Scope: This memo is intended to provide general guidance on how state income tax return filing requirements are determined and to provide an explanation of the Economic Presence standard which several states are now using to determine if a business entity has a tax return filing requirement in that state. Vertical Advisors (VA) determines state tax return filing requirements based on information provided to us from our clients. However, the historic state income tax filing requirements are based on the general standard as described below but each business will ALSO need to decide whether state filing requirements under the Economic Presence standard should be considered. VA is available to be engaged to review income tax filing requirements for our clients.
General Standard: There are multiple factors that affect state tax return filing requirements. This memo is meant to provide a general overview. A detailed analysis of state tax attributes would be needed to fully understand the state tax return filing requirements for a particular business. Attributes that are considered when determining state tax return filing requirements are as follows:
- Sales by state
- Wages by state (could also include vendor or independent contractors)
- Fixed assets by state
Historically, when a business has two or more of the attributes listed above, a state tax return would be required for that state. However, several states are now using the more aggressive Economic Presence standard which can cause a state tax return filing requirement even if only one attribute exists which is usually sales in that state.
Economic Presence Standard: Under the Economic Presence standard, a state tax return may be required if any one of the following conditions exists:
- Any income derived in the state
- Sales in the state exceeding certain threshold
- Licensed intangible properties in the state
- Doing business or seeking profits in the state
The Economic Presence standard is not new and approximately 43 states currently have an Economic Presence standard. Although the Economic Presence standard has existed for years, the states were not aggressively enforcing tax return filing requirements under this standard. However, due mainly to the growth of the e-commerce industry, it is now common for a company to transact business in several states in which the only connection to that state may be the sales with no actual physical presence in that state. Under the general standard, without a physical presence in the state, there was no state return filing requirement and thus the states could not assess income tax on businesses that had only sales in those states.
Under Economic Presence, the sales alone can cause a tax return filing requirement. Since each state defines Economic Presence standard differently, a detailed analysis by state would be required to understand the possible state tax return filing requirements under the Economic Presence standard.
Conclusion: As mentioned earlier, Vertical Advisors reviews state tax return filing requirements consistent with the general standard and information provided by our clients. However, since states are becoming more aggressive in applying the Economic Presence standard, each business will need to decide if they want to retain us to consider their specific income tax return filing requirement, allocate their internal resources, or to disregard the laws. We recommend a diligent review of income tax return filing requirements annually.
We feel it makes sense to review state tax return filing requirements under the Economic Presence standard and the general standard approach. Ignoring state tax return filing requirements under the Economic Presence standard can result in tax notices, possible penalties and examinations. However, since not all states are aggressively applying the Economic Presence standard, a business will need to balance the risk of not filing against the cost of preparing possibly several state tax returns. For more information on how state income tax filing requirements including the Economic Presence test may affect your business, please contact us.
