Ohio Revised Code
Chapter 5739 | Sales Tax
Section 5739.12 | Monthly Return by Vendor - Reconciliation Return.

Effective: March 23, 2015
Latest Legislation: House Bill 5 - 130th General Assembly
(A)(1) Each person who has or is required to have a vendor's license, on or before the twenty-third day of each month, shall make and file a return for the preceding month in the form prescribed by the tax commissioner, and shall pay the tax shown on the return to be due. The return shall be filed electronically using the Ohio business gateway, as defined in section 718.01 of the Revised Code, the Ohio telefile system, or any other electronic means prescribed by the commissioner. Payment of the tax shown on the return to be due shall be made electronically in a manner approved by the commissioner. The commissioner may require a vendor that operates from multiple locations or has multiple vendor's licenses to report all tax liabilities on one consolidated return. The return shall show the amount of tax due from the vendor to the state for the period covered by the return and such other information as the commissioner deems necessary for the proper administration of this chapter. The commissioner may extend the time for making and filing returns and paying the tax, and may require that the return for the last month of any annual or semiannual period, as determined by the commissioner, be a reconciliation return detailing the vendor's sales activity for the preceding annual or semiannual period. The reconciliation return shall be filed by the last day of the month following the last month of the annual or semiannual period. The commissioner may remit all or any part of amounts or penalties that may become due under this chapter and may adopt rules relating thereto. Such return shall be filed electronically as directed by the tax commissioner, and payment of the amount of tax shown to be due thereon, after deduction of any discount provided for under this section, shall be made electronically in a manner approved by the tax commissioner.
(2) Any person required to file returns and make payments electronically under division (A)(1) of this section may apply to the tax commissioner on a form prescribed by the commissioner to be excused from that requirement. For good cause shown, the commissioner may excuse the person from that requirement and may permit the person to file the returns and make the payments required by this section by nonelectronic means.
(B)(1) If the return is filed and the amount of tax shown thereon to be due is paid on or before the date such return is required to be filed, the vendor shall be entitled to a discount of three-fourths of one per cent of the amount shown to be due on the return.
(2) A vendor that has selected a certified service provider as its agent shall not be entitled to the discount if the certified service provider receives a monetary allowance pursuant to section 5739.06 of the Revised Code for performing the vendor's sales and use tax functions in this state. Amounts paid to the clerk of courts pursuant to section 4505.06 of the Revised Code shall be subject to the applicable discount. The discount shall be in consideration for prompt payment to the clerk of courts and for other services performed by the vendor in the collection of the tax.
(C)(1) Upon application to the tax commissioner, a vendor who is required to file monthly returns may be relieved of the requirement to report and pay the actual tax due, provided that the vendor agrees to remit to the commissioner payment of not less than an amount determined by the commissioner to be the average monthly tax liability of the vendor, based upon a review of the returns or other information pertaining to such vendor for a period of not less than six months nor more than two years immediately preceding the filing of the application. Vendors who agree to the above conditions shall make and file an annual or semiannual reconciliation return, as prescribed by the commissioner. The reconciliation return shall be filed electronically as directed by the tax commissioner, and payment of the amount of tax shown to be due thereon, after deduction of any discount provided in this section, shall be made electronically in a manner approved by the commissioner. Failure of a vendor to comply with any of the above conditions may result in immediate reinstatement of the requirement of reporting and paying the actual tax liability on each monthly return, and the commissioner may at the commissioner's discretion deny the vendor the right to report and pay based upon the average monthly liability for a period not to exceed two years. The amount ascertained by the commissioner to be the average monthly tax liability of a vendor may be adjusted, based upon a review of the returns or other information pertaining to the vendor for a period of not less than six months nor more than two years preceding such adjustment.
(2) The commissioner may authorize vendors whose tax liability is not such as to merit monthly returns, as ascertained by the commissioner upon the basis of administrative costs to the state, to make and file returns at less frequent intervals. When returns are filed at less frequent intervals in accordance with such authorization, the vendor shall be allowed the discount provided in this section in consideration for prompt payment with the return, provided the return is filed and payment is made of the amount of tax shown to be due thereon, at the time specified by the commissioner, but a vendor that has selected a certified service provider as its agent shall not be entitled to the discount.
(D) Any vendor who fails to file a return or to pay the full amount of the tax shown on the return to be due in the manner prescribed under this section and the rules of the commissioner may, for each such return, be required to forfeit and pay into the state treasury an additional charge not exceeding fifty dollars or ten per cent of the tax required to be paid for the reporting period, whichever is greater, as revenue arising from the tax imposed by this chapter, and such sum may be collected by assessment in the manner provided in section 5739.13 of the Revised Code. The commissioner may remit all or a portion of the additional charge and may adopt rules relating to the imposition and remission of the additional charge.
(E) If the amount required to be collected by a vendor from consumers is in excess of the applicable percentage of the vendor's receipts from sales that are taxable under section 5739.02 of the Revised Code, or in the case of sales subject to a tax levied pursuant to section 5739.021, 5739.023, or 5739.026 of the Revised Code, in excess of the percentage equal to the aggregate rate of such taxes and the tax levied by section 5739.02 of the Revised Code, such excess shall be remitted along with the remittance of the amount of tax due under section 5739.10 of the Revised Code.
(F) The commissioner, if the commissioner deems it necessary in order to insure the payment of the tax imposed by this chapter, may require returns and payments to be made for other than monthly periods.
(G) Any vendor required to file a return and pay the tax under this section whose total payment for a year equals or exceeds the amount shown in division (A) of section 5739.122 of the Revised Code is subject to the accelerated tax payment requirements in divisions (B) and (C) of that section. For a vendor that operates from multiple locations or has multiple vendor's licenses, in determining whether the vendor's total payment equals or exceeds the amount shown in division (A) of that section, the vendor's total payment amount shall be the amount of the vendor's total tax liability for the previous calendar year for all of the vendor's locations or licenses.

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