Beginning Oct.1 with your September return, retailers can go to ONE SPOT to file and remit city, county and state sales, use and lease/rental taxes.

The system, known as the Optional Network Election for Single Point Online Transactions, or ONE SPOT, streamlines tax filing for retailers and other businesses.

Participation by businesses is optional but all governmental entities in the state must accept the returns when accompanied by the approved electronic payment.  In other words, you can continue to file your sales/use/lease tax returns with the individual governments or third-party administrators, but if you use ONE SPOT, the governments and/or their administrator will receive your return and payment. The system was created to save you time and paperwork.

Rather than each business having to use multiple forms and/or multiple websites, the new system allows retailers statewide to handle sales/use/lease taxes for all government entities in one place: the My Alabama Taxes portal on the Alabama Department of Revenue website. In all likelihood, your business has already signed up at myalabamataxes.alabama.gov

In July, taxpayers began using the online system to remit state and many local taxes, including those administered by the state and those for 20 of the counties and cities that serve as their own administrator. As of Oct. 1, sales, use and rental taxes for all localities, no matter who administers those taxes can be filed and remitted through My Alabama Taxes.

On Sept. 10, Alabama Revenue Commissioner Julie Magee and key members of her staff provided ONE SPOT training for more than 200 Alabama Retail Association and Alabama Automobile Dealers Association members via conference call.

If you missed that call, you can listen in here:

Link to audio of the Sept. 11 ONE SPOT call
(Thirty-three minute presentation begins at 18 seconds)

While listening to the call, you will need to follow along with the department’s instructions for using the system, which you can find at:  http://revenue.alabama.gov/salestax/online/NSAinst_Debit.pdf

The instructions linked above are for those who pay their taxes via a debit transaction. Those who pay with Automated Clearinghouse Credit (ACH Credit) can find their instructions at:
http://revenue.alabama.gov/salestax/online/NSAinst_Credit.pdf

To pay your sales/use/lease taxes using ACH Credit, you must be pre-approved by the department.

The Alabama Legislature approved the ONE SPOT system in 2012 with the support of the Alabama Retail Association.

For more information, go to http://revenue.alabama.gov/salestax/ONE_SPOT.cfm

If you need assistance with or have a question about using ONE SPOT, e-mail onespot@revenue.alabama.gov

OR  contact your local Taxpayer Service Center. Contact information for the local taxpayer centers can be found at:  http://revenue.alabama.gov/about-service-centers.cfm

ONE SPOT TIPS

• For those who have multiple stores in multiple jurisdictions, you can import all of your local jurisdictions to populate your return. Find the Download Import Template button, download the template, fill it out and import the completed document and your local return tables will populate automatically.
• It you hit the “Save and Finish Later” button, don’t forget to come back and finish the return.
• If you submit a return before 4 p.m., you can edit the return, change it or withdraw it as long as you do so before 4 p.m. If you find an error after 4 p.m., you must contact the state or locality to amend your return.
• The payment date is editable, so you can have the system debit your account on a specific date in the future up to the due date. If your taxes are delinquent, however, the payment date is not editable.
• For your state return, you will receive a confirmation for your filed return, then a second confirmation when you make your payment, because the return and payment are different steps. For your local returns, you will receive one confirmation because filing and remitting are one step.
• The state’s paperless system shuts down Sept. 30, but your sign-in from that system can still be used in the Sign Up process with My Alabama Taxes.