Iowa Code § 423.31 - Filing of sales or use tax returns and payment of sales or use tax

1. a. (1) Except as provided in paragraph “b”, each person subject to this section and section 423.36 and in accordance with the provisions of this section and section 423.36 shall, on or before the last day of the month following the close of each calendar month during which such person is or has become or ceased being subject to the provisions of this section and section 423.36, make, sign, and file electronically a return for the calendar month in the form as may be required. (2) Returns shall show information relating to sales prices including tangible personal property, specified digital products, and services converted to the use of such person, the amounts of sales prices excluded and exempt from the tax, the amounts of sales prices subject to tax, a calculation of tax due, and any other information for the period covered by the return as may be required. (3) Returns shall be signed by the retailer or the retailer’s authorized agent and must be certified by the retailer to be correct in accordance with forms and rules prescribed by the director. (4) A person required to file a sales or use tax return electronically who is unable to do so may request permission from the director to file a return by another method. b. Notwithstanding paragraph “a”, each person subject to this section who collects and remits less than one thousand two hundred dollars in sales or use tax to the department per calendar year may file a return on or before the last day of the month following the close of the calendar year. c. A return subject to the electronic filing requirement under paragraph “a” that is filed in a manner other than in an electronic format specified by the department shall not be considered a valid return unless the department provides an exception as provided in paragraph “a”, subparagraph (4). 2. The director may authorize incorporated banks and trust companies or other depositories authorized by law which are depositories or financial agents of the United States, or of this state, to receive any sales or use tax imposed under this chapter, in the manner, at the times, and under the conditions the director prescribes. The director shall prescribe the manner, times, and conditions under which the receipt of the tax by those depositories is to be treated as payment of the tax to the department. 3. Every retailer at the time of making any return required by this section shall compute and pay to the department the tax due for the preceding period. The tax on sales prices from the sale of tangible personal property under a consumer rental purchase agreement as defined in section 537.3604, subsection 8, is payable in the tax period of receipt. 4. a. Upon making application and receiving approval from the director, a person and its affiliates that make retail sales of tangible personal property, specified digital products, or taxable enumerated services may make deposits and file a consolidated sales or use tax return for the affiliated group, pursuant to rules adopted by the director. A person and each affiliate that files a consolidated return are jointly and severally liable for all tax, penalty, and interest found due for the tax period for which a consolidated return is filed or required to be filed. b. A business required to file a consolidated sales or use tax return shall file a form entitled “schedule of consolidated business locations” with its sales or use tax return that shows the taxpayer’s consolidated permit number, the permit number for each Iowa business location, the state sales tax amount by business location, and the amount of state sales tax due on goods consumed that are not assigned to a specific business location. Consolidated sales or use tax returns that are not accompanied by the schedule of consolidated business locations form are considered incomplete and are subject to penalty under section 421.27. 5. If necessary or advisable in order to ensure the payment of the tax, the director may require returns and payment of the tax to be made for other than monthly periods, the provisions of this section or other provision to the contrary notwithstanding. 6. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Code to the contrary, the department shall not attempt to collect delinquent sales tax on a transaction involving the furnishing of lawn care, landscaping, or tree trimming and removal services which occurred more than five years from the date of an audit. 7. Persons required to file a return under this section may instead file a simplified electronic return pursuant to section 423.49. 8. The department may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to administer this section. 2003 Acts, 1st Ex, ch 2, §124, 205; 2008 Acts, ch 1172, §23; 2012 Acts, ch 1066, §3; 2018 Acts, ch 1161, §210, 211, 229; 2021 Acts, ch 86, §72; 2022 Acts, ch 1138, §13, 14; 2025 Acts, ch 61, §1 – 4 Referred to in §99G.30A, 421.26, 423.14, 423.33, 423.34, 423.36, 423.45, 423.57, 423.58, 423A.6, 423B.6, 423C.4, 423D.4, 423G.5 Authority of department of revenue to convert, renumber, or combine existing permits for taxpayers holding multiple permits; 2022 Acts, ch 1138, §37 Subsection 1, paragraph a amended Subsection 1, NEW paragraph c NEW subsection 8