Great info Binki! Thanks!
Do I need a seller's permit if i'm operating online only? I didn't see that aspect covered? What's the difference between a seller's permit and a reseller's permit? Is there?
There is no 'reseller's' permit in the People's Republic of California (PRC), it is a sellers permit. It is for 2 purposes: 1. to purchase goods for resale without paying sales tax, 2. to collect and report sales tax on retail sales you make within the state.
If you are going to have sales that are subject to sales tax OR if you are going to purchase wholesale without paying sales tax, you will need a sellers permit.
If all of your sales are out of state or wholesale (to someone else with a sellers permit for the purpose of resale) then you will report those figures to the BOE each reporting period.
The reporting period will be any of monthly, quarterly or annually and is determined by the BOE based on your estimated sales during the first year and afterward by your actual sales the previous year.
You can file online and pay online. It is pretty simple any more. No more 6 page forms and difficult to understand calculations to go through.
There is another reason for the sellers permit that is just coming to light. Any purchases that you make for your business that would otherwise be taxes for sales tax that are not are supposed to be reported when you file. So if you purchase a computer from an out of state source and don't pay PRC sales tax then you will be assessed a 'use tax' for the purchase which, coincidentally, is the same amount as the sales tax. The friendly folks at the BOE are auditing every business in CA that has a sellers permit with a personal visit. They started a few years ago in San Diego and are working their way north. They call it 'educational' but it amounts to nothing more than a shake down.
http://www.nctimes.com/business/article_351e9317-4b1f-5293-821c-a4ecbe664f6e.html
http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_boe06.1749f53.html
Next up? All non taxed service providers will be given a sellers permit number for the same reason, to collect use taxes.