A sales-tax number that looks off next to your sales total isn't always an error. This Spotlight video shows you what to check before you flag it, in just over a minute.
Watch the video
Video link: https://vimeo.com/1246353278
What you'll learn
- Go to Home > Income to open Smart Reports, then use the Income dropdown to switch to Sales Tax.
- Expect the sales tax number to look different from your sales total. Tax posts differently by payment method, and by whether it's calculated at your business location or at the transaction location.
- Check the location setting on the appointment itself: Edit > Total > Sales Tax. It isn't in your account settings.
- Go to Settings > Data Export and choose Payments for a full line-item breakdown.
Quick reference: Before You Submit Your Numbers
Run this before you flag a sales-tax number as wrong:
- Pull your Sales Tax total first. Go to Home > Income > Sales Tax before you touch a spreadsheet.
- Check the appointment. Open it and go to Edit > Total > Sales Tax to see whether it's set to "At business location" or "At transaction location." Settings > Sales Tax only sets your business-location rate. It can't make this switch.
- Compare totals by payment method. Tax and payment methods don't always post the same way, so check before you assume the report is wrong.
- Remember PocketSuite doesn't file sales tax for you. It's deposited with your next payout, and submitting it is still on you.
- Need the full breakdown? Go to Settings > Data Export, pick a time period and a client (or All Clients), and choose Payments. PocketSuite emails you a CSV with gratuity, discount, payout, fee, tax, and tax rate for every payment.
- Flag a mismatch last. Only raise it with your accountant or franchise finance lead after you've checked the location setting and the payment-method split.
Bottom line: A sales-tax mismatch is usually a setting, not a mistake.