Sales Tax Number

[Lion539]

hey- Im trying to renew my str license< and my town is asking for my sales tax number.. airbnb has been collecting the occupancy tax- but I cant find the state sales tax number anywhere! 

[Joan2709]

@Lion539 

That's because you as Owner are responsible for obtaining the appropriate licenses and sales tax permits and proper reporting - not Airbnb. Airbnb only collects and remits the taxes. 

Man, Summit County and Breckenridge have a lot of sales taxes and tourism taxes! This is what appears on reservations for your listing as taxes collected for a 5night stay:

You'll have to do your own research, but this is what I found when searching for State of Colorado, Summit County and Town of Breckenridge. In Breckenridge and Summit County, Colorado you still need a sales tax license (and often other licenses) even if Airbnb is collecting and remitting taxes on your behalf.

Colorado State Sales Tax License

Even when Airbnb automatically collects and remits state and local lodging and sales taxes for you, Colorado requires hosts to register for a state sales tax license with the Colorado Department of Revenue if you operate a short-term rental. This is because the legal obligation to collect and remit the tax (or designate a marketplace to do so) doesn’t eliminate your underlying registration requirement. Hosts must still have the license and file returns, even if the amounts due are reduced to zero because a marketplace facilitator like Airbnb remits on their behalf.

County and Local Taxes

Summit County imposes a 2% short-term lodging tax (effective Jan 1, 2023) on unincorporated STRs. The state administers this and you’ll report/remit via state forms (e.g., DR 1485). GovDelivery. Filing these tax returns is your responsibility as the operator/license holder even if Airbnb remits the money.

Town of Breckenridge Requirements

You generally must obtain a Town Business License and Accommodation Unit License to legally operate a short-term rental. Town of Breckenridge. The town’s tax page indicates that owners collecting sales and accommodation taxes need the appropriate licenses. Even if Airbnb collects and remits the taxes to the Town under its agreement, hosts still need the valid local license to be in compliance. Town of Breckenridge

[Lion539]

thanks Joan- Im actually not in Breckenridge, but in the town of blue River (next to breck)  I've been filing and paying my taxes in blue River, but thought that Airbnb was handling the state taxes. they've been collecting the taxes, so

I thought that they had secured the number. I'll contact the state and see what I need to do.  Thanks so much for reaching out:)

[Joan2709 · Accepted solution]

@Lion539 

Uh oh...Airbnb does think you are in the town of Breckendridge 😲

The screen shot above is from when I tested a reservation on your listing. Your guests are paying the taxes shown and therefore overpaying. 

You'll have to contact Airbnb on that to get it corrected. Prepare for an uphill battle proving you are NOT in the Town of Breckenridge. Airbnb does get taxes wrong. This is why I urge new Hosts to check and make sure the taxes are correct when publishing a listing. Sometimes Airbnb gets the tax percentage wrong, and sometimes they place you in the wrong TAID (Tax Area Identification) geographically.

Some Hosts experience issues because technically they are not inside the boundaries of a City, but in an unincorporated part of the County. Airbnb assigns the wrong TAID to the listing, and guests end up paying City AND County taxes when they shouldn't.

View Taxes On Reservations

To see the taxes on your reservations like a guest would, go to your computer and choose incognito mode (3 vertical dots top right on Chrome) it's called Private Window Browsing on Firefox. Find your listing and try to book a stay as a guest.

This is your Listing URL: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1358271081736328401

Click the underlined Price Breakdown 

Then click underlined Taxes

Then taxes for your listing and reservation are displayed

Airbnb thinks you are in the Town of Breckenridge (TAID) and therefore is charging your guests Breckenridge taxes. You can look at other listings that are in Blue River and see if they are showing the wrong taxes as well. Many Hosts never realize the taxes are wrong until a guest mentions it to them. 

[Lion539]

as a newbie- I'm finding things out! trail by fire as one who still believes in flip phone technology. Got things sorted today- Just (wrongly)assumed that Airbnb handled the filings since they are the ones that collected the taxes.... all good- Thanks for the guidance:)

[Emilie]

@Lion539 Great to hear all this information helped you find your tax number! Do you have any more questions at all? 

A big thank you to Joan for the spot on advice as well 😊