Iowa Sales Tax Exemptions

What is Exempt From Sales Tax In Iowa?

iowa sales tax exemptions

The rate of Iowa’s state sales tax increased to 6% beginning July 1, 2008. Sales tax is due on the retail sale, lease or rental of most goods and some services. Local jurisdictions may impose an additional local option tax of 1%.


Use tax is also collected on the consumption, use, or storage of goods in Iowa if sales tax was not paid on the purchase of the goods. The use tax rate is the same as the general sales tax rate. Returns are to be filed on or before the 20th day of the month following the month in which the purchases were made. For example, purchases made in the month of January should be reported to the state of Iowa on or before February 20th.


Need more information?

For more information on Iowa sales tax exemptions, please visit the sites below.

Sales Tax Compliance FAQs

Sales tax compliance can be intimidating, but it doesn't have to be!

  • Do I have to charge sales tax?

    You do if your business is considered to be "doing business" within a state. The Supreme Court ruling in SD v. Wayfair on June 21, 2018 changed the standard by which this was determined. Now, if your business has a sufficient volume or revenues or transactions within a state, you have established nexus within that state. Nexus means you have to charge sales tax to your customers within that state.

  • How do we know if we have sales tax nexus in a state?

    Agile will complete a sales tax nexus study to determine in which states you have met or exceeded the nexus thresholds. All we need are your: a) physical locations, and; b) prior years sales records to analyze both revenues and transaction counts per state.

  • How do I know what sales tax rate to charge?

    Don't try to reinvent the wheel. There are a number of excellent sales tax rate software solutions in the marketplace and we are partners with ALL of them. Ask us for our input on which would be the best choice for your business and we'll gladly guide you and provide an introduction to one (or several options) available in the marketplace.

  • Are my products or services subject to sales tax?

    Well, the answer like most everything is sales tax is, "it depends," because each state drafts its own laws and they vary widely from state-to-state. A sales tax consulting firm, such as Agile, should perform a taxability study on the products and services your business sells in any states where you have nexus to determine whether you should be collecting sales tax on your sales of those products or services.

  • Which sales tax software is best for my business?

    There are a number of excellent choices in the sales tax software space. We are a sales tax consulting partner with ALL the available options in the marketplace. Leverage our years worth of firsthand experience with these options to help guide you to the best choice for your business.

  • How do I register for sales tax with a state?

    Agile can do this for you. Most states require the same information to process a registration. Things like: legal entity name, FEIN #, date of incorporation, etc. All states require the names, date-of-birth and social security numbers of officers. Some states will even require a copy of an officer's driver's license.

  • Should we register or file a voluntary disclosure agreement ("VDA")?

    Completing a registration will allow your business to begin collecting taxes going forward. If you have taxes from prior periods to disclose, a VDA will enable you to do so with the added benefit of the penalties being waived.

  • How do states determine your filing frequency?


    Your assigned filing frequency depends on the volume of transactions you have within a state. Many states will ask about your expected volume of sales during the registration (or VDA) process. Some other states will initially default your account to monthly filings. All states will re-evaluate your filing frequency on an annual basis.

  • Will Agile handle any notices and communications received from the state(s)?

    Yes! We will absolutely handle all notices and communications you receive from the state(s) regarding sales and use tax. We provide a comprehensive, turnkey solution to outsource your sales and use tax issues.

  • How do I determine my taxable sales?

    Determining taxable sales is the first, and most important step in determining your monthly sales tax filing obligations. Sales tax software, if properly configured, can solve or at least simplify this process. Combine that with an accurate matrix classifying your products or services taxability, and this becomes a cinch! 

Iowa Sales Tax Compliance Details

Here is useful Iowa sales tax compliance information our Agile team members felt could be helpful:

Reduced Rates & Exemptions

  • Motor Vehicle registration is exempt from sales tax.
  • Motor Vehicle registration is subject to a 5% new registration fee.
  • Hotels and motels have a 5% state excise tax on lodging.
  • Local hotel and motel tax can range from 1% to 7%.
  • Iowa sales tax compliance does not offer vendor compensation, vendor discounts, or timely filing discounts.
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Local Taxing Jurisdictions

  • Iowa has 99 total local county taxing rates.
  • Local tax rates are either 0% or 1% in addition to the state-wide tax rate of 6%.

Sales Tax Compliance

  • Four filing frequencies: semimonthly, monthly, quarterly, and annually.
  • Quarterly tax returns due by the last day of the month in the month after the reporting period.
  • Annual filers' returns due on January 31st.
  • Monthly taxpayers submit pre-payments for the first two months of the quarter on the 20th of the month after the reporting period.
  • Semi-monthly taxpayers with over $60,000 in tax liability per year have two pre-payment dates each month.
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Due Dates

  • If the return due date falls on a weekend or national holiday, it is pushed back to the next business day.
  • Monthly pre-payments due on the 20th.
  • Final quarterly return due on the last day of the month following the reporting period.
  • Pre-payment due dates are considered the most challenging part of Iowa sales tax compliance.

How to Calculate Iowa Sales Tax?

Utilize the following sales tax formula to obtain the necessary sales tax:


Sales tax = total amount of sale x sales tax rate



If you are looking for more information, check out our Sales Tax Consulting page or talk to one of our Experts:

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