If Shopify files your sales tax returns, you need to arrange for someone else to take over.
Shopify is ending its automated filing service after completing covered returns for sales through December 31, 2026. New York has a special final quarterly period extending through February 2027.
Shopify Tax will still calculate sales tax at checkout and provide tax reports. It will stop filing returns and sending the payments after your final covered return.
Your store could keep collecting tax while nobody is filing the returns or paying the states. That is the gap you want to avoid.
Does This Affect Your Business?
First, confirm who files your sales tax returns.
If you already file them yourself, use your accountant, or have an outside filing service, you may not need to change anything.
Seeing sales tax charged at checkout does not tell you who files the return. Check your actual filing records.
When Does Shopify Stop Filing?
The final filing date depends on your state and filing schedule.
A December monthly return or an October–December quarterly return generally comes due in January 2027. Shopify says it will complete those covered filings. For New York quarterly filers, its final return covers December 2026 through February 2027 and is due in March.
For each state, identify the last return Shopify will file and the first return your replacement will handle. You do not want a missed return—or two services filing the same one.
What Are Your Options?
You can file directly with the states, have your accountant handle it, or use a sales tax filing service.
If you file in one state, doing it yourself may be manageable. If you have monthly returns in several states, outsourcing may make more sense.
Shopify identifies Numeral and Zamp as transition options, although you can use another provider.
Eddie, who leads our ecommerce accounting work, has been recommending Numeral to clients and likes the service. It is worth considering if you want help with filings and registrations.
Compare the Cost Based on Your Business
Ask for pricing based on the states where you file, how often you file, and all the sales channels you use.
Numeral currently publishes standard pricing of $75 per return and $150 per state registration. At that rate, five states filed monthly would cost $4,500 a year. The same five states filed quarterly would cost $1,500. Confirm the pricing that applies to your business.
Also ask whether the service handles local returns, state notices, and marketplace sales. You do not want to remit tax a marketplace has already paid.
Save Your Records and Set Up the Handoff
Download your filed returns and supporting reports. Shopify says its automated filing records will be available through April 30, 2027.
Give the new provider your filing history, state registrations, filing schedules, and any unresolved notices. Confirm who handles each upcoming return.
This is also a good time to review whether your state registrations still match your business activities, including where you hold inventory. Keep income tax exposure on the list, too. A sales tax filing service does not settle that separate question.
You have time to make the change. Use it to get the next filing arrangement in place before a return is missed.