Sales tax permit · Rhode Island
Registering for a Rhode Island sales tax permit
Rhode Island's state sales tax rate is 7% and its remote seller threshold is $100,000 in sales or 200 transactions, measured over the previous calendar year. If your business has crossed it and needs a permit, we prepare and submit the state registration through taxportal.ri.gov for $99, plus any state fee at cost.
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The Rhode Island rule for out-of-state sellers
RI Division of Taxation: remote sellers and marketplace facilitators with gross revenue from sales into Rhode Island of $100,000 or more OR 200 or more separate transactions (the Division's page refers to calendar year 2018, effective July 1, 2019; the Division's remote seller FAQ, citing R.I. Gen. Laws 44-18.2-3, describes the period as the previous calendar year). Register online with the Division, by Business Application and Registration (BAR) form, or through the Streamlined Sales Tax Registration System.
Returns once you're registered
Returns are monthly by default, due on or before the 20th of the following month. A retailer whose sales tax averaged less than $200 a month over six consecutive months can apply to the Tax Administrator to file quarterly; quarterly returns are due the last days of July, October, January and April.
Digital products in Rhode Island
RI Division of Taxation Advisory ADV 2019-22: the 7% sales and use tax applies to "specified digital products" (digital movies, TV shows, books and music, streamed or downloaded, including subscriptions) for sales on and after October 1, 2019.
Rhode Island has a marketplace facilitator law, so sales through a marketplace that collects for you are handled by the marketplace.
Registration portal: taxportal.ri.gov. Alabama · sales tax for online sellers
Paperwork only: whether your sales count toward the threshold is a tax question for your preparer. State fees at cost.
Sources
Questions
What is Rhode Island's remote seller threshold?
$100,000 in sales or 200 transactions, measured over the previous calendar year.
Are digital products taxed in Rhode Island?
RI Division of Taxation Advisory ADV 2019-22: the 7% sales and use tax applies to "specified digital products" (digital movies, TV shows, books and music, streamed or downloaded, including subscriptions) for sales on and after October 1, 2019.
How often are Rhode Island returns filed?
Returns are monthly by default, due on or before the 20th of the following month. A retailer whose sales tax averaged less than $200 a month over six consecutive months can apply to the Tax Administrator to file quarterly; quarterly returns are due the last days of July, October, January and April.
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