What information do I need to register for a sales tax permit?

Sales tax permit registration is an online application in most states, typically a 10–20 minute process if you have the required information ready. Gathering it in advance prevents mid-application lookups that delay or abandon the process.

What most states require

Business identification:

• Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN), or SSN if you’re a sole proprietor without an EIN
• Legal business name exactly as it appears on your IRS filings
• Trade name / DBA if you operate under a name different from your legal name

Business structure and location:

• Business structure (sole proprietor, single-member LLC, multi-member LLC, S-corp, C-corp, partnership)
• State of formation or incorporation
• Principal business address
• Mailing address if different

Business activity:

• NAICS code describing your primary business activity
• Description of products or services sold
• Estimated annual gross sales in the state (used to assign initial filing frequency)

Nexus timing:

• Date you first had nexus in the state, for economic nexus, the date your rolling sales crossed the threshold; for physical nexus, the date inventory arrived, an employee was hired, or a lease was signed

Contact information:

• Name, title, and contact information of the responsible party (the person legally responsible for tax compliance, often the owner or CFO)

Bank/payment information (some states):

• Bank account and routing number for ACH debit payments, many states set this up at registration rather than at first filing

What to have ready before you start

Gather these before opening the registration form:

1. EIN confirmation letter (IRS form CP 575 or equivalent)
2. Business formation documents (articles of incorporation, operating agreement)
3. The specific date you crossed each state’s nexus threshold
4. A rough estimate of your annual gross sales in the state
5. Your bank account information if you know the state requires it

If you’re registering through SST via a CSP, the CSP collects this once and transmits it to all SST states in your nexus footprint, you don’t enter it separately for each state.

Information that varies by state

Most states require the above. A few have additional requirements:

California: Asks for your CDTFA Account Reference Number if you previously had a California permit, plus a detailed product description. The California process is longer than most states.

Alabama: May require a security deposit for out-of-state sellers depending on estimated tax liability: the registration application triggers this assessment.

Washington: Asks for the type of nexus (economic or physical) separately and may ask for documentation of physical presence.

States with professional licensing: Some industries (alcohol, tobacco, firearms, food service) may require additional state-specific permits alongside the sales tax registration.

SST registration shortcut

If you have nexus in multiple SST states, registering through a Certified Service Provider submits a single application to all 24 SST states simultaneously. The information required is the same as above: the CSP collects it once and handles transmission to each state.