Preparing for Tax Time: Michigan Retailers

Glenn White, Deputy Treasurer, Revenue Services, Michigan Dept. of Treasury

By: Glenn White, Deputy Treasurer, Revenue Services, Michigan Dept. of Treasury

Tax season is underway, but it doesn’t have to be stressful. The Michigan Department of Treasury offers retailers actionable tips to help simplify and streamline the filing and payment process, as well as due date reminders.

USE Michigan Treasury Online (MTO). MTO is free, secure, and available 24 hours a day. Retailers who use MTO to interact electronically will avoid calculation errors and mailing issues. At mto.treasury.michigan.gov, retailers can:

  • File business tax returns and make corresponding payments.
  • Send required tax forms and documentation (e.g., Power of Attorney, W-2s and 1099s, Notice of Discontinuance, etc.).
  • View account history, Treasury-issued correspondence, and previously filed tax information.

REVIEW your business tax registration information. Retail businesses may have registered with Treasury years ago, so ensure your information is still accurate by visiting MTO. Your registration data is used to determine tax obligations, send correspondence to the legal address, establish power of attorney permissions, and verify business status.

SUBMIT the Authorized Representative Declaration (Power of Attorney): Form 151. Form 151 permits the disclosure of protected tax account information to another entity or person (tax preparer, family member, etc.). The form was revised in June 2022; visit Treasury’s taxes website for all the resources you need to properly fill this form out and get it filed. Go to michigan.gov/taxes, scroll down to ‘Popular Forms’ and click the ‘Authorized Representative Declaration: Form 151’ link.

MEET your business tax filing and payment deadlines. Electronic filing and payment of the following tax returns are not required (with a few exceptions) but are strongly encouraged for almost everyone.

  • All retailers who operated in 2022 must file the 2022 Sales, Use, and Withholding (SUW) Taxes Annual Return by February 28, 2023.
  • Most state copies of W-2s and 1099s are due by January 31, 2023. These forms must be filed separately from a retailer’s annual tax return.