Wisconsin: Sales Tax Handbook
How to file your sales taxes in Wisconsin
Once your business has a Wisconsin sales tax license and begins to make sales, you are required to start collecting sales taxes on behalf of the Wisconsin government and filing regular sales tax returns. This page will help you understand the basics of your tax collection and filing responsibilities.
How To Collect Sales Tax In Wisconsin
If the seller has an in-state location in the state of Wisconsin, they are legally required to collect sales tax at the tax rate in which the buyer of their product is located, as Wisconsin is a destination based sales tax state
If the seller's location is out of state, then the state of Wisconsin also requires the seller to charge sales tax based on the buyer's location.
Sales Tax Collection Discounts In Wisconsin
Wisconsin allows merchants to keep a small percentage of the sales tax they collect as a collection discount, which serves as compensation for the work required to comply with the Wisconsin sales tax regulations
The collection discount is the greater of 0.5% of the tax which is collected retail sales or ten dollars, with a maximum of one thousand dollars for each reporting period.
Your Wisconsin Sales Tax Filing Requirements
To file sales tax in Wisconsin, you must begin by reporting gross sales for the reporting period, and calculate the total amount of sales tax due from this period.
The state of Washington gives all of its tax payers two options to both file, and pay sales tax. One way this can be accomplished is by filing online, at the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. It is also possible for sales tax payment to be remitted through this online system. The other way to file and pay is by using Autofile, another online service which handles both payment and filing.
Tax payers should be aware of a late filing penalty; and returns which were filed after the designated due date will be required to pay a twenty dollar late fee, and a penalty of 5% for each month or part of the month that the return is late. If the filing was late due to the death of the taxpayer required to file, the penalty will be waived.
The state of Washington requires that every seller who owns a sales tax permit to file a sales tax return on the required day, even if it is a "zeroes-out" tax return, and there is nothing to report.
Your Wisconsin Sales Tax Filing Frequency & Due Dates
Your business's sales tax return must be filed by the last day of the month following reporting period. For a list of this year's actual due dates, see our calendar of Wisconsin sales tax filing due dates.
The twentyth of the month directly after the reporting period if the sales and use tax liability is greater than three thousand six hundred dollars per quarter or reporting period.
Where To File Your Wisconsin Sales Tax Return:
Filing Your Wisconsin Sales Tax Returns Online
Wisconsin supports electronic filing of sales tax returns, which is often much faster than filing via mail.
Wisconsin allows businesses to make sales tax payments electronically via the internet.
Electronic payments are required if the conglomerated amount of general, county, and stadium sales and use taxes due over the course of the previous calendar year was at least three hundred dollars.
You can process your required sales tax filings and payments online using the official Wisconsin MyTax Account website, which can be found here 
. You should have received credentials to access your Wisconsin MyTax Account account when you applied for your Wisconsin sales tax license.
Filing Your Wisconsin Sales Tax Returns Offline
While it is highly recommended that you file online using the Wisconsin MyTax Account website, it is possible to file your required sales tax reportings offline using Wisconsin Form ST-12, which you can download and print here . Once you have completed your required reportings, you can mail it to the state at this address:
PO Box 8921
Madison, WI 53708-8921
Please note that if you file your Wisconsin sales taxes by mail, it may take significantly longer to process your returns and payments.
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