Economic nexus laws by state: Tennessee
by October 13, 2023
Please note: This blog was originally published in 2019. It’s since been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
State laws on economic nexus vary and it can be hard to keep up if you’re doing business in multiple states. We’ve done the research for you and here’s all the information you need to know about economic nexus in Tennessee.
What is economic nexus in Tennessee?
With the recent South Dakota v. Wayfair Supreme Court ruling in favor of South Dakota, states are now free to pursue sales tax from e-commerce businesses who have a”significant presence” in their state.
Significant presence or “nexus” was previously defined as having a physical presence (ex: brick & mortar store, employee or inventory in a fulfillment center like FBA). But with this recent ruling, this definition has been expanded to include economic activity in a state as well. This concept of triggering sales tax responsibility because of your economic activity in a state is now referred to as economic nexus.
Most importantly, what this means is that if you pass a state’s economic threshold for total revenue in that state and/or number of transactions in that state, you’re now legally required to register, collect and remit sales tax for that state.
What’s the threshold for economic nexus law in Tennessee?
- State: Tennessee
- Threshold: As of October 1, 2020, sales into the state exceeding $100,000 in the previous 12 months
- Summary: According to the state, sellers with sales exceeding the threshold are required to register for a Tennessee sales tax permit, collect sales tax on sales that ship into Tennessee, and remit sales tax back to the state.
- Full text: You can read about Tennessee’s economic nexus law here.
When did this Tennessee law go into effect?
October 1, 2019; The threshold fell from $500,000 to $100,000 on October 1, 2020
I’m close to meeting the economic nexus threshold for Tennessee. Will TaxJar notify me when I reach it?
With TaxJar’s Economic Nexus Insights Dashboard, you can see where you currently have nexus, where you’re approaching nexus, and recommended next steps on how to begin complying with sales tax in all states.
Proactive notifications let you know when you’re approaching or have reached thresholds, so you can stay in front of any changes to your nexus requirements. To be automatically notified when your business reaches economic nexus in a state, get started at TaxJar.com/how-it-works.
I meet the economic threshold requirement in Tennessee. Now what?
Here’s a quick checklist of what to do next:
- Register for a sales tax permit in Tennessee (info below)
- Choose a technology like TaxJar to help you manage multi-state compliance. Sign up for a free 30-day trial to see how we can help you save time.
- Connect TaxJar once to all of the places you sell
- Ensure all your e-commerce channels are setup correctly to collect sales tax
- Enroll in AutoFile and tell us how often you need to file
- Relax, you now handled your sales tax exposure. We’ll handle the rest for you.
Can you help me register for a sales tax permit?
Certainly! TaxJar offers these two options:
- Read our do it yourself instructions for every state
- Visit our registration page to request TaxJar manage your Tennessee registration for you
Who can handle my Tennessee sales tax filings for me?
At TaxJar, we help more than 20,000 sellers manage their sales tax needs every month. We help your business save on submitting your returns with our automated filing service called AutoFile. Read more about how AutoFile can handle all of your returns in as many states as you’d like.
I’ve met this threshold in Tennessee, now where can I ask questions?
We recommend speaking with a vetted sales tax expert to answer specific questions for your business.
Ready to automate sales tax? To learn more about TaxJar and get started, visit TaxJar.com/how-it-works.
