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The official website of the City of Phoenix

File Online (E-Tax)

Welcome to Phoenix e-Tax & License Services. This page provides information on registering with the e-Tax application to take advantage of the following online services: file original and amended sales tax returns (for periods prior to 1/1/2017), pay license fees prior to 2017 and taxes due, pay regulatory license fees, review account history, and make mailing address and contact changes.

Etax FAQs

General Information

  • File/amend sales tax returns
  • Pay sales tax and license fees (including regulatory/liquor fees)
  • View your account balance and tax/fee history
  • Update your mailing/contact information
  • Maintain employees if you operate an Adult Cabaret or Topless Bar

  1. An active tax, regulatory or liquor license with Phoenix.
    • Don’t have an active Phoenix tax license but would like to ap​ply?
      • Apply for a TPT license with the Arizona Department of Revenue: Apply   
      • Apply for a regulatory or liquor license with the City Clerk License Services Department Apply
  2. A registered primary email address with Phoenix linked to your eight-digit Phoenix account number.
    • Complete and submit an email update form​ (PDF) to register a primary email address and have it linked to your account(s).
  3. Basic System Requirements
    • Browser Compatibility: Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome are certified to work with Phoenix e-Tax. The use of Microsoft Edge is recommended for best usability.
    • The use of a Microsoft Windows platform is recommended.
    • Cookies: Blocking cookies on some browsers can reduce or disable important functionality. Check your browser settings to ensure cookies are enabled.
    • Pop-Up Blocker: Your browser may have popup blocking software enabled. Please enable pop-up windows for this site to allow full functionality.

  1. You may register if you already have an email address on record OR you have submitted an email update form​ (PDF) and have received confirmation that it has been processed.
    • You will be unable to sign-up for e-Tax & License Services until an email address has been linked to your account number(s).
    • It can take up to 7 business days to process account updates. If you have not received an email response and it has been more than 7 days since you submitted the form, please contact us.
  2. Launch  e-Tax & License Services and click “Get A User ID.”
    • A page will display that will request you to provide a User ID, password, hint question/answer, primary email address linked to your account and your Phoenix account number. Enter this information and click “Submit.”
    • Please write-down the User ID and password entered and keep it safe. You will use this information to login to your account.
    • You should receive a PIN email from us within several minutes of clicking "Submit" on the Sign-up page. If you do not receive a PIN email within 10 minutes, please contact us; include your User ID and account number.
  3. Login  with your User ID, password and PIN (exactly as received/case sensitive) and click “Login.”
    • You only have to enter your PIN once on initial login. After this please login using just your User ID and password.
  4. Congratulations! You are now ready to use e-Tax & License Services.
    • Tax license holders will be able to file returns, pay dues, view account history, and update mailing/owner information.
    • Regulatory and Liquor License holders will be able to pay fees, view account history, update mailing/owner information, and maintain performers, if applicable.

Select Forgot Password. Provide your User ID and the answer to the hint question you provided at the time of initial sign up and click "Submit." An email will be sent to the email address on record with the password.

Please contact us with your request and be prepared to provide your User ID. We will reset your password and send it to the email address on record. Once you are able to login, please change your password immediately.

Select Forgot User ID. Provide the license/account number for your business and click "Submit." An email will be sent to the email address on record with the user ID.

Login to your account and select "User Profile." Update your password or primary email address and "Submit." These changes will take effect immediately.

Information you enter is securely stored using encryption software.

Phoenix does not allow access to your information without logging on through a secure portal using a unique registered User ID, password and PIN number.

e-Tax & License Services is designed to work best with a screen resolution of 1024 x 768.

e-Tax & License Services is designed to work best with Edge or Chrome.  If you use other browsers such as Firefox or Safari, you may find that the way pages display is impacted.

Licensing

Login to your account and select "Merge Accounts". Enter the license/account number that you would like to link to your User ID and click "Submit."

A PIN is sent to your email address. Return to the "Merge Accounts" page and re-enter the license/account number along with the PIN to add the account to your User ID. Once you "Submit" and log back in you will see that the new account number appears in the list of accounts.

If you receive an error message of "No Email ID is Present for the Account", please submit an email update form (PDF) to us and allow 7 business days for processing before attempting again. The email address associated with your e-Tax & License Services account must be on record for the account number that you are attempting to add.

Accounts with an existing User ID cannot be linked with a different User ID using the "Merge Accounts" function. For this scenario, please contact us a request to reset your information to allow the association.

 

If you need a Liquor, Special Event Liquor or Regulatory License, please contact License Services by phone at 602-262-4638 (#3 for Liquor/#4 for Regulatory), in person at: 200 W. Washington St., First Floor, Phoenix, AZ 85003, or online.

Regulatory or Liquor Licenses: Once the appropriate fees and/or paperwork have been submitted and/or approved, the license certificate will be printed and mailed to you.

 

Tax or Regulatory Licenses: Please ensure that there are no open balances due or un-filed sales tax returns. These must be satisfied before your account can be canceled. Please contact us with a "Category" of Registration, a "Subject" of Cancel License and within the text box indicate your account number, effective date of cancellation and an explanation.

 

Liquor Licenses: Please contact the State Department of Liquor License and Control by phone at: 602-542-5141 or online.

Payments

ACH stands for Automated Clearing House. This is also known as an e-check, where you authorize Phoenix to request funds to be directly withdrawn from an account with your designated financial institution.

You may use the ACH payment option for any outstanding Phoenix tax, liquor or regulatory license fee, penalty, and/or interest owed.

We do not accept payment by credit card.

Login to your account and select "Pay." Select the dues you want to pay and follow the on-screen instructions. Under the one-time ACH payment, you may pay license fees, taxes due or other liabilities for the tax periods checked. Your bank account information will not be stored; this will need to be re-entered each time you make a payment online.

Company ID number is 2900018580. This number is used when you have a safety filter on your bank account to only authorize ACH payments for particular businesses.

It takes at least 24 hours for the bank to process your payment and the payment information to post against the balance paid and be reflected on your account.

Immediately after completing the return online, a receipt generates. A window will appear asking whether you would like to make a "One Time Payment" against the tax return balance or if you are "Done." If you would like to pay the return right away, please click "One Time Payment." If you do NOT click this button at this time, you will have to return to the website at least 24 hours later, login and go to the "Pay" option. A minimum of 24 hours is needed for processing the return in our tax system.

Login and select the "Pay" option. Only listed balances can be paid. If your return does not appear, it is still being processed. If it has been 15 days since you filed the return and it still does not appear in the "Pay" screen or "Summary of Account Activity," contact us. Please include the confirmation number displayed on your tax return receipt.

Please submit a transfer of payment request to Tax Accounting by email at tax@phoenix.gov or phone at 602-262-6785, option 6. Include the details of the incorrect payment such as account number, payment amount, payment date, and tax period and provide these same details for where you would like the payment transferred to.

Any payment or return submitted by 11:59 p.m. MST will be given credit for that business day for penalty and interest purposes; the effective date will appear on your on-line receipt. Please print your receipt as proof of filing/payment. Please also be aware that you will not see transactions post immediately as it will take at least 24 hours to process and appear on your account.

No, since fees are billed at set times during the year and only billed fees may be paid online, a user may not pay their annual license fees or liquor/regulatory fees before they are billed.

No, online payments must be made for the entire individual period balance due. For example, if you owe tax, penalty and interest for a particular tax return period, you cannot choose to pay the tax only. If you would like to make a partial payment, you may submit funds in person or by mail with your statement.

We are offering one-time payment only at this time. You are unable to save your bank information. For each payment made online, you will need to enter your bank account number and routing number.

It takes at least 24 hours to confirm availability of funds and update your account. If more time has passed, contact us with your confirmation ID, account number, tax period, and amount paid.

Returns

  1. Login and select "File Returns."
  2. Pick the applicable tax period from the drop-down list and click "Select." You will be taken to the return screen.
  3. Chose a return type. Select "Original" if this is the first return that you are filing on the selected period or "Amended" if you want to correct/replace a previously filed return.
  4. Enter your gross receipts for each applicable "Business Description."
  5. Click in the deduction box under each applicable business description to bring up Schedule A. Complete Schedule A to itemize your deductions. Total deductions, net taxable and tax due will automatically calculate and appear.
  6. To self-report excess city tax collected, please click on the box labeled excess tax to display Schedule C.
  7. If the return you are filing is late and you would like to estimate penalties and interest, please click "Compute." A popup will display the estimated penalty and interest. You have the option to include this in the total amount due and pay it.
  8. Credits may be entered on Schedule B by clicking in the box labeled credits. Please note that the value you enter cannot exceed the tax due for the applicable ST Code or be a negative value. If the credit is not valid, you will be billed for any resulting balance, including penalty and interest, if applicable.
    1. Account Credit Balance(please verify credit is valid)
    2. Speculative Builder credit(applicable to ST Code 32 -Speculative Builder and 42-Owner Builder only)
  9. Once you are satisfied that the information entered is correct, please check the statement and click "Submit". A receipt will generate. Please print the receipt and retain for your records.

Login and select "File Returns." Select the relevant tax period from the drop-down list. Select the return type, certify the statement by checking the box at the bottom of the screen and click "Submit." Your return will be filed as a zero if no values are entered.

You may amend a return for any period listed in the drop-down list after clicking the return option. Please provide a reason for amending the return and select a return type of amended.

Yes, you may file and submit online payments for each return filed. After a return is submitted, you have the option to pay the return just submitted. You must separately pay each return under this option or you may return later (allow at least 24 hours for processing of the returns) and submit a single payment for the return balances due.

Yes, you can submit amended return transactions. However, if you are amending a return where additional tax will be due, please wait 24 hours for the amended return transaction to be processed as you may not make partial payments online. By waiting for the amended return transaction to fully process in our system you would be assured any resulting balance would reflect online.

You will need to amend the return on the account number that was used in error as well as file these figures under a return for the intended account.

e-Tax and License Services users will use the online form to file taxes rather than a tax return. Please print the receipt that appears after you submit a return. It contains a confirmation number that is unique to the information you entered and provides the details of your online return. Retain this in your records as proof of filing.

It is incorrect to take a negative deduction or file a negative gross sales amount. e-Tax and License Services includes a validation that will not accept returns under these scenarios. If you are attempting to claim a deduction or decrease gross sales where the initial reporting occurred in a prior month, the proper way to handle this is to amend down gross sales or increase the applicable deduction in that month rather than to adjust figures in the current reporting month.

Yes; you may have penalty and interest calculated by clicking the "Compute" button on the return screen. A popup will display with the estimated penalty and interest. You have the option of paying the amount shown. Click "OK" to have it included in your total due or click "Cancel" to be billed later.

Once in the return screen, please click in the box corresponding to the row labeled "Credit Balance To Be Applied (From Schedule B)." Schedule B will display as a pop-up window. You may enter a value up to the tax amount due. The entered credit value will reduce the total balance due on the return. Please ensure that you type in a valid credit amount. If the credit amount entered is not a valid amount, your balance will be underpaid and will be subject to penalty and interest if not paid in full by the due date.

Account Inquiry

Check your search criteria. There may be no records for the tax type, or for the periods you selected. To view all results, click "Search" without entering any filters in the "Advanced Criteria."

There are timing differences between the two sources. Your online balance will reflect activity up to the prior day while statements are generated around the 4th business day of the month.

When you submit an original return online, it takes at least 24 hours to process or post to your account. If it is an amended return or requires review by our Tax Accounting area, it will take longer to appear. As long as you receive a confirmation number at the time of submitting the return, the return has been received and there is no need to resubmit. If it has been 15 days since you filed the return and it still does not appear in the "Summary of Account Activity," please contact us with the confirmation number displayed on your tax return receipt.

If your balance appears to be incorrect, please check your records to identify which specific tax period appears to be in error. An incorrect balance could be caused by an error on your tax return that requires amendment or a misapplied payment. Please note that credits are not reflected on your summary as they are unapplied. If you would like to apply a credit that is valid and available to your balance, please submit a transfer of credit request to Tax Accounting by email at tax@phoenix.gov or phone at 602-262-6785, option 6. Include the details of the credit such as account number, credit amount, tax period and date of statement showing the credit as well as the details corresponding to where you would like the credit transferred to.

Account Update

Login to your account and select the "Account Update" option. Click "Edit" under the "Mailing Information" section. Update the address and/or phone number as needed and click "Continue." Verify that the appropriate change appears in the Summary. Once satisfied, please scroll to the bottom and click "Confirm." Your request will not take effect unless this button is clicked. Please print the confirmation number for your records as proof of the change and allow 24 hours for the change to reflect.

Tax Licenses: Please submit a business address change request to Tax Licensing by email at tax@phoenix.gov or phone at 602-262-6785, option 4. Include your account number, name, title, old address, new address and the date you would like the change effective. Regulatory or Liquor Licenses: Many licenses are not transferable from location to location. Please contact License Services by phone at 602-262-4638 #3 for Liquor/#4 for Regulatory.

Tax Licenses: Please contact Tax Licensing by email at tax@phoenix.gov or phone at 602-262-6785, option 4. This change type requires a new license/cancelation of old license. Regulatory or Liquor Licenses: Many licenses are not transferable from one ownership type to another. Please contact License Services by phone at 602-262-4638 #3 for Liquor/#4 for Regulatory.

Due to confidentiality we are unable to discuss your account with anyone that is not on record with your account. It is important that this information be kept up-to-date.

  • If the individuals listed on your account have changed or the contact information for those individuals has changed, please update this information online. Login and select "Account Update." Click "Edit" under the "Contact Information" section to make the updates/additions. Once you have made the changes, click "Continue" and review the changes you made. Once you are satisfied with the information, click "Submit" at the bottom of the summary to create the change. Changes will not take effect unless this button is clicked. Please print the confirmation number for your records as proof of the change and allow 24 hours for the change to reflect.
  • Please note that if you have a Regulatory or Liquor License on your account, any change of contacts/principals may require the submission of forms, fees and/or background checks. Please contact License Services by phone at 602-262-4638 #3 for Liquor/#4 for Regulatory with any questions related to additional requirements for changes to contacts/principals.

Please allow 24 hours to see the change take effect; changes to addressing and phone numbers submitted by 6:00 p.m. MST will normally be reflected the next business day.

  • For changes to contacts/principals on an account with a Regulatory or Liquor License that require submission of forms, fees and/or background checks, the changes may show online but will not be effective until the required items are completed and/or approved. Please contact License Services by phone at 602-262-4638 #3 for Liquor/#4 for Regulatory with any questions related to additional requirements for changes to contacts/principals.

Maintain Employees

This screen pertains to Adult Cabarets or Topless Bars that need to associate (add/remove) licensed performers to their business.

Instructions on how to add/remove performers can be found online under the Sexually Oriented Businesses and Topless Bars Sections.

Any change or update to a performer stage name must be done by the individual performer directly with the License Services Office. For more information, please refer to our online form.

IMPORTANT MESSAGES

Tax returns are delinquent if not received/paid before the close of business on the last calendar day of the month.

Monthly tax returns are due on the 20th of the month following the reporting month

Quarterly tax returns are due on the 20th of the month following the end of the quarter

Annual tax returns are due on January 20th each year 

Liquor license fees are due the last calendar day of the month pr​ior to the beginning of the quarter. 

CONTACT US

email questions to etax@phoenix.gov 

Phone:602-262-6785 , option 6  (M-F, 8:00 a.m. -  5:00 p.m., MST)

Fax 602-732-2769