How do I apply for Sales Tax Exemption?

Due to recent changes in U.S. and state law, School Prints by Nations Photo Lab must collect tax in most U.S. states. We have partnered with Avalara, the preeminent tax platform. We utilize their services to get the current and accurate tax rate for the state where you ship your order! If your organization is exempt from sales tax for any state, you can apply for a tax-exempt account for those states!

To start the process, please ensure the following documentation and items are available and completed before proceeding:

• Re-seller Certificate - Optional
• Sales Tax Exempt Card (e.g., charity, church, school) - Optional
• Please make sure that your Nations Photo Lab account name and the name on the exemption documentation match.
• Maryland-based organizations: Verify tax-exempt status with the Comptroller of Maryland.

Once these items are in place, please sign in to your Nations Photo Lab account. Once signed in, click “My Account” in the website’s upper right corner.



Before applying for tax exemption, you will want to be sure your account's name matches the name you use on your tax exemption certificate! The certificate will only be approved/validated if the name matches.

You must also add your primary address and set it as the default one. To do so, click “Addresses” in the top menu on the My Account page.



Then, click “+Add An Address” to enter your primary address. Once you have filled in all required fields, check the option for “Use as Default Address.” Then, click “Save.” You will then see the address saved within this section!

You will also see “Default Address” listed underneath!



Now that you have set a primary default address, you may begin submitting your tax-exempt information! 

Click “Tax Info” in the top menu on the same My Account page. Then, click “Add Tax Exemption.”

Please note that once you click the "Add Tax Exemption" button, you will have 120 days to upload your tax information or certificate. If you do not do so within this timeframe, the page will expire. 



You will then follow the prompts within the widget to submit your tax-exempt information and documentation. Once you file your registration with us, the approval process will generally take three business days. You will receive an email confirmation upon successfully submitting your tax-exempt information. However, you will want to return to the Tax-Exempt Status section on the My Account page to check your registration status within three business days.

You will see a "Pending" status During the approval process. You will see a "Complete" status if your tax exemption status is approved. 

Once we have approved your tax exemption status, you may begin ordering from the website tax-free when shipping to the state you filed for! However, please note that, by law, we must calculate taxes based on the state where the order will be shipped. Therefore, tax exemption is per state. If shipping to multiple states, you must apply for tax exemption for each state. However, you may download and submit a multiple jurisdiction form, allowing you to apply for tax exemption to several states simultaneously. For more information, click HERE!

Lastly, the tax fees are not included in the order's subtotal. Therefore, taxes are not factored in when calculating free Economy shipping.