You register for Michigan sales tax through Michigan Treasury Online at mto.treasury.michigan.gov. The state calls this a Sales Tax license, and you apply for it as part of the Sales, Use, and Withholding tax registration.

Before you start the application, gather your information. You’ll need your business name and address, your federal employer identification number or Social Security number if you’re a sole proprietor, your business entity type, the date you’ll start making taxable sales, and information about the business owners or officers. Having your estimated monthly sales tax liability ready is helpful because this determines how often you’ll file.

Create an account on Michigan Treasury Online if you don’t already have one. Once logged in, select the option to register a new business and choose Sales Tax from the list of tax types. Work through each section of the application, entering your business details and answering questions about your operations. Many Metro Detroit business owners working with a bookkeeping service in Macomb have this handled as part of their initial business setup.

The registration fee is $10 for the Sales Tax license. Once the state processes your application, you’ll receive your license number along with a physical license to display at your business location. Processing usually takes a few business days when everything is complete and accurate.

After registration, you’re responsible for collecting the 6% Michigan sales tax on taxable sales, filing returns on your assigned schedule, and remitting what you collected to the state. Your filing frequency depends on estimated tax liability. Businesses expecting to collect less than $62 monthly typically file quarterly. Those expecting between $62 and $300 monthly file monthly. Higher-volume sellers may have more frequent requirements.

Set up your accounting system to track sales tax from day one. QuickBooks setup done correctly includes sales tax categories so you know exactly what you owe each period. Poor tracking leads to either underpayment penalties or scrambling to cover taxes that should have been set aside all along.

If you’re unsure whether your business needs a sales tax license, the general rule is that selling tangible personal property in Michigan requires one. Certain services are taxable too. When in doubt, register before you make your first sale rather than trying to sort it out after you’ve already collected money without a license.