Self-Employed How To Open An Online Boutique (Complete Checklist) Read the Article Open Share Drawer Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Written by Ginita Wall Published Dec 23, 2019 - [Updated Mar 21, 2024] 2 min read It may seem deceptively easy to open and run an online boutique shop these days. All you have to do is set up a website, acquire products, install an online shopping cart, and send out the merchandise as the orders to roll in. No big deal, right? But wait, there’s a hitch: state and local governments are your silent (and sometimes not-so-silent) partners, and they want their cut. If you’re running your own online boutique store, here’s a rundown of how your taxes work. Income Tax How big does a business need to be to owe income taxes? All businesses, whether large or small, owe taxes if their income exceeds their expenses. Those income and expenses are reported on your personal income tax return if you operate the business as a sole proprietorship and you are either self-employed or a single-entity Limited Liability Company (LLC). If the business is a partnership, you’ll need to file a partnership tax return showing how the profits are divided among the partners, and you’ll report your share of the profits on your personal tax return. If you feel like you don’t know these tax rules, don’t worry — you can use QuickBooks Self-Employed to track your business income and expenses year-round, and then you can easily export your information to your TurboTax Self-Employed tax return. Sales Tax Whether you need to collect and pay sales tax depends on the state in which you reside, the state to which the goods are delivered, and the amount and number of your sales. In general, if the state in which you reside and operate the business imposes a sales tax, you’ll need to collect and pay sales tax on your boutique’s sales within that state. Contact your state’s Department of Revenue to find out what paperwork you need to fill out to get a Seller’s permit and remit the taxes due. If you sell to customers living outside your state, you may need to collect sales tax and remit it to those states. Fortunately, most states that collect such taxes have minimum sales thresholds that must be exceeded before they impose a sales tax on sellers outside their state who sell to customers within the state. If your internet boutique is small scale, it is likely that because of those minimum sales thresholds, the sales tax collecting and reporting rules of those states don’t apply to you. When you use QuickBooks Self-Employed it will help you track your sales tax payments and give you the associated tax deductions. Previous Post 4 Ways to Save for Retirement When You Work in… Next Post What Income and Expenses Do Social Media Influencers Need to… Written by Ginita Wall More from Ginita Wall Leave a ReplyCancel reply Browse Related Articles Tax News Intuit TurboTax April Report: A Look at Refunds and S… Tax Planning April 15 is the Tax Deadline: 6 Things You Need to Know… Tax Planning Unable to Pay Your Tax Bill? Here’s What To Do Tax Tips Tax Credits 101: What They Are & How They Work Business How to Know if You Should Invest in Business Insurance Tax Deductions and Credits What Is the Standard Tax Deduction for 2023 – 202… 401K, IRA, Stocks Should You Use Your 401(k) or Retirement to Pay Off Deb… Tax Planning What Happens If You Don’t Pay Taxes? Understanding Pe… Tax Deductions and Credits Family Taxes: Take Advantage of Tax Savings Taxes 101 How Much Do You Have to Make to File Taxes? Demystifyin…