Sales Tax Nexus Checker: How to Check Your Nexus Status in Every State (2026)

TL;DR: Sales tax nexus determines whether you must collect and remit sales tax in a state. You can check your nexus status manually by reviewing state Department of Revenue websites and calculating your revenue per state, or use automated tools like our free nexus calculator. Key nexus triggers include physical presence, economic thresholds (typically $100K+ in annual sales), affiliate relationships, and marketplace facilitator requirements. Understanding your nexus obligations in 2026 is critical for compliance and avoiding penalties.

Understanding Sales Tax Nexus: The Foundation

Sales tax nexus is the connection between your business and a state that creates an obligation to collect and remit sales tax. Without nexus, you generally don't have to collect sales tax in that state. With nexus, you're legally required to register with the state's Department of Revenue and collect sales tax from customers at the point of sale.

The challenge for modern e-commerce sellers is that nexus rules have become increasingly complex. Each state has different rules, thresholds, and definitions. What triggers nexus in California might not trigger it in Texas. Understanding where you have nexus isn't optional—it's a fundamental part of running a compliant online business.

In 2026, the landscape continues to evolve as states refine their economic nexus thresholds and marketplace facilitator rules. Staying on top of your nexus status across all states where you sell is no longer a "nice to have"—it's essential.

What Triggers Sales Tax Nexus?

Before you can check your nexus status, you need to understand what actually creates nexus. There are several categories of nexus triggers, and you might have multiple types of nexus across different states.

Physical Presence Nexus

Physical presence nexus is the oldest and most straightforward type. If you have a physical location in a state—a warehouse, office, retail store, or even a storage unit—you have nexus there. This includes:

• Warehouses and fulfillment centers
• Retail locations
• Offices or employee workspaces
• Pop-up shops or temporary locations
• Storage facilities holding inventory

If you use third-party fulfillment centers (like Amazon FBA), you still have nexus in states where those centers are located, since the inventory is physically present in those states.

Economic Nexus

Economic nexus means you have enough sales activity in a state that you're required to collect sales tax, regardless of physical presence. Most states have adopted economic nexus thresholds, typically ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 in annual gross revenue.

The threshold varies by state. Some states set it at $100,000, others at $150,000, and some at higher amounts. A few states have different thresholds for different types of transactions. These thresholds are adjusted periodically, so checking current rules annually is important.

Affiliate Nexus

Affiliate nexus occurs when you have marketing affiliates, influencers, or partners in a state who refer customers to your business. Some states consider these relationships sufficient to establish nexus. The rules vary—some states require that the affiliate has a physical location, while others consider any contractual relationship as nexus-triggering.

Marketplace Facilitator Nexus

If you sell through a marketplace like Amazon, eBay, Shopify, or Etsy, the marketplace facilitator (the platform itself) may be required to collect sales tax on your behalf. However, you should understand whether your marketplace is registered as a facilitator in your target states, and whether you still need to register separately for direct sales through your own website.

Manual Methods: How to Check Your Nexus Status

Let's walk through the practical steps for checking your nexus status manually. This method requires some research but gives you complete control and understanding of your obligations.

Step 1: Identify States Where You Have Physical Presence

Start with the easiest part. Make a list of every state where you have a physical location, warehouse, or employee. This includes:

• Your business headquarters
• Fulfillment centers or warehouses
• Any retail locations
• Employee work-from-home situations (if you have employees working from home in other states)
• Third-party fulfillment center locations (check your FBA, Shopify Plus, or other fulfillment agreements)

You automatically have nexus in all these states. Go ahead and mark those down as confirmed nexus states.

Step 2: Calculate Your Revenue Per State

Next, you need to determine your annual gross revenue in each state. This requires organizing your sales data by customer location. The customer's location is typically determined by:

• The shipping address (for tangible goods)
• The customer's billing address (sometimes)
• Your business location (for some services)

Most e-commerce platforms can generate reports showing sales by state. If you use:

• Shopify: Use the sales reports feature to view revenue by location
• WooCommerce: Export orders and calculate by state
• Amazon: Check seller dashboard reports for sales by state
• eBay: Use seller hub analytics
• Custom platforms: Export transaction data and analyze in a spreadsheet

Once you have revenue by state, compare your totals to each state's economic nexus threshold. If your revenue in a state meets or exceeds the threshold, you likely have economic nexus there.

Step 3: Check Each State's Department of Revenue Website

Visit the Department of Revenue (or equivalent agency) website for each state where your revenue exceeds the economic nexus threshold. Look for:

• Sales tax registration requirements
• Economic nexus thresholds (verify the current amount)
• Marketplace facilitator information
• Affiliate nexus rules
• Any state-specific exceptions or special rules

Most states have dedicated pages explaining sales tax obligations for remote sellers. These pages usually include:

• Threshold amounts and dates they go into effect
• Registration procedures
• Filing deadlines
• Due dates for tax payments

Step 4: Account for Marketplace Facilitator Status

If you sell through marketplace facilitators, check whether that platform is registered to collect sales tax in your target states. You can usually find this information:

• On the marketplace's help pages (search "sales tax" or "tax collection")
• By contacting marketplace seller support
• On state Department of Revenue websites (many list registered facilitators)

If your marketplace handles tax collection, you're typically exempt from collecting on those sales. However, if you also make direct sales through your own website, those direct sales may be subject to different rules.

Step 5: Document Your Findings

Create a simple spreadsheet with:

• State name
• Physical presence? (Yes/No)
• Annual revenue in state
• Economic nexus threshold
• Meets economic nexus? (Yes/No)
• Status (Has Nexus/No Nexus)
• Registration date (if applicable)

This documentation is valuable for your records and shows that you've made a good-faith effort to understand your obligations.

Using Automated Tools: The Smarter Approach

Manual checking works, but it's time-intensive and easy to miss updates. Automated tools streamline the process significantly.

Our Free Nexus Calculator

The free nexus calculator simplifies your first assessment. You input:

• Your business location
• States where you have physical locations
• Your annual revenue (or approximate range)
• Marketplace selling channels

The tool instantly shows which states where you likely have nexus based on current thresholds. It's a great starting point and helps you understand the basics without spending hours on research.

NexusMonitor and Similar Platforms

More comprehensive solutions like NexusMonitor go deeper. These tools:

• Track economic nexus threshold changes automatically
• Monitor new state legislation affecting your nexus status
• Provide state-by-state compliance checklists
• Alert you when thresholds change
• Integrate with your sales data to calculate revenue by state automatically

These services are particularly valuable if you:

• Sell across many states
• Have complex sales structures (multiple brands, marketplaces, direct sales)
• Want automated notifications about law changes
• Need documentation for audit purposes

Integration With Your Sales Platform

Many modern e-commerce platforms integrate with tax compliance tools. Check if your platform (Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce plugins, etc.) offers automatic nexus detection and reporting.

State-by-State Considerations

While economic nexus rules are becoming more uniform, each state still has unique characteristics. Here's what to look for:

Factor	What to Check	Why It Matters
Economic Threshold	Current $ amount for nexus	Determines if you owe sales tax
Marketplace Facilitator Status	Is your sales channel registered?	Affects who collects sales tax
Affiliate Nexus	Does state recognize affiliate relationships?	Matters if you use influencer marketing
Special Industries	Digital goods, services, tangibles	Different items taxed differently
Effective Date	When did rules take effect?	Retroactive application may apply
Nexus Registration Link	Direct to registration portal	Speeds up registration process

Common Scenarios: Practical Examples

Let's walk through some real-world situations to see how nexus checking works in practice.

Scenario 1: Small E-Commerce Seller with FBA

You're an Amazon FBA seller with $250,000 in annual Amazon sales. Your business is based in New York. Amazon has fulfillment centers in New York, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Kentucky, and California.

Your nexus status:

• Physical presence nexus: NY (your office), PA, NV, KY, CA (Amazon warehouses)
• Economic nexus: Any states where your revenue exceeds their threshold (likely most states, depending on their specific threshold)

Action: Register for sales tax in NY, PA, NV, KY, and CA due to physical presence. For other states with economic nexus thresholds you've exceeded, check each state's threshold individually. Since Amazon collects sales tax as a marketplace facilitator in most states, you may not need to register separately for FBA sales, but verify this on Amazon's tax compliance page.

Scenario 2: Multi-Channel Seller

You sell $400,000 annually: $200,000 on Shopify (direct sales), $150,000 on Amazon, $50,000 on Etsy. You're based in Texas.

Your nexus status:

• Physical presence: Texas only
• Economic nexus: Definitely triggered in most states (your total revenue exceeds most economic thresholds)

Action: You need to register for sales tax based on economic nexus in many states. Since you sell through multiple channels, some with facilitator collection and some without, check each marketplace's facilitator status in each state. Your direct Shopify sales will require you to collect and remit sales tax in economic nexus states where the marketplace isn't collecting.

Scenario 3: Digital Products Seller

You sell e-books and digital courses, generating $300,000 in annual revenue. You're based in Florida.

Your nexus status:

• Digital product sales are taxed differently in each state
• Some states don't tax digital goods; others do
• Economic nexus rules may or may not apply to digital products in each state

Action: Research each state's treatment of digital goods. Some states specifically exclude digital products from sales tax; others include them. Create a chart showing which states tax digital goods and compare your state-by-state revenue to that state's threshold. Your obligations may differ from physical product sellers.

Red Flags and Common Mistakes

When checking your nexus status, watch out for these common errors:

Underestimating revenue. Some sellers forget to include marketplace sales or only count "profit" instead of gross revenue. The threshold is based on gross revenue, not profit. Include all sales channels.

Ignoring threshold changes. States update thresholds regularly. A state that was below your threshold last year might be above it this year. Check annually.

Confusing sales tax with income tax. Sales tax nexus and income tax nexus are different. You might have income tax nexus in a state without sales tax nexus. Focus specifically on sales tax rules.

Assuming marketplace collection is universal. Not every marketplace facilitator collects in every state. Verify specifically which states your marketplace covers.

Missing physical presence triggers. Remember that an employee working from home, a small office, or even a storage unit creates physical presence nexus. Think broadly about your physical footprint.

Taking Action: Next Steps

Once you've checked your nexus status, here's what to do:

1. Confirm your findings using the free nexus calculator to validate your manual research
2. Create a nexus map showing which states require registration
3. Register with those states through their Department of Revenue portals (timelines vary by state)
4. Set up tax collection in your e-commerce platform
5. Establish filing calendars for each state (monthly, quarterly, or annual depending on the state)
6. Document everything for audit purposes and to show good-faith compliance efforts

Maintaining Compliance Throughout the Year

Checking your nexus status once isn't enough. Set reminders to:

• Review your revenue by state quarterly
• Check for threshold increases (usually annual, on specific dates)
• Monitor for new legislation affecting your business
• Update your nexus status if you add new sales channels or physical locations
• Recalculate after major sales changes

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What's the difference between checking nexus manually and using a tool?

A: Manual checking gives you complete control and understanding of your obligations but requires significant research time and stays static until you check again. Automated tools are faster, stay current with law changes, and often integrate with your sales data. For small sellers, manual checking with our free calculator is a good start; for larger sellers or those managing multiple sales channels, automated tools provide better long-term compliance.

Q: If I use a marketplace facilitator like Amazon, do I still need to check my nexus status?

A: Yes. Even if your marketplace collects sales tax on those sales, you may still need to register separately if you have direct sales through your own website, if you exceed affiliate nexus thresholds, or if you have physical presence in a state. You also need to track whether the facilitator is collecting in all states where you have nexus.

Q: How often do economic nexus thresholds change?

A: Most states review thresholds annually, usually on January 1st. Some states increase thresholds periodically based on inflation or legislative changes. Check each state's Department of Revenue website at the start of each year to verify thresholds haven't changed.

Q: What happens if I discover I should have registered in a state but didn't?

A: Contact that state's Department of Revenue as soon as possible to register retroactively. While you may owe back taxes and could face penalties, demonstrating good-faith compliance efforts (such as using this checker to get current) can reduce penalties. Consult with a tax professional about your specific situation.

Q: Can affiliate relationships create nexus even if the affiliate has no physical location in the state?

A: It depends on the state. Some states recognize any affiliate relationship as nexus-creating; others only if the affiliate has physical presence in that state. Check your target states' specific affiliate nexus rules on their Department of Revenue websites.

Q: Should I register in a state if my revenue is just barely below the economic nexus threshold?

A: No—economic nexus is usually based on the prior calendar year's revenue. If you're just below the threshold this year but expect to exceed it next year, plan to register for the following year. However, if you expect to exceed the threshold before year-end, you might need to register immediately to avoid back-tax liability. Consider consulting a tax professional for your specific situation.

---

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute tax advice. Sales tax laws are complex and subject to change. For specific guidance on your business situation, consult with a qualified tax professional or your state's Department of Revenue.