Is the SST program free to use?

Yes, for remote sellers using a Certified Service Provider. The states pay the CSP directly out of tax revenue collected. You’re not billed for registration, calculation, filing, or remittance in any SST member state. Your cost is zero.

What “free” actually covers

When a remote seller enrolls in the SST program through a CSP, the CSP handles the full compliance stack in all 24 SST member states where you have nexus:

• Registration: single application covering all SST states
• Rate calculation: applied at point of sale
• Return preparation: monthly, for every SST state you’re registered in
• Filing and remittance: the CSP files and pays on your behalf

None of this is billed to you. The state compensates the CSP from a percentage of the tax revenue collected.

The one condition: monthly filing

SST enrollment requires monthly filing in all member states, regardless of your sales volume there. In some states, a low-volume seller would otherwise qualify for quarterly or annual filing. SST overrides that, monthly is the standard for all enrolled sellers.

For most mid-market brands, this isn’t a meaningful trade-off. The filing work sits with the CSP. But if you operate in only one or two SST states with very low transaction volume, the mandatory monthly cadence is worth knowing before you enroll.

Who qualifies

The free CSP model applies to remote sellers: businesses that sell into an SST state without having physical nexus there. If you have employees, warehouse inventory, or an office in the state, you’re not a remote seller for that state, and the CSP compensation model may not apply in the same way.

For the majority of ecommerce brands selling nationally without physical presence in every state, most SST states qualify.

Why not every sales tax tool offers this

Not every sales tax software company is a Certified Service Provider. Avalara and TaxJar are not CSPs. They provide sales tax tools, but those tools cost money for SST states the same as non-SST states, because the free-to-seller model only applies to CSPs who are formally certified by the SST Governing Board and compensated by the states.

If you’re currently using a non-CSP tool, you’re paying for compliance in states that are designed to be free for remote sellers.

Related: Why won’t Avalara and TaxJar tell me about SST benefits? | What is a Certified Service Provider (CSP) and why does it matter?