How to Collect Sales Tax on Form Payments

How to Collect Sales Tax on Form Payments in PhotoBiz

Overview

PhotoBiz Forms and Contracts can collect sales tax when you accept an online payment through a Payment block. This is useful when you use forms for session bookings, registrations, product orders, retainers, or other taxable transactions.

Sales tax is configured through the Sales Tax settings in your PhotoBiz ECommerce Dashboard. The Sales Tax lines you create there can be used anywhere PhotoBiz provides a supported checkout, including Form & Contract Builder payments.

This guide walks you through configuring your Sales Tax lines and enabling sales tax on a form payment.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, you need an active merchant account connected to your PhotoBiz account and a form or contract that includes a Payment block.

You must also create the appropriate Sales Tax lines in your ECommerce Dashboard. PhotoBiz provides the tools to configure and calculate sales tax, but you are responsible for determining which taxes, locations, and rates your business is required to collect.

Merchant Setup Guide

How To Configure Sales Tax

STEP ONE

Log in to your PhotoBiz account and click ECOMMERCE in the left-side menu. This opens the ECommerce Dashboard, where your account-wide payment, order, shipping, and sales tax settings are managed.

STEP TWO

Open your SALES TAX settings and create the Sales Tax lines you need for your business.

Each Sales Tax line determines the location and tax rate you want PhotoBiz to use when the conditions for that tax are met. Configure all state, county, or other applicable tax lines you need before enabling sales tax on your form.

These Sales Tax lines are not limited to ECommerce orders. They are the account-wide sales tax settings used by supported PhotoBiz checkout tools, including Form & Contract Builder payments.

STEP THREE

After your Sales Tax lines are configured, click FORMS in the left-side menu to open the Forms Dashboard.

STEP FOUR

At the top center of the Forms Dashboard, click FORM EDITOR to open the Form & Contract Builder.

STEP FIVE

Click the name of the form or contract where you want to collect sales tax.

If the form does not already include a Payment block, click Miscellaneous in the block options on the right side of the Form & Contract Builder, then click Payment to add one.

STEP SIX

Click the Payment block to open its settings.

Confirm that the correct merchant account is selected and configure the payment amount for your form. You can use a fixed base price or combine the Payment block with priced Checkbox or Radio Select fields when the total needs to change based on the client's selections.

STEP SEVEN

In the Payment block settings, enable the Sales Tax option.

The Payment block uses the Sales Tax lines you previously configured in your ECommerce settings. You do not enter a separate tax rate directly on the form.

Because the Sales Tax lines are managed at the account level, changes you make to those settings can affect other supported PhotoBiz checkout areas that use sales tax.

FINAL STEP

Click Save Changes to save your form.

When a client completes the form and reaches the payment portion of the checkout, PhotoBiz can calculate applicable sales tax using the Sales Tax lines configured in your ECommerce Dashboard.

Before sharing the form with clients, submit a test using the locations you expect to serve so you can confirm the appropriate tax is being calculated.

What Your Clients Will See

The screen shots below show examples of what a regular sales tax line will display and also what a form with a state sales tax + a county sales tax.

Sales Tax All Orders Example

Sales Tax Line + County Tax Line Example

How Sales Tax on Forms Works

The Sales Tax setting inside the Payment block determines whether sales tax can be included with that form payment.

The actual tax rates and location rules come from the Sales Tax lines configured in the ECommerce Dashboard.

This means you should manage changes to your tax rates in one place rather than entering separate rates on individual forms.

Sales Tax lines can also be used with other supported PhotoBiz checkout tools, including:

Client Gallery orders
ECommerce orders
Form and Contract payments
Scheduler payments
Invoices

See How To Set Up Sales Tax for complete instructions.

Using Sales Tax With Dynamic Form Pricing

Sales tax can also be used when the total price of your form changes based on the client's selections.

For dynamic pricing, you can set the Payment block's base price to $0.00 and assign prices to supported Checkbox or Radio Select options using their advanced settings.

PhotoBiz calculates the payment total from the client's selections before applying any applicable sales tax.

This can be useful for:

Session packages
Product order forms
Event registrations
Optional upgrades
Add-ons
Service selections

Important Sales Tax Notes

Keep the following in mind when collecting sales tax through a form:

Sales Tax lines are configured in the ECommerce Dashboard, not individually inside each form.
Enabling Sales Tax in the Payment block allows the form to use your existing Sales Tax lines.
You are responsible for determining the tax rates and jurisdictions your business is required to collect.
If you change a Sales Tax line, review other areas of your PhotoBiz account that also use that tax setting.
Testing your form before sending it to clients can help confirm that your expected tax configuration is working correctly.

Troubleshooting or FAQs

Why don't I see sales tax on my form payment?

First, confirm that Sales Tax is enabled in the form's Payment block. You should also confirm that the appropriate Sales Tax lines have been created in your ECommerce Dashboard.

The Payment block does not contain its own independent tax rates.

Where do I change the sales tax rate for a form?

Change the rate in your Sales Tax settings in the ECommerce Dashboard.

You do not need to edit every form individually when a tax rate changes because your forms use the Sales Tax lines configured for your account.

Can I create a tax rate that only applies to one form?

Sales Tax lines are account-level settings rather than form-specific tax rates. A Sales Tax line may therefore be available to other supported PhotoBiz checkout areas where its conditions apply.

Can sales tax be collected on dynamically priced forms?

Yes. Sales tax can be used when your form total is calculated from priced Checkbox or Radio Select fields as well as when you use a fixed Payment block price.

Does PhotoBiz determine which taxes my business is legally required to collect?

No. PhotoBiz provides tools for configuring and calculating sales tax based on the settings you enter. You are responsible for determining which taxes, jurisdictions, and rates apply to your business.

If you are unsure about your sales tax obligations, consult a qualified tax professional or the appropriate state or local tax authority.

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