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1. Do I have to get a vendor's license?

Anyone selling something in the State of Ohio needs a vendor license. There is a onetime fee of $25 for a vendor's license and there is a fine by the state if you are caught without one. A vendor's license is needed in order to pay sales tax to the state.

Examples of businesses needing a vendor's license include: dog breeding for resale purposes, continuous garage sale, retail stores, food and goods sales at the fair and many other things.

If you have questions about the need for a license, please call the auditor's office. The auditor's office only sells vendor licenses for Greene County. If you need a delivery, transient, or service license, please contact the State of Ohio. All licenses are available online at the Ohio Department of Taxation.

2. When is a vendor's license required and how do I get one?

A vendor's license is required by state law when a business conducts retail sales. Having a vendor's license enables the business owner to collect sales tax for the State of Ohio. The license is issued by the county auditor's office in the county in which the business is located. Please reference the State of Ohio Department of Taxation website (http://tax.ohio/online_services/business_taxes_sales_filing.aspx) for online vendor's license applications.

3. What is a taxable sale?

A taxable sale includes any transaction in which title or possession of tangible personal property or certain service is, or will be, transferred or provided for a price. Unless specifically exempted in Ohio's sales tax laws, all sales and many services are subject to tax.

4. How frequently must each business file and pay sales tax?

According to the Ohio Revised Code: "...on or before the twenty-third day or each month (each person who has...a vendor's license shall...) make and file a return for the preceding month, on forms prescribed by the tax commissioner."

"The return shall be considered filed when received by the treasurer of the state... The treasurer of the state shall stamp or otherwise mark on all returns the date received... and shall also show thereon...the amount of payment received with the return."

Returns must by filed even if no sales are made and/or tax collected. If a vendor does not file a return, the Department of Taxation may revoke a license because of inactivity.

5. Do I get a discount for paying promptly?

Yes. If the return is filed and paid on or before the due date, the vendor is entitled to a discount of .0075% of the amount shown due on the return.

6. What happens if I do not pay on time?

For each return that is not paid in full with-in the time limit, $50.00, or 10%, of the required tax, whichever is greater, must be paid in addition to the unpaid tax for that reporting period.