Exposure found early
Unregistered nexus found by us is a voluntary disclosure. Found by the state, it is an assessment with penalties.
Sales Tax
District rates, marketplace rules, and the audit that finds all of it
California layers district taxes on the state rate, treats marketplace sales differently, and audits sellers more actively than most states.
The statewide rate is only the floor. Districts add their own increments, and which combination applies depends on where the sale is sourced — not always where your business sits.
Add marketplace facilitator rules, economic nexus thresholds, resale certificates and exemption categories, and sales tax becomes the area where otherwise well-run businesses quietly accumulate liability.
Scope
What’s included
Nexus review
Where you are actually required to register — in California and in other states if you ship or sell online.
CDTFA registration
Seller’s permit applications and district registrations handled for you.
Return preparation and filing
Monthly, quarterly or annual returns plus prepayments, filed on time and reconciled to the books.
Rate configuration
Your point of sale or e-commerce platform set up to charge the correct district rates at the correct sourcing.
Exemption documentation
Resale and exemption certificates collected, validated and filed where an auditor can find them.
Audit representation
Full representation before the CDTFA, including managing the sample methodology.
Outcome
Why it matters
Marketplace sales reported correctly
Amazon or Etsy collecting the tax does not remove your filing obligation — it changes how you report.
The certificates actually exist
Exempt sales without valid documentation become taxable in an audit. We keep the file complete.
Process
How it works
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Nexus and exposure review
Where you must register, and whether historical exposure needs a voluntary disclosure.
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Register and configure
Permits obtained and your selling systems set to charge correctly.
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File on schedule
Returns and prepayments prepared, reconciled and filed. Never late.
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Maintain the file
Certificates collected and reviewed annually, so an audit finds a complete record.
Suited to
Who this is for
- Retailers and restaurants with taxable sales
- Contractors dealing with materials and fixtures
- E-commerce sellers on Amazon, Etsy, Shopify or their own store
- Wholesalers relying on resale certificates
- Anyone who has received a CDTFA notice
FAQ
Questions
In most cases yes. Marketplace facilitator rules shift collection to the platform, but you generally still hold a permit and still report those sales — claiming them correctly as a deduction. Not filing because "Amazon handles it" is one of the most common notices we see.
The auditor typically examines a sample period and extrapolates the findings across the whole audit period, which means small sample errors become large assessments. Managing the sample methodology is the highest-value part of the defence, and it is where we focus.
Often needed alongside this
Other services
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Business Accounting
Reconciliation, statements, ledger and close — delivered on a published date each month, for less than a part-time bookkeeper costs.
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Bookkeeping & Catch-Up
We rebuild the periods in order, reconcile them properly, and then move you onto a monthly rhythm so it never happens again.
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IRS Representation & Audit Defense
Sign a Form 2848 and every letter, every phone call and every deadline becomes ours to manage.
Let’s find out what you should actually be paying.
Thirty minutes with an Enrolled Agent, at no charge. Bring last year’s return and we will tell you plainly what we would do differently — and what it would cost.