Taxes
Mobile Service Sync separates tax setup into two pieces: tax categories (what kind of thing is being sold) and tax rates (how much tax applies, in which jurisdiction). The calculator multiplies the right rate against the right category at invoice time, so you don't have to think about it once it's set up.
You'll find both under Settings → Taxes.
Tax categories
Every line item on a work order or invoice has a tax category. The defaults match how most mobile-service businesses bill:
| Category | Typical use | Common taxability |
|---|---|---|
| Parts | Filters, oil, fluids — anything physical | Taxable in most US states |
| Labor | Tech time billed at hourly or flat rates | Non-taxable in many states |
| Disposal | Oil disposal, tire disposal, environmental fees | State-specific |
| Other | Anything else (subscriptions, fees, custom add-ons) | Catch-all; usually taxable |
You can rename, add, or change taxability per category. Most operators leave the defaults alone.
The category is what the invoice sees. The tax rate is what the jurisdiction sees. The two get multiplied together at invoice time — change either and the next invoice picks up the new value automatically.
Tax rates
A tax rate is a single percentage that applies to one or more categories in a specific jurisdiction. You can have as many rates as you need — separate state, county, city — and the calculator stacks them automatically.
Default rates we ship with:
- State sales tax — applies to Parts and Other. Rate = your state's percentage.
- County tax (optional) — additive to state for tenants in counties with their own rate.
Each rate has:
- Name — for your reference (e.g., "Iowa state tax", "Polk County local option").
- Percentage — entered as a percent (6.0 = 6%).
- Applies to — which tax categories it should multiply against. Most state taxes apply to Parts and Other; Labor is usually exempt.
- Effective from / to — date range. Rates can be retroactively dated for new states or scheduled in advance for known increases. Out-of-range rates don't apply to invoices issued in that period.
Set up your taxes
Open Settings → Taxes
From the sidebar, click Settings, then Taxes in the left rail of the settings page.
Confirm or rename categories
If your state taxes labor (e.g., Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota), set Labor's taxable flag to true. Otherwise leave the defaults.
Add your state rate
Click + Add tax rate. Name it ("Iowa state tax"), enter the percentage (6.0 for Iowa), and tick the categories that apply (Parts + Other for most states, plus Labor if your state taxes service).
Add local rates if needed
Some operators have a local-option sales tax on top of the state. Add a second rate for the county or city. Order doesn't matter — the calculator just sums everything that applies.
Save and check a recent invoice
Open a recent paid invoice. The tax line at the bottom should equal (taxable subtotal) × (sum of applicable rates). If it doesn't, double-check that the line items are categorized correctly.
Special cases
Out-of-state customers
If you serve customers across state lines, you may owe tax to the state where the service was performed, not where the customer's billing address is. Mobile Service Sync uses the work order's service address to choose which rate applies — set up rates for every state you operate in.
Tax-exempt customers
Mark a customer as tax-exempt on their profile (toggle on the customer detail page). Their invoices skip all tax rates. You can record their exemption certificate number in the customer's notes for audit purposes.
Bulk-import rates
If you operate in many jurisdictions and don't want to add them one by one, Settings → Taxes → Import CSV accepts a spreadsheet of rates. The CSV columns are documented in the in-app help text on that page.
What gets pushed to QuickBooks
If QuickBooks Online is connected, your tax categories sync as Class entries (or Item Tax entries depending on QBO config). Rates push as Tax Rate records. The first sync happens automatically the next time you push an invoice; if you'd rather pre-load them, hit Sync to QBO on the Settings → Taxes page.