This guide walks you through the complete process of filing your US Sales Tax return using the Lappa platform.
Step 1: Check your Sales Tax permits
Start by opening the “Tax Settings” section and confirming that your Sales Tax permits are active. In this example, permits are in place for Georgia (domestic state) and California (a state where goods are sold and Sales Tax registration applies).
Step 2: Upload your transactions
Go to the “Transactions” section and click “Add Transactions”. Select your data source — Shopify in this example — and choose the relevant reporting period (Q4 in our case). Once the upload is complete, Lappa will automatically categorise your transactions, making them ready for return filing.
Step 3: Start your Sales Tax return
Navigate to “Sales Tax Returns”, click “Fill Tax Return”, then select the relevant state, reporting period, and Sales Tax permit number. You will also have the option to enter your bank details for tax payment purposes — this step can be skipped for now if preferred.
Two options for filing
Option 1: Manual filing via Schedule download
Download Schedule A and Schedule B and upload them directly to the relevant state Tax Department portal. This option is included as standard in the Lappa Sales Tax subscription for all 50 states.
- Schedule B — Local Tax Allocation, showing the counties where taxable transactions took place (Orange County in this example);
- Schedule A — District Tax Allocation, detailing taxable amounts, district tax areas (Westminster), and district tax due.
Once reviewed, log in to the California Tax Department website, select “File a Sales and Use Tax Return”, and upload Schedule B and Schedule A at the corresponding steps to complete your filing.
Option 2: Auto-submission directly from Lappa
Click “Auto-Submit” and activate this option for each state return you wish to automate. Lappa integrates directly with State Tax Portals, so your schedules are submitted automatically — no manual uploads required.
Once submitted, your return status will display as:
- “Pending” — submission is in progress;
- “Submitted” — filing is complete.