard.
We ask that you do the same—any time your credentials change, please update them in your dashboard. This ensures we have uninterrupted access to your portals and can avoid filing delays or, in worst cases, penalties caused by bad credentials or 2FA issues.
💡 If you’d like us to enable 2FA/MFA for your team, just let us know. In most cases, we simply set up a forwarding rule to the email address of your choice so your team receives the same access codes we do.
Filing Schedules and Processing Time
If your filings aren’t on Autopilot 🚀 you will be able to review and approve them before submission. Some things to keep in mind:
Deadlines come first: To avoid fees or penalties, our Filing Team will submit all filings by the state’s deadline—even if they haven’t been approved.
Reject to stop: To stop a filing from being submitted, you must reject it.
Contact Support: Think something looks off? Use the Chat Widget in your Numeral dashboard to reach our team—we’ll review and make any necessary adjustments.
Numeral Filing Calendar
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| 5 Manual Data Deadline | 6
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| 9 | 10 📖 Review Date for FL & ME | 11 📖 Review Date for Group 1 | 12 | 13 ✅ Auto- Approve FL & ME |
14 ✅ Auto- Approval Date G1 | 15 💼 Filing Deadline for ME | 16 | 17 | 18 💼 Filing Deadline for FL | 19 | 20 💼 Filing Deadline for G1 |
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| 22 | 23 📖 Review Date for Group 2 | 24 | 25 | 26 ✅ Auto- Approval for G2 | 27 |
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| 29 | 30/31 💼 Filing Deadline for G2 |
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📖 Review Dates Filings will be ready for your review by EOD on these dates. | ✅ Auto-approval Dates We auto-approve filings by EOD to ensure on-time submission | 💼 Submission Dates Filing deadlines |
Florida or Maine |
Group 1: AL, AZ, AR, CO, DC, GA, HI, ID, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MS, NE, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, PA, PR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY |
Group 2: CA*, MA, CT, AK, NV, MO |
*CA prepayments are submitted to the state by the 24th of the month.
Processing Time
Current filings are generated, made available for your review and approval, and submitted according to the calendar above.
Backfilings typically take 30–60 days to process once your state registrations or transfers are complete and we have all the necessary information to access or activate your state portals.
Timelines may vary depending on state rules, the number of backfilings requested, and filing cycles (e.g., quarter- or year-end). Issues with portal access or technical changes to state systems can also affect processing times, but our team will keep you informed every step of the way.
Additional Filings We Handle
As part of our initiative to put your sales tax on autopilot, Numeral now supports a limited set of additional filings related to sales and use tax, beyond the standard returns we file to remit sales tax. These filings are often required to maintain your sales tax license in certain states.
Filings that are submitted separately from your standard sales tax returns are billed at the standard filing rate of $75.00 each (for example, the Texas Franchise Tax filing). Filings that are handled and submitted at the same time as your standard returns are included at no extra cost (for example, Washington B&O).
Our team intends to expand this list over time as new requests come in—so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions about the filings below or want to confirm whether we currently support (or plan to support) other filings in the future.
Arizona Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT) License Renewal
Arizona Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT) License Renewal
Arizona TPT licenses are valid for one calendar year (Jan 1–Dec 31). Businesses must renew by January 1, regardless of when they first registered. Renewal fees are paid at the time of renewal, typically via e-check or ACH debit.
Note: Some cities/towns charge an additional renewal fee. Check the Arizona state website for the latest details.
Learn more about renewing an Arizona TPT license.
Colorado Retail Delivery Fee (Colorado RDF)
Colorado Retail Delivery Fee (Colorado RDF)
Colorado imposes a retail delivery fee (RDF) on any order delivered by motor vehicle to a Colorado address that includes at least one item subject to state sales or use tax. The retailer or marketplace facilitator responsible for collecting sales tax must also remit the RDF, even if delivery is made by a third party.
The RDF is filed alongside your sales tax return on the same schedule (monthly, quarterly, or annually).
Learn more about Colorado’s RDF.
Texas Franchise Tax Filing (TFT)
Texas Franchise Tax Filing (TFT)
The Texas franchise tax is a privilege tax on businesses operating in the state, administered by the Texas Comptroller (the same agency that oversees sales tax). Numeral supports this filing for businesses with U.S. sales under $20 million annually. The annual report is due on May 15 (or the next business day if it falls on a weekend or holiday) and is billed at the standard filing rate of $75.00.
Learn more about the Texas franchise tax.
Washington Business and Occupation Tax (Washington B&O)
Washington Business and Occupation Tax (Washington B&O)
The B&O tax is reported and paid on the excise tax return or by electronic filing. This is included in each of your Washington filings for each period and shows as a separate debit item.
Learn more about Washington’s B&O tax.
Managing Payment and Banking Info for Tax Remittance
Tax payments begin once transfers or registrations are processed and your liability start date has passed. For example, if your liability start date is 1/1/2025 and filing frequency is monthly, then the first filing for review would be in February 2025.
Filings appear in your Numeral dashboard for review and approval according to our filing calendar. You’ll also receive an email notification when filings are ready. Payments are made via ACH transfer using the banking information stored in your company profile. Once you approve a filing, payments are typically processed within 5–7 business days. Numeral does not hold funds in trust—payments go directly from your account to the state.
Additional State Fees to Be Aware Of
State registration fees: Separate from Numeral’s service fees, these are charged directly by the state (if applicable) and are usually processed within the first 30 days of setting up an account. Not all states charge a registration fee.
Penalties and interest: States may assess penalties and interest on backfilings. The calculation method and amounts vary by state.
If you’re setting up your sales tax bank account for the first time, check out our more detailed article on Setting Up Your Bank Account for Tax Remittance. It outlines what should be in place beforehand and shares best practices for account maintenance. Proper setup—such as adding ACH Originator IDs for all states you file in—can help minimize bounced payments.
💡 Keeping Your Tax Account Funded
To prevent payment failures and penalties, ensure the account linked to tax remittance is always funded. Failed payments can create systemic issues and result in significant penalties in stricter states. A best practice is to use a dedicated account for tax collections so funds are always available.
Accessing Sales Tax Liability Data and Returns
You can view sales tax liability data in your Numeral dashboard by going to Filings > All and filtering by the desired jurisdiction, date range, etc. (e.g., status = filed, period = 2024).
To export the data as a CSV, just set your desired filters and then click export. The CSV will include: (1) Filing ID, (2) Time period, (3) Jurisdiction, (4) Taxable sales, (5) Non-taxable sales, (6) Tax collected, (7) Tax due, (8) Interest, (9) Penalty, and (10) State discount
A few notes regarding your data:
If you sell through other channels—like TikTok or Amazon—those marketplaces may remit tax on your behalf. Such amounts will not appear in Numeral reports, so consulting a CPA may help determine if they should be included in your annual tax liability.
If you suspect an issue, we maintain workpapers detailing the data behind each filing. While these will eventually be accessible in your dashboard, our customer support team can provide them upon request in the meantime.
Numeral calculates tax based on when an order is placed, not when the order is fulfilled. We also follow a cash-based accounting method, meaning refunds are applied during the tax period in which the refund occurs - not when the original order is created. This ensures you don't ever remit tax to a state that you've already refunded to a customer.
💡 The completeness of this data depends on factors such as your onboarding date with Numeral and your company’s sales channels. For example, if you switched from another tax provider midyear, Numeral data will only reflect taxes remitted by us. To get a full picture, you may need to retrieve historical data from your previous provider, state portals, or your sales platform (e.g., Shopify).
Payment confirmations and returns are attached to individual filings in your dashboard. Access them via:
Filings > Current for current filings or
Filings > All for historical filings, then click into the filing to view details and attached records.
Please note that some filing methods, such as Streamlined Sales Tax (SST), do not generate traditional returns, but our team will provide internal confirmations in place of returns in all cases for your records.
Filing FAQs
How is Sales Tax calculated?
How is Sales Tax calculated?
Sales tax is calculated based on net taxable sales. This means we subtract discounts, returns, and adjustments from your gross sales prior to tax calculation. Whether shipping is included depends on the taxability of shipping in the destination state.
Numeral calculates tax based on when an order is placed, not when the order is fulfilled. We also follow a cash-based accounting method, meaning refunds are applied during the tax period in which the refund occurs - not when the original order is created. This ensures you don't ever remit tax to a state that you've already refunded to a customer.
Example:
Gross Sales: $100
Discount: $10
Shipping: $5
Customer Paid: $95
If shipping is taxable:
Taxable amount = $95
If shipping is not taxable:
Taxable amount = $90