Skip to main content

Get 50% OFF QuickBooks for 3 months*

Buy now
Switch to QuickBooks and 70% off for 3 Months
Talk to Sales: 877-683-3280
Hours
Mon - Fri, 5am - 6pm PST
Sat - Sun, 7am - 4pm PST
Product support & help
Need help signing in?
S
sto1
May 19, 2026
Question

paying sales tax

  • May 19, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 5 views

Trying to enter my sales tax in QB.  Clicked Manage Sales Tax, Pay Sales Tax, entered my discount and proper acct for it.  Click the appropriate tax I'm paying, then the line that I will enter the discounted amt.  Then this window pops up but I'm not trying to do a negative amt.  The total will be a positive amt.  I've updated payroll and closed and reopened.  Is there a glitch somewhere?  This is the way I've done it for the last 15 yrs. 

2 replies

A
AdonLQuickBooks Team
QuickBooks Team
May 19, 2026

Please ensure the discount you entered is less than the total tax due, as this could trigger that error message. You can pull up a Sales Tax Liability report to check the exact balance owed to the agency before processing a payment.

 

Once you've verified the balance and confirmed the appropriate adjustment, re-enter the sales tax payment, including the discount, into the program.

 

If you need further assistance, please leave a comment below.

S
sto1Author
May 20, 2026

It is a positive amt.  I click the type of tax i'm paying then click where my discount is and when I change the amt I'm subtracting to be a -$$.  When i hit tab to make it subtract from tax amt it pops that message up.  Same thing I've been doing for years

RazzieE
RazzieEQuickBooks Team
QuickBooks Team
May 20, 2026

The pop-up appears when a negative amount is entered in the Amt Paid column, even if the total payment is still positive.

 

When the discount is entered as -$$, QuickBooks reads it as a negative payment. The Amt Paid field needs to stay positive, as a negative value will cause an error. You can still apply your adjustment, but the Amt Paid line needs to be positive for the form to process correctly

 

If you have follow-up questions, please don't hesitate to click the Reply button.

R
Raldwin_DQuickBooks Team
QuickBooks Team
May 20, 2026

As seen in your screenshot, there is a negative amount in the AMT. PAID column of the Pay Sales Tax window, which is why the error pops up. To resolve this, if the discount is 33.48, simply process a sales tax adjustment to ensure your tax calculations remain accurate.

 

While in the Pay Sales Tax tab, click Adjust, then select the Reduce Sales Tax By option. Enter the discount amount, complete the remaining required fields, and hit OK to apply the adjustment. Once everything is set, you'll see the AMT. DUE update to reflect the correct discounted amount.

 

You can then input the exact amount you paid to your tax agency in the AMT. PAID field without adding a negative amount for the discount.

 

If you have further questions or need additional assistance, feel free to reach out.

S
sto1Author
May 21, 2026

When you enter the adjustment in the proper window and hit enter and it goes back to the pymt screen, you have to change the tax line you're paying to the proper amt AND click the line where the adjustment is.  If you don't put a - in front of the amt you're subtracting from it will add them together.  You have to click 2 lines.  1 for the original amt and 1 for the deduction.  

Need QuickBooks guidance?
Log in to access expert advice and community support instantly.
Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement