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View All General - Sales and Use FAQs

Are sales of goods made via the internet taxable?

Yes, they are taxable.

  • On-line retail sellers located outside Alabama: The retail sale of goods made over the Internet that are delivered into Alabama from an out-of-state seller are treated the same as the retail sale of tangible personal property made through more traditional channels, with the same “nexus” rules applying to both. A retail vendor has “nexus” in Alabama if they have a physical presence in Alabama, such as a retail store, warehouse, inventory, or regular presence of traveling salespeople or agents, or has established remote entity nexus. If the retail vendor has nexus in Alabama, the tax reporting responsibility lies with the retail vendor to register with the ADOR to charge, collect and remit the appropriate Sellers Use Tax to the ADOR (Local sellers use taxes also apply and should also be charged, collected and remitted to the appropriate administering authorities). If the retail vendor does not have nexus with Alabama, the tax reporting responsibility passes to the consumer/purchaser and they would be responsible for self-assessing the use tax and remitting it via a consumers use tax return to the ADOR and to the appropriate administering authorities. (To report use tax to the state, file and pay the Consumers Use Tax Return electronically through My Alabama Taxes (MAT).   If you do not have a valid consumers use tax account number, and only need to report and pay for a one-time purchase, you will need to register for a consumers use tax account through MAT’s Account Registration.  Once the return has been filed and taxes paid, you can close the account by logging back into MAT and click the “Ask a question” link and request through that contact method that the consumers use tax account be closed as it was only need for a one-time filing. However, please note that some retail vendors that do not have nexus in Alabama elect to register with the ADOR on a voluntary basis to charge, collect and remit the Simplified Sellers Use Tax to the ADOR as a convenience to their customers.
  • On-line retail sellers located in Alabama: The retail sale of goods made over the Internet by Alabama retailers to Alabama customers are subject to Alabama Sales Tax. The tax reporting responsibility lies with the Alabama retail vendor to charge, collect and remit the Sales Tax on such sales, as these sales are treated the same as the retail sale of tangible personal property made through more traditional channels. Local sales tax or use tax also applies and should be remitted to the appropriate administering authorities.
Related FAQs in General - Sales and Use

In Alabama, a resale certificate is officially called a “Sales Tax License”. To get a copy of your Alabama resale certificate or Sales Tax License, you should:

Login to MAT, locate the appropriate tax account, locate and click “Print tax account license” link. If you need help or cannot access your certificate online contact the Alabama Department of Revenue Sales and Use Tax Division for assistance.

Step by Step Instructions for License Renewal

Yes. In accordance with Rule 810-6-1-.144.03: All buyers of property for resale purposes are entitled to purchase at wholesale, tax-free, the property they resell as regular course of business when they have secured the sales tax license required by law. This rule also applies to retailers located outside Alabama when they have secured the sales tax license required by law in the state in which they are located.

A credit card transaction fee is a charge added to the regular price of an item by a retailer when the purchaser pays for the item using a credit card. Other names for this fee include swipe fee, credit card surcharge, processing fee, service charge, or convenience fee.

These fees are subject to sales and use tax and should be included in the seller’s gross sales on retail transactions when calculating tax due. Example: A sale of tangible personal property totals $100. The customer pays with a credit card and is charged a $3 credit card transaction fee. The total price of $103, including the credit card transaction fee, is subject to sales and use taxes.

A credit card fee, even if separately stated, is part of the retailer’s cost of doing business, and the entire consideration for the sale of tangible personal property is subject to sales and use taxes.

If a transaction consists of only non-taxable goods or services, the credit card transaction fee is not subject to sales and use taxes. Example: A customer is charged $50 for a haircut. The customer pays with a credit card and is charged a $3 credit card transaction fee. Since the haircut is not subject to sales and use taxes, the corresponding credit card transaction fee is not subject to sales and use taxes.

When trying to complete title applications for vessels that have inches listed on the MSO, please use this Vessel Length Chart for conversion purposes.

Vessel Length Chart

Yes, Alabama allows resident individuals to claim a tax credit for income taxes imposed by other states. This credit is claimed on Form 40, Schedule CR. A copy of the other state’s return and a copy of the state Schedule K-1 should be included as documentation of this credit.

If the individual does not file an individual income tax return in the other state or the state provides an exclusion of income, include a proforma return calculating the tax at the other state’s rate and a copy of the state Schedule K-1 as documentation of this credit.

Note: Any Pass-Through Entity tax deducted on the Pass-Through Entity’s federal return, which reduces the taxable income reported on the owner’s K-1, should be added back to compute Alabama taxable income.

No, if the current title is an Alabama ELT there is no cost to print a physical title.

However, once an ELT is printed on physical title paper it can not be printed again. A replacement title application must be applied for if a replacement is needed.