Licences, Permits and Sales Tax

Four different things get called a licence. Most people need none of them. Sales tax, and what changes if you sell food you made at home.

4 pages here.

• Do I Need a Licence to Do This

  There is no single business licence, in the Small Business Administration's own words. What you need depends on your city, your county and what you do. Here is how to find your own answer.

• Four Different Things People Call a Licence

  Four separate things get called a licence, and they come from four different offices. Telling them apart is most of the work. Here is what each one is and what it does not do.

• Sales Tax, and Who Is Already Collecting It

  If you sell through a marketplace, it is probably collecting sales tax for you already. Here is why, why a payment app does not, and the small seller exemption that leaves makers out by name.

• Selling Food You Made at Home

  Every state answers the same four questions about home kitchen food, and answers them differently. Here is the shape of the rules, two states that do it opposite ways, and your list.