Shopify Tax stops filing sales tax returns once it files the returns covering sales through December 31, 2026. New York quarterly filers get one more: the December 2026 to February 2027 return, due in March 2027. Shopify Tax keeps calculating tax at checkout. Filing, remittance, registrations and state notices are now yours, or whoever you hand them to.
If you sell only through your Shopify store in two or three states, filing yourself is realistic. If you also sell on Amazon, through wholesale, or out of a 3PL, read section 4 before you choose a replacement. Automated filing never saw those sales, and your new filer needs them. For the full picture across channels, see our ecommerce sales tax guide.
1. The dates that matter for your store
Your last automated return depends on how often each state has you file. The return right after it is the first one you own. Find your frequency below.
Due dates vary by state.
If you file monthly in some states and quarterly in others, you will have more than one handoff date. Map each state separately.
Three more dates to put on your calendar:
- December 31, 2026. The last day of sales automated filing covers. It is also the end of the measurement year many states use to decide whether you must register for 2027.
- Your first 2027 filing frequency. States can move you to a different frequency at the start of a year based on last year's sales. Check each state's notice so you file the right period.
- April 30, 2027. The last day to download your automated filing records from Shopify.
One status to check now: if a return is skipped or has an unresolved issue on its filing date, Shopify marks it Not filed and does not file it. That return is yours. Open Finance > Tax filing in your Shopify admin and look before the year closes.
2. What Shopify Tax still does, and what stops
Calculation stays. Everything after checkout moves to you.
Source: Shopify's eligibility and considerations page for automated filing.
You are charged for each automated return up to and including your last one. Nothing after that. You do not need to turn automated filing off. It stops on its own.
3. Your three options after automated filing
You can file yourself, hand returns to a filing service, or move every post-checkout job to one platform. The right choice depends on how many states you file in and how many places you sell.
Filing yourself. Shopify Tax reports give you the numbers. You still need each state's portal login, calendar and payment method, and you own every notice. Every new state adds a calendar and a portal. Our sales tax guide for Shopify stores covers the setup.
A filing-only service. You can choose between a few options. Most file in every state. They price in one of two ways: per return, or per state per month. Switch promotions are common, so compare on the plan you will pay after the promotion ends.
How to compare pricing: count your returns per year, then price each model at your state count in 12 months, not today.
One platform. Anrok runs all five jobs on one platform: monitoring, registration, calculation, filing and remittance, and reconciliation, which no other tax engine has built in. Keep Shopify Tax at checkout, or calculate in Anrok.
4. The sales automated filing never saw
Automated filing worked from Shopify orders where you are the merchant of record. If that is all you sell, your handoff is simple. Most growing brands sell in more places than that.
States call the connection that requires you to register and file nexus. We call it exposure. Each channel below changes yours.
- Amazon, Walmart and TikTok Shop. The marketplace collects and remits on those orders. But Shopify lists 23 states plus DC that may still require marketplace sales in the gross sales on your own return, including California, New York, Texas and Washington. Automated filing only added Shop orders, and Meta orders placed before August 26, 2025, to those totals. If you sold on Amazon in those states, check what your automated returns reported before you hand over to a new filer. Many states also count marketplace sales toward registration thresholds.
- Facebook and Instagram. Meta stopped acting as a marketplace facilitator for orders created on or after August 26, 2025. Tax compliance on those orders is yours.
- Wholesale. Sales to retailers are usually exempt for resale, and only with a valid certificate on file. No certificate, and the state can treat the sale as taxable.
- Inventory at a 3PL or Amazon FBA. Stored inventory can create exposure in a state from the day it arrives.
- Retail and pop-ups. In-person sales can follow different sourcing rules from your online orders.
Give your next filer every channel, not just your Shopify export. A return built from one channel's data is a return that is wrong somewhere.
5. How to switch without a missed or double return
- Check your registrations against your exposure before December 31. If 2026 sales took you over a threshold, register before your first 2027 return.
- Clear any Not filed returns. Download the report and file it, or have your new filer take it.
- Download every automated return report. In your Shopify admin, go to Finance > Tax filing, open each return, and select Return report under Documents. Do it in January, not April.
- Build a handoff sheet. One row per state: filing frequency, Shopify's last return, first return you own, due date.
- Set your new filer's start period in each state. It starts with the return after Shopify's last one. Nothing earlier, nothing later.
- Grant filing access early. Some states require a power of attorney or your portal login before anyone else can file for you. Leave time for it.
- Send every channel's sales data. Marketplace, wholesale and retail, not just Shopify.
- Reconcile after the first filing. Tax collected at checkout, tax remitted, and tax on your books should match.
6. Why this is the moment to fix reconciliation
Replacing your filer replaces one step. The gap that causes audit exposure sits between steps.
Tax collected at checkout, tax remitted to states, and tax recorded in your books drift apart. Refunds, partial refunds, marketplace orders and exempt wholesale sales all widen the gap. A filing-only service files what the report says. It does not check the report against your books.
Anrok runs every job after checkout on one source of truth, including reconciliation, which no other tax engine has built in. Native integrations connect once, with no code. Teams on Anrok see 90% average time savings on tax, from 40 hours to 4. See how IDA Sports runs Shopify sales tax on Anrok.
Shopify stops filing. Your store keeps growing. Built for your next phase of growth.
FAQ
When does Shopify automated filing end?
After it files the returns covering sales through December 31, 2026. Most are due in January 2027. New York quarterly filers get one more return, covering December 2026 to February 2027 and due in March 2027.
Does Shopify Tax still calculate sales tax after automated filing ends?
Yes. Shopify Tax keeps calculating tax at checkout and keeps your tax reports current at no extra cost. Only filing ends.
Do I need to turn off Shopify automated filing?
No. It stops on its own after your last return is filed.
Will Shopify charge me for automated filing in 2027?
Only for returns up to and including your last automated return. Nothing after that.
What happens if a return shows Not filed?
Shopify will not file it. Download that return's report, then file it yourself or have your new filer take it.
Can I file sales tax myself after Shopify stops?
Yes. Use your Shopify Tax reports and file in each state's portal on that state's schedule. It works best with a few states and one sales channel.
Does this change anything for my Amazon or Walmart sales?
The marketplace keeps collecting and remitting on its orders. But Shopify lists 23 states plus DC that may require those sales in the gross sales on your own return, and automated filing did not include Amazon, Walmart or TikTok Shop orders there. Check your past returns in those states, give your new filer your marketplace sales data, and check whether those sales count toward registration thresholds.
Do I have to stop using Shopify Tax?
No. You can keep it for calculation at checkout and move filing, registration and reconciliation elsewhere.
How long should I keep my Shopify filing records?
Download them by April 30, 2027. Keep them for at least as long as each state can audit you, often three to four years.
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