Navigating sales tax laws in the United States can be complex—especially when it comes to shipping charges. For businesses of all sizes, understanding how shipping tax works is critical to staying compliant and avoiding costly penalties.
Charging shipping tax incorrectly can lead to audits, fines, and unhappy customers. Inconsistent or inaccurate tax practices can also damage your brand’s credibility. Whether you’re shipping physical goods across states or offering delivery services, knowing when and how to apply sales tax to shipping charges helps ensure your business operates smoothly and lawfully.
Several states have declared that shipping charges are taxable when the product sold itself is taxable and when the product is shipped through a common carrier like FedEx, UPS, or the US Postal Service.
We’re going to take a look at how sales tax on shipping charges works as well as a few common exceptions.
Let’s start with an example:
If you sold a painting for $100 and the shipping was $10 in a state where shipping charges were taxable, the total taxable sale would be $110 and you would charge sales tax on the entire amount.
If you sold the same painting in a state where shipping tax is not taxable, then the taxable amount of the sale is only $100. The $10 shipping charge would not be taxable.
Separating Shipping Charges on Invoices
To minimise tax liability and ensure compliance, it’s essential to clearly separate shipping charges from the cost of goods on your invoices. When shipping is listed as a distinct line item, some states may exempt it from sales tax—provided the shipment is optional or the customer can choose their own carrier.
However, if you bundle shipping with handling fees or the price of taxable items, the entire amount may become taxable. Always break out shipping, handling, and non-taxable items as separate lines. For non-taxable products, avoid applying tax to their associated shipping costs, as this could trigger compliance issues.
Proper invoice formatting not only supports tax compliance but also builds transparency with your customers.
Watch out for “Handling”
Handling refers to the labor involved to prepare items for shipping. Many states make a distinction between shipping charges and handling charges.
In some states like Virginia, handling charges are taxable but shipping charges are not. What this means is that if you separate handling charges, that charge is taxable in Virginia.
But if you combine shipping and handling into one charge in Virginia, that entire charge becomes taxable.
Taxing Handling Costs
Keep in mind that some states do not tax items like food or clothing. In Pennsylvania, shipping charges are taxable but clothing is not taxable. Let’s say someone ordered your $100 painting but also bought your $100 sweatshirt with the same image on it. In that case, only a portion of the shipping charges – the charges you used to ship the painting – are taxable.
You can choose to either charge sales tax on half of the shipping charge (since the taxable painting makes up half of the items included in the shipment), or you can weigh the sweatshirt and the painting and charge sales tax based on the amount of shipping that would apply to the painting alone. If the painting weighs 5 lbs and the sweatshirt also weighs 5 lbs, you would charge sales tax on $5 out of the $10 shipping charge.
Shipping Tax on Exempt Items
When dealing with e-commerce orders containing a mix of taxable and non-taxable items, states like Pennsylvania introduce complexities in calculating shipping tax. The fundamental principle is that the shipping charge should only be taxed to the extent it relates to the taxable items in the order. This necessitates a method for allocating the shipping cost. Two common approaches emerge: value-based allocation and weight-based allocation. The value-based method calculates the percentage of the total order value contributed by the taxable items and applies that same percentage to the shipping charge. For instance, if a $100 taxable painting and a $100 non-taxable sweatshirt are ordered with $10 shipping, the painting represents 50% of the value, so $5 of the shipping would be taxable.
Alternatively, the weight-based allocation method considers the proportion of the total shipment weight attributed to the taxable goods. Using the same example, if the 5lb painting and the 5lb sweatshirt are shipped together for $10, the painting constitutes 50% of the weight, resulting in $5 of the shipping being taxable. While both methods aim for fairness, businesses might lean towards one over the other based on ease of implementation or the nature of their products. It’s crucial for e-commerce platforms to support the differentiation of taxable and non-taxable items and to allow for the application of a chosen allocation method to ensure accurate tax collection on shipping.
Implementing these rules requires careful configuration of e-commerce systems and transparent communication with customers. Businesses must be able to identify which products are taxable in each state they have nexus in and then apply the chosen allocation method to the shipping costs accordingly. Providing clear breakdowns of the tax calculation at checkout can also enhance customer trust. Ultimately, understanding and correctly applying these allocation methods is vital for compliance and avoiding potential tax liabilities when shipping mixed carts across different US states.
Shipping Taxes by State
States Generally Taxing Shipping: Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia often tax shipping charges when the underlying goods are taxable. However, many of these have exceptions, such as when shipping is separately stated or when the goods themselves are exempt.
States Generally Not Taxing Shipping (if separately stated): Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming often do not tax shipping charges if they are listed as a separate line item on the invoice. Some of these states also have specific conditions, like the customer having the option to pick up the item for the shipping to be exempt (e.g., Florida, Louisiana).
States with No Sales Tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon have no state sales tax, so generally, shipping is not subject to state sales tax. However, local jurisdictions in Alaska may impose sales taxes.
States with Complex Rules: California and Illinois, for example, have nuanced rules where the taxability of shipping can depend on whether the shipping charge exceeds the actual cost or if shipping and handling are combined. Pennsylvania, as discussed, taxes shipping based on the taxability of the items being shipped. Virginia taxes handling but not necessarily separately stated shipping.
Best Tool to Manage Shipping Tax
The biggest thing you should keep in mind is that there are no universal rules for charging sales tax on shipping for ecommerce purchases in the US.
Every state creates their own rules, and most of those laws were written before ecommerce was born. Most of these rules were written to be applicable to brick and mortar stores and can be confusing when applied to an ecommerce transaction.
We suggest that you use TaxJar’s article that lists states where shipping is and is not taxable. This will help you to determine what each individual state’s taxing laws apply to your own shipping charges.
You should definitely keep in mind that some states may be exceptions to one of these general rules. So if you have questions, be sure to contact each state’s department of revenue or a vetted sales tax CPA.
Brightpearl by Sage simplifies sales tax calculation, reporting, and filing—so you can focus on growing your business, not managing compliance. With built-in automation and real-time syncing across channels, Brightpearl helps thousands of retailers stay sales tax compliant with ease.
Discover how Brightpearl can streamline your sales tax process—learn more today.
