Tourist Development Tax
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General
Information
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Forms |
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TOURIST
DEVELOPMENT TAX REPORTS |
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Current Collection Reports
(Collections as of 4/30/2013) |
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Annual Report |
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Location Report
(Compares collections in geographic
locations by report period for current fiscal year) |
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What is the Tourist
Development Tax?
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| The tourist
development tax is a 5% charge on the revenue from rentals of six months
or less. The rate increased from 4.5% to 5% effective May 1, 2011. This tax is in addition to the state sales tax (7% in
Sarasota County). The state sales tax is sent to the Florida
Department of Revenue. The local tourist development tax is sent to the
Sarasota County Tax Collector. |
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What
is taxable? |
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What
is a transient accommodation? |
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How is the
tourist tax used?
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The
Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax is used for tourism promotion,
maintenance and renourishment of beach park facilities and beaches,
sports stadium, nature center facilities and "new tourism activities,
attractions and promotions".
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How do I collect the
tax from my tenants?
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| First, you must register. A
registration form can be obtained from the links below. An individual
application would be used for a single rental. A consolidated account
can be used to report the combined rental activities of multiple rentals on
one monthly form.
An application must also be obtained from the Florida Department of
Revenue for the collection of state sales tax. The Department of Revenue
can be contacted at 1-800-FLA-DOR1 (1-800-352-3671) or locally at
(941) 361-6001. |
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Registration
application for an individual |
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Registration
application for a consolidated account |
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When is the tax due?
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The tourist development tax is due
to the Tax Collector’s office by the 20th day of the month following the
collection. If the postmark is the 21st day of the month or after,
delinquent interest and penalties must be added. The reporting month is
the month in which the rent is collected.
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Who must pay?
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| Any person who
rents or leases any accommodation for six months or less must pay both
state sales tax and tourist development tax (12%) on the rent payment. This
tax applies to hotels, motels, apartment buildings, single or multi-family
dwellings, mobile home parks, condominiums and vessels. The person
receiving the rent is responsible for remitting the tax regardless of where
the payment exchange takes place. If the tourist tax is not collected
from the renter and remitted to the tax collector, the owner of the property
shall be held personally liable to pay the tax and any applicable penalties
and interest. |
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Who is exempt?
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Anyone who has entered into a
"bona
fide written lease" in excess of six months is exempt from sales tax and
tourist development tax on the lease payments.
If there is no written agreement,
the owner is required to collect and remit the state sales tax and tourist
development tax for the first six months. The seventh month and every
month thereafter will be exempt provided the renter continues to reside at
the same location.
Anyone who is exempt from paying
state sales tax is also exempt from the tourist development tax. These
exemptions include full-time students, active duty military personnel,
churches and non-profit organizations that have a sales tax exemption
number from the Florida Department of Revenue. Contact the Tax
Collector’s Office for further information. |
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Do I file a return even if I did not have a rental this
month? |
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| If you have no rental activity in a
month or quarter and you have received a return form, you must file a zero
return form or complete and send an "Affidavit to Inactivate Tourist
Development Account". Click
here for the affidavit. |
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What do owners
receive for collecting the tax?
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| When a timely return is filed, the
owner is entitled to a collection allowance of 2.5% of the TOURIST TAX collected,
not to exceed $30.00 per return filed. If the return form is late, the
collection allowance is forfeited and the owner must pay a penalty and/or
interest. |
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What happens if the tax
becomes delinquent?
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| If the return and payment are not
postmarked by the 20th of the month following the reporting period, the
collection allowance is forfeited and penalty and interest are
assessed. The penalty is 10% of the tax due (minimum of $50) for each delinquent month or fraction of
a month. The interest rate is variable.
You will need to contact our office at (941) 861-8383 for instructions.
In order to determine if the tax is timely, the U.S. Postal Service postmark
is used, NOT the date generated by a business postage meter. |
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What records must be kept?
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| Any business dealing in
guest/tenant/ transient accommodations is responsible for collecting and
remitting this tax and for maintaining records such as guest checks,
general ledgers, tax payments and federal income tax returns. All tourist
development tax records must be kept for five years and made available for
audit at the place of business. According to Florida Law, all records must
be made available for review by the Tax Collector and available for audit by
the Clerk of Circuit Court. Any records located outside the county
must be returned to the audit site prior to an audit. |
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If I rent my
property, what else must I do?
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Tangible Personal Property Tax
In addition to collecting the tourist tax and state sales tax, an owner is required to pay tangible personal property
taxes annually on the value of the rental furnishings. A return is filed
each year with the Property Appraiser’s Office declaring the value of
the furnishings and appliances. Any questions about filing a tangible tax
return can be directed to the Property Appraiser’s Office at (941)
861-8200. The tangible tax bills are mailed each year in November at the
same time as the real estate tax bills.
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Business Tax - formerly known as
Occupational License
(click here for more
information)If a rental unit is available for
rent for one month or less at a time, the owner is required to pay a
Business Tax at the Tax Collector’s
Office.
The tax for a rental unit is $1.57 per sleeping room, with a
minimum of $15.75. Registration for the Business Tax is available at the
Tax Collector’s office. If your property is located in the city limits, you
may also pay a city business tax. Contact your city hall for more
information.
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What if I sell or no
longer rent the property? |
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| If you sell or no
longer rent property, please notify the Tax Collector and the Property
Appraiser immediately. |
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Does a rental
agent have any liability?
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| If you are a rental agent for a
property owner, you are liable to collect and remit the tourist tax and
state sales tax. If you collect rent and/or taxes and send the money
to the owner who does not remit it properly, you may be held liable for the
amount due plus penalty and interest. |
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