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Ask HN: How do you handle VAT / Sales Tax accounting as B2C SaaS?

97 points throw_1VJ51pMb | 6 comments | 08 Mar 25 08:57 UTC | HN request time: 1.02s | source | bottom

Hey! I run a B2C SaaS and I use Stripe for all of my sales (subscriptions).

I am looking to learn how others handle their VAT / Sales Tax filing.

I know that the standard answer would be to use Paddle / LemonSqueezy / Polar.sh, but I already have a lot of subscribers on Stripe which makes quick migration non-trivial.

I am especially looking for some reliable accounting companies / accountants that can register and file Sales Tax across US, UK, Canada, Australia, etc. (It does not have to be a global solution).

It's my understanding that solutions like Stripe Tax, Alavara, Quaderno, etc. only help collect the necessary data (which I consider the easier part, at least for digital goods), but do not handle the registration & filing (though I've learned that Quaderno will support filing Sales Tax in the US on your behalf soon).

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Some jurisdictions are relatively easy to handle (for example, one can handle whole EU by uploading a simple CSV [1] once a quarter and the CSV is easy to generate from Stripe's records).

But unfortunately there are tons of others that are much more complicated and scattered -- for example, due to the economic nexus laws in the US, I now have to file Sales Tax in each individual state where I am over the threshold (and many states have thresholds in low hundreds of transactions, so it's not hard to reach).

[1]: https://www.elster.de/bportal/helpGlobal?themaGlobal=osseust_import

[2]: If you do not feel comfortable commenting here, you can also reach out at z2qmk@pekoi.com (temporary email)

1. andsoitis ◴[08 Mar 25 09:07 UTC] No.43298697[source]▶
Sounds like you need an accountant.
replies(3): >>43298744 #>>43338683 #>>43345129 #
2. throw_1VJ51pMb ◴[08 Mar 25 09:18 UTC] No.43298744[source]▶
That's exactly I am looking for. But I had some less than ideal experiences before, so I thought it might be a good idea to try to crowd-source some vetted options.

It's also unlikely that a single accountant will be comfortable filing taxes in all of the jurisdictions (or maybe I will be pleasantly surprised).

replies(1): >>43338053 #
3. imarkphillips ◴[11 Mar 25 23:02 UTC] No.43338053[source]▶
You're right. Most accountants make their money from local businesses. And global accounting firms charge the earth. It's easier to separate You're bookkeeping from your (expensive) accountants who are better set for strategic advice.
4. jwr ◴[12 Mar 25 00:29 UTC] No.43338683[source]▶
An accountant that will quickly determine the VAT/sales-tax to charge on each transaction presented to the customer? :-)

Accounting is important, but it's not the solution to the OP's problem. There are also questions of costs and efficiency, especially since we are talking about low-margin B2C sales.

replies(1): >>43339397 #
5. notpushkin ◴[12 Mar 25 02:37 UTC] No.43339397[source]▶
An accountant plus Stripe Tax? Or just a CSV with tax rates imported into Stripe, if you don’t feel like paying additional % per transaction.

MoR are great if you want absolutely no liability whatsoever, but especially considering there is no way for other countries to check you’re paying the right amount, I think doing it yourself isn’t too risky. (Not doing it is also a possibility.)

6. AlchemistCamp ◴[12 Mar 25 16:46 UTC] No.43345129[source]▶
Sounds like bad news for new entrepreneurs building a business on the side or for anyone who wants economic dynamism.

You shouldn't need to hire a high-priced professional just to sell a thing on the internet. That kind of friction just makes everyone poorer.