Sales Tax Compliance
We track, calculate, and file your sales tax so you stay compliant with Massachusetts requirements. Avoid penalties and interest from missed or incorrect filings.
What This Is
Sales tax compliance means collecting the right amount from customers, tracking what you owe, and filing with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue on schedule. It sounds straightforward until you realize there are exemptions to track, filing schedules that vary by sales volume, and rates that occasionally change.
Most business owners set up sales tax collection when they launch and then never build a real system for tracking and filing. The numbers accumulate in their POS or accounting software, and every quarter becomes a scramble to figure out what’s actually owed before the deadline hits.
The Tracking
The Tracking
We build a reliable process for capturing taxable sales, applying the correct Massachusetts rate, and maintaining records that match what you report. Your sales tax liability gets reconciled against actual collections so the numbers line up when it’s time to file.
The Filing
The Filing
We prepare and submit your Massachusetts sales tax returns on the schedule DOR assigns you. Monthly, quarterly, or annual depends on your sales volume. We track your deadlines, calculate what’s owed, and file the returns so you’re not pulling numbers together at the last minute.
Why This Matters
Sales tax is trust fund money. When you collect it from a customer, you’re holding it on behalf of the Commonwealth. It was never yours to spend. The state views late or missing payments seriously because from their perspective you’re keeping money that belongs to them.
Massachusetts charges interest on late payments and penalties for late filings. Miss a few quarters and the amounts add up. Chronic non-compliance can trigger an audit where DOR digs through your records looking for discrepancies. That’s time and stress you don’t need.
The Penalty Math
The Penalty Math
Massachusetts charges 1% per month on unpaid sales tax plus a late filing penalty. A $2,000 quarterly liability that sits unfiled for six months becomes $2,120 plus penalties. Do that for a couple of years and you’re looking at thousands in unnecessary costs that come straight out of your margins.
The Audit Trigger
The Audit Trigger
DOR audits aren’t random. They look for patterns like businesses that file late, amounts that don’t match industry norms, or returns that suddenly change without explanation. Once they open a case, they can go back three years. Every transaction gets examined.
What Changes
You stop thinking about sales tax deadlines. The filing happens on schedule, the amount is calculated correctly, and payment goes out before penalties kick in. You’re not scrambling to pull numbers together the night before a return is due or wondering if you remembered to file last quarter.
Your records stay organized and defensible. If the state ever sends a letter or opens an inquiry, you have documentation showing exactly what was collected, what was remitted, and when. That paper trail matters when someone asks questions about your filings.
Clean Records
Clean Records
Every filing is documented and reconciled to your books. You know exactly what you collected, what you paid, and whether there’s any variance. If DOR ever asks, you hand over organized records instead of digging through bank statements trying to reconstruct what happened.
No Surprises
No Surprises
You won’t discover months later that you applied the wrong rate or missed a filing. We catch issues as they happen, not after they’ve compounded into a problem with interest attached. The state gets what they’re owed on time and you keep the money that’s actually yours.
Greater Boston's Trusted Bookkeeping Partner
The Next Step:
A Short Conversation
We'll ask a few questions, figure out what you need, and give you a straightforward quote.