How to Handle Sales Tax for Brochure Fundraisers

What you should know about sales tax before you start your sale.

Some states require the payment of sales tax for brochure sales. To make money collection easier, some school fundraising companies offer the option of using a higher-priced brochure to help cover the tax. The tax-included brochure offers the same items as a regular brochure.

For instance, an item typically selling for $9.50 may be increased to $10.00 in the tax-included brochure. The price difference helps pay the tax so the group can keep more profit.

Although sales tax rates vary by state and city or county, this method has been proven to help. The price difference is only meant to help offset the tax burden and is not an exact calculated tax.

The group is still responsible for paying the tax, which usually appears itemized on their invoice and is based on the group's local tax rate. The company then pays it, on the group's behalf, to their state tax office.

What follows is an example of how the sales tax would be calculated using 40% profit on a $10.00 item, with an 8% sales tax rate:

Using a Tax-Included Fundraising Brochure

• $10.00 is the list price shown in the brochure based on retail plus tax. The seller collects this amount.
• $ 9.20 is the retail amount used as a baseline to calculate the group's profit and invoice ($10.00 - $0.80).
• $ 3.68 is the profit to the group (40% of $9.20).

Therefore, the total amount due is $6.32 ($9.20 + $0.80 to cover the tax - $3.68).

Selling with a Brochure without Tax Included

Another option is to have the buyer pay the regular price in the brochure and then add the sales tax. One would use a regular brochure with slightly lower pricing in this case. However, the salesperson must collect additional tax on the item. So if the retail amount were $9.50, sellers would collect an additional $0.76 for $10.26. Profit would be calculated based on the $9.50 retail price.

• $ 9.50 is the list price shown in the brochure based on retail only.
• $ 3.80 profit to the group (40% of $9.50).
• $ 5.70 would be due on the invoice ($9.50 - $3.80).
• $ 0.76 tax is due on $9.50 (8% of $9.50).
• $ 10.26 would need to be collected by the seller, which would be the retail amount plus the tax.

Therefore, the total amount due is $6.46 ($5.70 + $0.76).

This assumes that the state collects tax on the retail price. Some states collect based on the wholesale amount.

For more information, see our brochure fundraising tax guide.

Some Brochure Items Are Not Taxed

Every state varies when it comes to sales tax with fundraisers. Items such as cookie dough or frozen food are not usually taxed; however, other items, such as chocolate, may not always be tax-free.

We recommend checking with your state to confirm your state's tax laws. Depending on the state, you may be allowed to submit a tax-exempt certificate or provide a tax-exempt number to the company instead of paying the tax.

See our brochure fundraisers.

Author Bio

Clay Boggess has been designing fundraising programs for schools and various nonprofit organizations throughout the US since 1999. He’s helped administrators, teachers, and outside support entities such as PTAs and PTOs raise millions of dollars. Clay is an owner and partner at Big Fundraising Ideas.