Nexus Detective · Free sales tax nexus checker · 51 jurisdictions
Which states can tax your sales? Compare your numbers to the real thresholds.
Since Wayfair, a state can make you collect sales tax once your sales into it pass a published threshold, even with no office there. Add the states you sell into, enter your last twelve months of sales, and see for each one whether you are over, close, or clear, what the free registration path is, and whether your company itself must register. The verdict is instant; the email is optional.
| Tier | States | Sales threshold | Transaction test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard tier | Most sales-tax states | $100,000 a year | 200 in some states, none in a growing number |
| $250,000 tier | Alabama, Mississippi | $250,000 a year | None |
| $500,000 tier | California, Texas, New York | $500,000 a year | New York also counts 100 transactions |
| Transaction test repealed | 17 states, including AK, CA, CO, IL, KY, NC, UT, WA, WY | Dollar threshold only | Repealed 2024 to 2026 |
| No statewide sales tax | NH, OR, MT, DE, and Alaska | None to register for | Alaska cities apply a $100,000 local threshold |
Tiers summarised from the per-state table the checker uses (data/nexus-thresholds.json, each row dated and sourced), cross-checked against the Sales Tax Institute state guide and Avalara's list of repealed transaction tests. Education, not tax advice.
Sources: Avalara, states eliminating transaction thresholds · Streamlined Sales Tax, SSTRS · TaxJar and TaxCloud published pricing · each state's revenue department, linked per state below
The checker
Add your states, enter your sales, read the verdict
Type a state or tap it on the map. For each one, enter what you sold into that state over the last twelve months and whether you have inventory, people, or an office there. Marketplace sales count toward the threshold in most states, so include them.
We never determine your nexus. The checker shows each state's published threshold next to the number you typed. A CPA or the state can confirm the list; sourced reference information, not legal or tax advice.
Which states? Anywhere you ship to customers in volume, anywhere Amazon FBA or another marketplace stores your inventory, and anywhere you have employees, contractors, or an office.
Your verdict
ExampleA seller permit lets you collect sales tax. Foreign qualification registers your LLC or corporation itself with that state's Secretary of State; states expect it when you have inventory, people, or an office there. Different filings, different offices.
What the calculators get wrong
Five things a threshold number does not tell you
Most free nexus calculators stop at "over or under". These are the details that change the answer, and the checker above flags the ones that apply to your states.
Marketplace sales usually count
Amazon or Etsy may collect the tax on marketplace orders, but in most states those sales still count toward your threshold, and marketplace inventory stored in a state can be physical presence on its own. Enter your total sales into the state, not just the ones you invoice yourself.
Alaska is the classic wrong answer
Alaska has no statewide sales tax, so generic tools mark it clear. Its cities and boroughs run a shared remote-seller program with its own $100,000 threshold. If you ship real volume to Anchorage or Juneau, it is not clear.
SSTRS is free, and it commits you
One Streamlined registration can cover up to 24 states in a single pass at no charge. It also creates a return-filing duty in every state you tick, including $0 returns. Tick only the states where you actually crossed a threshold or have presence.
Nexus is not foreign qualification
Crossing a sales threshold means you collect sales tax in that state. It does not, by itself, mean your LLC must register with that state's Secretary of State. Inventory, employees, or an office usually do. The checker separates the two, and we file only the second one.
Nexus lingers after sales fall
Several states keep you registered for the rest of the year and the following year after you cross, even if sales drop. Dropping below the line does not end the duty; check the state's rule before you stop collecting.
The measurement period differs
Some states look at the previous calendar year, some at the previous or current year, a few at a rolling twelve months. The checker labels each state's period so you compare the right window, not just the right number.
What to do with an "over"
Three moves, in this order
- Register for the seller permit, free, at the stateEvery row links the official revenue department. Most states charge nothing; a few charge $10 to $100. If the state is a Streamlined member, one SSTRS registration can cover it with the others you crossed. Our sales tax permit guide by state has each rule and portal.
- Start collecting from the date the state saysSome states want collection from the next transaction, others give a grace period. The registration confirmation tells you; do not backdate on your own.
- If you have inventory, people, or an office there, foreign-qualify the companyThat is the Secretary of State filing, separate from the permit. We file it for $120 plus the state fee, quoted live before you pay, and a registered agent in that state is $74.25 a year.
Forming the company first? Our guides cover the permits, product rules and 1099-K reporting for an ecommerce LLC and an Amazon FBA LLC.
FAQ
Questions sellers ask about nexus
How do I know if I have sales tax nexus in a state?
Two ways. Physical presence: inventory, employees, contractors, or an office in the state. Economic presence: your sales into the state passed its published threshold, usually $100,000 in a year, higher in a few states. The checker above shows the threshold for each state you add, dated and sourced, so you can compare your own numbers. It does not decide for you.
What is the $100,000 sales tax rule?
After the 2018 Wayfair decision, states adopted "economic nexus" laws: sell more than a set amount into the state and you must register and collect, office or not. Most states set the line at $100,000 of sales in a year; Alabama and Mississippi use $250,000; California, Texas, and New York use $500,000. Some states also had a 200-transaction test, and 17 have now repealed it.
Do Amazon, Etsy, or Shopify sales count toward the threshold?
Marketplace sales (Amazon, Etsy, eBay, Walmart) are collected by the marketplace, but in most states they still count toward your threshold. Shopify is not a marketplace; those are your own sales and you collect. Shopify Tax calculates and collects only where you are already registered; it cannot register you with a state.
Which states no longer have a 200-transaction threshold?
As of August 2026: Alaska, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming use a dollar threshold only. The checker shows the repeal date on each of those rows, and the count test where it still applies.
Which states have no sales tax?
New Hampshire, Oregon, Montana, and Delaware have no state sales tax. Alaska has no statewide tax either, but its local governments run a shared remote-seller program with a $100,000 threshold, so it is not automatically clear.
Do I need to foreign qualify my LLC if I have sales tax nexus?
Not because of the sales threshold alone. Foreign qualification registers your company with the state's Secretary of State and is usually expected when you have inventory, employees, or an office there. Crossing a sales threshold means you collect sales tax; it does not, by itself, require the Secretary of State filing. The checker shows both lines separately for each state.
What happens if I do not register after crossing the threshold?
The tax you should have collected becomes your own liability, plus penalties and interest, and states can look back several years once they find you. Many states offer voluntary disclosure programs that limit the look-back if you come forward first. A CPA can tell you whether one applies.
How long do I have to register after crossing?
It varies. Some states expect you to register and collect from the next sale after you cross; others give until the first day of the following month or quarter. The state's remote-seller page, linked on each row, states the rule. When in doubt, register as soon as you cross.
Do wholesale or exempt sales count toward the threshold?
In most states, yes: the threshold measures gross sales into the state, including sales that would be exempt once you are registered. A few states measure taxable or retail sales only. The checker labels the basis each state uses so you count the right sales.
Is this legal or tax advice?
No. Vermilion Vitez is software for filing, not a law firm or tax firm. Every threshold here is sourced and dated, and the checker only puts your own numbers next to the published rule. Confirm your list with a CPA or the state before you act. We file foreign qualifications; we do not file seller-permit registrations or sales tax returns.
A state finds out eventually. Find out first.
Add your states, type your sales, and see the verdict with the source next to it. Register free where you crossed, and file the company registration only where you must.
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