Frequently Asked Questions:

• Who do I reach out to for support?

  • If you have a question or need assistance with your returns, you can reach our team at [email protected].

• Do you have a portal or dashboard that I can log into?

  • Yes. You can access the portal at https://app.handsoffsalestax.com/login. We still send communications and updates via email, so it is important that you provide us with the most up-to-date contact email address(es) so that your team receives all important correspondence. Please remember to be proactive about checking, reading, and responding to emails from our team. As our portal gains more functionality we hope to move communication and action away from email and into the portal.

• Why do I need to submit my data by the 7th at 5pm EST?

  • We require all data to be submitted by the 7th at 5pm EST so that we can ensure we meet the state deadlines. Your data can take several days to process; if issues are identified with the data provided, there needs to be enough time to work through a resolution with you and still get returns filed on time.

• How do I know if you received my data and everything looks good?

  • Currently, we do not send out a confirmation email when your data is received. Our data team will begin to work on your data as soon as we receive it, and they will proactively reach out if they identify any issues. No news is good news! Additionally, we will send a follow up email after the 7th if we have not received your data.

• I see some discrepancies in my Liability Summary, how should I address those?

  • If you have any questions or concerns regarding the remittance amounts provided in your liability summary email, please respond directly to the email as soon as possible. We have a separate article (Liability Summary Emails) that talks in more detail about common discrepancies that can occur.

• How will you pay my remittance amounts to the state?

  • We will remit payments directly to the state when we file your returns, using the bank account information you provided during your onboarding process. HOST does not collect any remittance amounts or serve as an intermediary by holding your funds. Please be sure to ensure you have debit blockers removed and sufficient funds in your account, as reversed payments will result in additional penalties from the states.

• I received a letter from a state, what should I do with it?

  • You may receive physical or digital letters, emails and sometimes even phone calls from the states. These outreach attempts can be related to anything from a rate change to a missing return. Please share these with us as soon as possible - you may scan the letter or send a photograph - so we can review and advise on any action that may be needed. We have a library of example letters and notices that you can reference here (State Notices)

• I received a notice about another tax account I have, will you take care of that for me?

  • Currently, HOST only supports the Sales and Use Tax type and permits. If you receive a notice regarding another tax type (Franchise Tax, Business Income Tax, Wage Withholding Tax, etc), we recommend you speak with your finance or accounting team, as we will be unable to assist.

• Will you go back and file any outstanding returns for me?

  • Our team will not proactively seek out or file any outstanding overdue/historical returns for you. If you receive a notice from the state or are aware that you have outstanding returns, reach out to us and we’ll be happy to assist with setting up a historical return project for you.

• I was previously using another third-party tax preparer to file my sales tax returns and I just received a notice from them that they will be filing my returns, what should I do?

  • It is important that you cancel any third party filing service before HOST begins filing your returns. In many cases, we will not have the visibility to see if a return has already been filed on your behalf, prior to our submissions. If you do not cancel your previous sales tax service, you risk having your returns filed and paid twice. This will lead to follow up from the states and difficulty recovering your funds.

• I am trying to log into a state portal to check on my account but I am receiving a notification that my login credentials are invalid, or it is sending the 2-Factor Authentication email to a HOST email address, what should I do?

  • If you are having difficulty accessing your state accounts, please reach out to us at [email protected]. Occasionally, states will require us to update your password upon logging in to file your returns. We will be able to provide you with the most up-to-date login information that we have.
  • If you are having difficulty receiving your 2FA email, please let us know and we’ll coordinate a time to get you the security code you need.