Small Business Help Center

Sellers Permit

What is a Sellers Permit?

A Seller's Permit, also known as a Sales Tax License, Wholesale License, Resale License, Sales Tax Certification and Retail License is a permit to sell or lease tangible (taxable) goods. You will need one to sell goods at the wholesale or retail level and to collect sales tax.

Do I need a Sellers Permit?

If your business sells or leases tangible goods or participates in the creation of tangible goods, you need a Seller's Permit. For example, if you make a watch for a specific customer, you are creating tangible personal property. Therefore, the total amount you charge for the watch (including the charge for labor) would be taxable. However, labor costs for making repairs are not taxable since they do not result in the creation of tangible personal property (however any sale on new parts required for the repairs would be taxable).

How long does it take to obtain a Sellers Permit?

The State Board of Equalization takes approximately two weeks to issue a Permit that Signature Filing has filed. If you need your Permit sooner than two weeks, simply select the 'Application Preparation Only' option and we will provide you with detailed instructions on how to obtain your Permit in as little as one day.

I could just go file the application myself, why do I need Signature Filing?

Filing for a Seller's Permit can be done by downloading the forms and doing it yourself. However, most people either do not have the time or do not know how, or where, to obtain a Sellers Permit. Rather than researching the filing process, locating the forms, filling them out correctly, and figuring out how and where to file them, our customers can spend 15 minutes answering a few simple questions and rest assured the filing process will go smoothly.

There are only a handful of field offices in California and not everyone lives near one, or has the time to drive to one, which means they must file by mail. The turn around time is two weeks and if the application is rejected that means at least another two weeks, before a customer can start doing business. The application is complicated and the State Board of Equalization does not hesitate to reject an application on semantics. Our software and directions ensure the Seller's Permit application is filled out correctly with minimal chance of rejection.

The service for which we are charging is our ability to bring together all aspects of the process and allow our customers to focus on their business rather than bureaucratic paperwork.