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openaccountants/skills/california-sales-tax.md
california-sales-tax.md417 lines18.1 KB
v20California
1---
2name: california-sales-tax
3description: Use this skill whenever asked about California sales and use tax, CDTFA filings, California district taxes, California exemptions, California nexus, or any request involving California state sales and use tax compliance. Trigger on phrases like "California sales tax", "CA sales tax", "CDTFA", "CDTFA-401", "district tax", "California use tax", "California resale certificate", or any request involving California sales and use tax classification, filing, or compliance. ALWAYS read this skill before touching any California sales tax work.
4version: 2.0
5---
6 
7# California Sales and Use Tax Skill v2.0
8 
9## Section 1 -- Quick reference
10 
11| Field | Value |
12|---|---|
13| Jurisdiction | California, United States |
14| Jurisdiction code | US-CA |
15| Tax type | Sales and Use Tax + District Taxes |
16| State base rate | 7.25% (minimum statewide) |
17| Local add-on range | 0.10% -- 3.25% district taxes |
18| Maximum combined rate | ~10.25% -- 10.75% (parts of Los Angeles, Alameda) |
19| Sourcing | Destination-based (district taxes by ship-to address) |
20| Economic nexus | $500,000 in total sales (revenue only, no transaction count) |
21| Nexus test type | Revenue only -- highest threshold tied with Texas |
22| Primary legislation | California Revenue and Taxation Code (R&TC), Division 2, Part 1 |
23| Tax authority | California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) |
24| Filing portal | https://onlineservices.cdtfa.ca.gov |
25| SST member | No |
26| Return form | CDTFA-401-A (quarterly/monthly); CDTFA-401-EZ (small sellers) |
27| Filing frequencies | Monthly, quarterly, annual (assigned by CDTFA) |
28| Quarterly deadlines | Last day of month following quarter (Apr 30, Jul 31, Oct 31, Jan 31) |
29| Prepayment | Required if average monthly tax liability exceeds $17,000 |
30| Vendor discount | None -- California does not offer a vendor collection allowance |
31| Federal framework skill | us-sales-tax (read first for Wayfair, nexus overview, multi-state context) |
32| Skill version | 2.0 |
33 
34---
35 
36## Section 2 -- Required inputs and refusal catalogue
37 
38### Required inputs
39 
40Before performing any California sales tax work, collect the following:
41 
42| # | Question | Why it matters |
43|---|----------|----------------|
44| 1 | California Seller's Permit number? | Required for filing; confirms registration with CDTFA |
45| 2 | Assigned filing frequency (monthly, quarterly, annual)? | Determines return due dates and prepayment requirements |
46| 3 | Nexus type (physical, economic, both)? | $500,000 threshold for economic nexus |
47| 4 | Sell through marketplace facilitators (Amazon, eBay, Etsy)? | Marketplace facilitators collect on facilitated sales |
48| 5 | Primary business address / point of sale location? | Needed for district tax rate determination on counter sales |
49| 6 | Ship goods to California customers? From where? | Destination-based sourcing for district taxes |
50| 7 | Sell food, software/SaaS, or manufacturing equipment? | Special exemption or taxability rules |
51| 8 | Average monthly tax liability exceed $17,000? | Prepayments due 24th of first and second month of quarter |
52 
53**If the client cannot answer questions 1-3, STOP and gather this information before proceeding.**
54 
55### Refusal catalogue
56 
57**R-CA-1 -- Cannabis taxation.** Cannabis excise tax and cultivation tax have separate compliance requirements outside this skill. Escalate to a licensed tax professional.
58 
59**R-CA-2 -- Fuel and motor vehicle tax.** Fuel excise taxes and motor vehicle fee-for-service are administered separately. Outside scope.
60 
61**R-CA-3 -- Timber yield tax.** Separate tax regime. Outside scope.
62 
63---
64 
65## Section 3 -- Transaction pattern library
66 
67This is the deterministic taxability lookup. When a transaction matches a pattern below, apply the listed treatment. Do not second-guess.
68 
69### 3.1 Tangible personal property (TPP)
70 
71| Pattern | Taxable? | Rate | Notes |
72|---|---|---|---|
73| General TPP (electronics, furniture, appliances, equipment, jewelry, sporting goods, office supplies) | TAXABLE | 7.25% + district | R&TC Section 6051 |
74| Building materials | TAXABLE | 7.25% + district | |
75| Vehicles (private party) | TAXABLE | 7.25% + district | Separate use tax filing via DMV |
76 
77### 3.2 Food and beverages
78 
79| Pattern | Taxable? | Citation |
80|---|---|---|
81| Grocery food (cold, unheated, for off-premises consumption) | EXEMPT | R&TC Section 6359 |
82| Hot prepared food | TAXABLE | R&TC Section 6359(d)(2) |
83| Food sold with eating utensils by vendor | TAXABLE | R&TC Section 6359(d)(1) |
84| Food sold at restaurants (dine-in or to-go if heated) | TAXABLE | R&TC Section 6359 |
85| Carbonated beverages / soft drinks | TAXABLE | R&TC Section 6359(c) |
86| Candy | TAXABLE | R&TC Section 6359(c) |
87| Bottled water (non-carbonated, non-flavored) | EXEMPT | |
88| Alcoholic beverages | TAXABLE | |
89| Snack foods (chips, crackers -- cold, unheated) | EXEMPT | Treated as grocery food |
90| Dietary supplements | EXEMPT | R&TC Section 6359(c) |
91| Ice | EXEMPT | |
92 
93### 3.3 Clothing and footwear
94 
95| Pattern | Taxable? | Notes |
96|---|---|---|
97| All clothing and footwear | TAXABLE | California has NO clothing exemption |
98| No sales tax holiday | N/A | California does not hold sales tax holidays |
99 
100### 3.4 SaaS and digital goods
101 
102| Pattern | Taxable? | Notes |
103|---|---|---|
104| Canned software (physical media) | TAXABLE | TPP -- R&TC Section 6010.9 |
105| Canned software (electronic download with permanent right) | TAXABLE | Regulation 1502.1 |
106| Custom software (delivered electronically) | EXEMPT | Not TPP per Regulation 1502.1(a)(3) |
107| SaaS (cloud-hosted, no download, no transfer of TPP) | NOT TAXABLE | No transfer of TPP; CDTFA has not taxed pure SaaS |
108| Streaming services (no download) | NOT TAXABLE | No transfer of TPP |
109| Digital music/movies/books (permanent download) | TAXABLE | Transfer of TPP equivalent |
110| Digital music/movies/books (streaming only) | NOT TAXABLE | |
111 
112### 3.5 Services
113 
114| Pattern | Taxable? | Notes |
115|---|---|---|
116| Professional services (legal, accounting, consulting, medical, engineering) | NOT TAXABLE | Not a sale of TPP |
117| Repair labor (separately stated from parts) | NOT TAXABLE | Labor separately stated is exempt |
118| Repair parts | TAXABLE | TPP |
119| Fabrication labor (producing a new product to customer spec) | TAXABLE | Fabrication labor is taxable; R&TC Section 6006(b) |
120| Installation labor (after sale of TPP, separately stated) | NOT TAXABLE | If separately stated |
121| Telecommunications | Separate taxes | Subject to utility users tax, not standard sales tax |
122 
123### 3.6 Manufacturing and industrial
124 
125| Pattern | Taxable? | Notes |
126|---|---|---|
127| Manufacturing equipment (used directly in manufacturing) | PARTIAL EXEMPTION | R&TC Section 6377.1 -- state rate reduced; district tax may still apply |
128| R&D equipment | PARTIAL EXEMPTION | Same partial exemption program |
129| Utilities for manufacturing | PARTIAL EXEMPTION | Same program |
130| Farm equipment and machinery | PARTIAL EXEMPTION | R&TC Section 6356.5 |
131| Raw materials/ingredients for manufactured products | EXEMPT (resale) | Purchased for resale as component of finished product |
132 
133### 3.7 Common exemptions
134 
135| Pattern | Exempt? | Citation |
136|---|---|---|
137| Resale (valid resale certificate) | EXEMPT | R&TC Section 6091 |
138| Interstate commerce (shipped out of state) | EXEMPT | R&TC Section 6396 |
139| US government purchases | EXEMPT | R&TC Section 6381 |
140| California state/local government | EXEMPT | R&TC Section 6381.5 |
141| Prescription medicine | EXEMPT | R&TC Section 6369 |
142| OTC drugs and medicine | TAXABLE | No OTC exemption in California |
143| Newspapers and periodicals | EXEMPT | R&TC Section 6362 |
144| Containers and packaging (for resale goods) | EXEMPT | R&TC Section 6364 |
145 
146---
147 
148## Section 4 -- Rate lookup
149 
150### 4.1 State rate components
151 
152| Component | Rate |
153|---|---|
154| State General Fund | 3.9375% |
155| State Fiscal Recovery Fund | 0.25% |
156| Local Revenue Fund (county) | 1.0625% |
157| Local Public Safety Fund | 0.50% |
158| County Transportation Fund | 0.25% |
159| State Education Protection Account | 0.25% |
160| Proposition 30/55 Fund | 1.00% |
161| **Total statewide minimum** | **7.25%** |
162 
163### 4.2 Key combined rates
164 
165| Jurisdiction | Combined rate | Breakdown |
166|---|---|---|
167| Los Angeles (City) | ~10.25% | 7.25% + 2.25% + 0.75% district |
168| San Francisco | ~8.625% | 7.25% + 1.375% district |
169| San Jose | ~9.375% | 7.25% + 2.125% district |
170| San Diego (City) | ~7.75% | 7.25% + 0.50% district |
171| Sacramento (City) | ~8.75% | 7.25% + 1.50% district |
172| Oakland | ~10.25% | 7.25% + 3.00% district |
173| Fresno | ~8.975% | 7.25% + 1.725% district |
174 
175### 4.3 District tax sourcing
176 
177| Scenario | Rate applied |
178|---|---|
179| Shipped goods | District tax at delivery address (destination-based) |
180| Counter sales / customer pickup | Rate at seller's location |
181| Out-of-state seller shipping to CA | District tax at delivery address |
182 
183**Always use CDTFA rate lookup tool for exact rate: https://www.cdtfa.ca.gov/taxes-and-fees/rates.aspx**
184 
185---
186 
187## Section 5 -- Classification rules
188 
189### 5.1 General rule
190 
191California imposes sales tax on the retail sale of tangible personal property unless a specific exemption applies. R&TC Section 6051. Services are generally NOT taxable unless they involve fabrication of a new product or transfer of TPP.
192 
193### 5.2 Partial exemption for manufacturing (M&E)
194 
195| Parameter | Detail |
196|---|---|
197| Scope | Machinery, equipment, and parts used primarily (50%+) in manufacturing, R&D, or electric power generation |
198| Benefit | State portion partially exempted; buyer pays reduced state rate + full district tax |
199| Certificate | CDTFA-230-M (Partial Exemption Certificate for Manufacturing) |
200| Authority | R&TC Section 6377.1 |
201 
202### 5.3 Resale exemption
203 
204| Parameter | Detail |
205|---|---|
206| Certificate | CDTFA-230 (Resale Certificate) |
207| Requirement | Buyer must hold California Seller's Permit or be an out-of-state retailer |
208| MTC certificate | Accepted |
209| SST certificate | California is NOT an SST member |
210| Blanket certificates | Permitted for ongoing purchases |
211 
212### 5.4 Use tax
213 
214| Rule | Detail |
215|---|---|
216| When applies | TPP purchased from out-of-state seller without CA tax; TPP purchased tax-free and diverted to taxable use |
217| Rate | Same as sales tax rate at location of use |
218| Credit | Credit for tax paid to other states (R&TC Section 6406) |
219| Individual reporting | Schedule G on Form 540 (income tax return) |
220 
221---
222 
223## Section 6 -- Return form and filing
224 
225### 6.1 Filing forms
226 
227| Form | Name | Use |
228|---|---|---|
229| CDTFA-401-A | Sales and Use Tax Return | Standard return |
230| CDTFA-401-EZ | Short Form | Small sellers with no adjustments |
231| CDTFA-531 | Schedule of District Taxes | District tax detail (auto-populated online) |
232 
233### 6.2 Filing frequency
234 
235| Frequency | Criteria | Due date |
236|---|---|---|
237| Quarterly | Most sellers | Last day of month following quarter |
238| Monthly | Tax liability > assigned threshold | Last day of following month |
239| Annual | Very small sellers | January 31 |
240 
241### 6.3 Quarterly due dates
242 
243| Quarter | Period | Due date |
244|---|---|---|
245| Q1 | January 1 -- March 31 | April 30 |
246| Q2 | April 1 -- June 30 | July 31 |
247| Q3 | July 1 -- September 30 | October 31 |
248| Q4 | October 1 -- December 31 | January 31 |
249 
250### 6.4 Prepayment requirements
251 
252| Parameter | Value |
253|---|---|
254| Threshold | Average monthly tax liability exceeds $17,000 |
255| Due dates | 24th of first and second month of each quarter |
256| Amount | At least 90% of actual liability for the month |
257 
258---
259 
260## Section 7 -- Thresholds, penalties, and deadlines
261 
262### 7.1 Economic nexus
263 
264| Parameter | Value |
265|---|---|
266| Revenue threshold | $500,000 in total sales delivered to California |
267| Transaction threshold | None -- revenue only |
268| Measurement period | Preceding or current calendar year |
269| Effective date | April 1, 2019 |
270| Sales included | Total sales, including exempt sales |
271| Marketplace exclusion | Marketplace sales facilitated by a marketplace provider may count toward threshold |
272| Authority | R&TC Section 6203(c)(4) |
273 
274### 7.2 Marketplace facilitator rules
275 
276| Rule | Detail |
277|---|---|
278| Effective date | October 1, 2019 |
279| Obligation | Marketplace facilitators with $500K in CA sales must collect |
280| Seller relief | Sellers relieved for facilitated sales |
281| Authority | R&TC Section 6042 |
282 
283### 7.3 Penalties and interest
284 
285| Penalty | Rate | Citation |
286|---|---|---|
287| Late filing (1-30 days) | 10% of tax due | R&TC Section 6591 |
288| Late payment | 10% of tax due | R&TC Section 6591 |
289| Negligence | 10% of deficiency | R&TC Section 6484 |
290| Fraud | 25% of deficiency | R&TC Section 6485 |
291| Interest | Adjusted quarterly by CDTFA | R&TC Section 6591.5 |
292 
293### 7.4 Record retention
294 
295| Parameter | Value |
296|---|---|
297| Period | Minimum 4 years from filing date or due date (whichever is later) |
298| Records | Sales invoices, purchase records, exemption certificates, bank statements, POS data, shipping records |
299 
300### 7.5 Statute of limitations
301 
302| Scenario | Period |
303|---|---|
304| Standard assessment | 3 years from filing or due date |
305| Substantial understatement (25%+) | 8 years |
306| No return filed | No limitation |
307| Fraud | No limitation |
308 
309---
310 
311## Section 8 -- Edge cases
312 
313### EC1 -- SaaS vs. downloaded software
314 
315**Situation:** Business purchases software that is partly cloud-based and partly downloaded.
316 
317**Resolution:** If the software requires a download or local installation, the downloaded component is taxable as TPP. If purely accessed through a browser with no download, it is not taxable. Hybrid products require analysis of the primary function.
318 
319### EC2 -- Fabrication labor vs. repair labor
320 
321**Situation:** A shop builds a custom metal part for a customer.
322 
323**Resolution:** Fabrication labor (creating a new product to customer specifications) is TAXABLE under R&TC Section 6006(b). Repair labor (fixing an existing item) is NOT taxable if separately stated from parts. The distinction is whether a new product is being created.
324 
325### EC3 -- Manufacturing partial exemption
326 
327**Situation:** Manufacturer purchases a $100,000 machine used 60% for manufacturing, 40% for administration.
328 
329**Resolution:** Qualifies for partial exemption because manufacturing use exceeds 50%. The state portion is partially exempted. Full district tax still applies at the delivery location rate.
330 
331### EC4 -- Food: grocery vs. prepared
332 
333**Situation:** Bakery sells cold sandwiches and hot soup from the same counter.
334 
335**Resolution:** Cold sandwiches sold without eating utensils provided by the seller are EXEMPT as grocery food. Hot soup is TAXABLE as prepared food. Each item classified separately. If the seller provides eating utensils, all food becomes taxable.
336 
337### EC5 -- Drop shipments
338 
339**Situation:** Out-of-state retailer directs a California manufacturer to ship to a California customer.
340 
341**Resolution:** The California manufacturer must collect tax unless the retailer provides a valid resale certificate. If the retailer is not registered in California, the manufacturer should collect tax on the retail price. Complex area requiring careful certificate management.
342 
343---
344 
345## Section 9 -- Test suite
346 
347### Test 1 -- Basic taxable sale in Los Angeles
348 
349**Input:** Retailer sells a $1,000 TV in Los Angeles. Combined rate: 10.25%.
350**Expected:** Tax = $102.50. Total = $1,102.50.
351 
352### Test 2 -- Grocery food exempt
353 
354**Input:** Customer purchases $200 of cold groceries (produce, dairy, bread) at a supermarket.
355**Expected:** Tax = $0. Grocery food is exempt.
356 
357### Test 3 -- SaaS not taxable
358 
359**Input:** San Francisco business subscribes to cloud-based project management tool. $150/month. No download.
360**Expected:** Not taxable. Pure SaaS without download is not TPP in California.
361 
362### Test 4 -- Economic nexus
363 
364**Input:** Oregon-based online seller has $600,000 in California sales. No physical presence. 50 transactions.
365**Expected:** Exceeds $500,000 threshold. Must register with CDTFA and collect California sales tax.
366 
367### Test 5 -- Clothing fully taxable
368 
369**Input:** Customer buys a $300 jacket in San Francisco. Rate: 8.625%.
370**Expected:** Tax = $25.88. No clothing exemption in California.
371 
372### Test 6 -- Resale certificate
373 
374**Input:** Retailer purchases $15,000 of inventory from a CA wholesaler. Provides valid CDTFA-230.
375**Expected:** No tax. Retailer collects tax at point of resale.
376 
377### Test 7 -- Use tax on out-of-state purchase
378 
379**Input:** Los Angeles business purchases $5,000 of office furniture from an Oregon retailer. No tax collected.
380**Expected:** Use tax = $512.50 ($5,000 x 10.25%).
381 
382### Test 8 -- Hot prepared food
383 
384**Input:** Customer buys a $12 hot meal from a deli counter in Sacramento. Rate: 8.75%.
385**Expected:** Tax = $1.05. Hot prepared food is taxable.
386 
387### Test 9 -- Manufacturing equipment partial exemption
388 
389**Input:** Manufacturer purchases a $200,000 production machine in San Jose. Used 100% in manufacturing.
390**Expected:** Partial exemption applies to state portion. District tax still applies. Effective tax rate is reduced compared to full combined rate.
391 
392### Test 10 -- Canned software download
393 
394**Input:** Business purchases a $500 canned software license via electronic download in San Diego. Rate: 7.75%.
395**Expected:** Tax = $38.75. Downloaded canned software is taxable as TPP.
396 
397---
398 
399## Section 10 -- Prohibitions
400 
401- NEVER apply a clothing exemption in California -- clothing is fully taxable at all times.
402- NEVER treat pure SaaS (cloud-only, no download) as taxable -- California has not extended sales tax to pure SaaS.
403- NEVER confuse fabrication labor (taxable) with repair labor (not taxable if separately stated).
404- NEVER forget district taxes -- the 7.25% state rate is only the minimum; most locations have additional district taxes.
405- NEVER use origin-based sourcing for district taxes -- California is destination-based for district taxes.
406- NEVER assume the manufacturing partial exemption fully eliminates tax -- it reduces the state portion but district taxes still apply.
407- NEVER accept SST certificates in California -- CA is not an SST member.
408- NEVER forget the prepayment requirement for sellers with average monthly liability over $17,000.
409- NEVER treat OTC drugs as exempt -- only prescription medicine is exempt in California.
410- NEVER compute any number -- all arithmetic is handled by the deterministic engine, not Claude.
411 
412---
413 
414## Disclaimer
415 
416This skill is provided for informational and computational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, or financial advice. All outputs must be reviewed by a qualified professional (CPA, EA, or tax attorney) before filing.
417 

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About

Use this skill whenever asked about California sales and use tax, CDTFA filings, California district taxes, California exemptions, California nexus, or any request involving California state sales and use tax compliance. Trigger on phrases like "California sales tax", "CA sales tax", "CDTFA", "CDTFA-401", "district tax", "California use tax", "California resale certificate", or any request involving California sales and use tax classification, filing, or compliance. ALWAYS read this skill before touching any California sales tax work.

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