Marketplace facilitator law
District of Columbia marketplace facilitator law
If you sell on Amazon, Etsy, eBay or Walmart, District of Columbia's marketplace facilitator law decides who collects the tax — the platform or you. Here's how it works and what it means for your own registration.
Verify before you act
Sources currently disagree on some details for this state — especially the trailing-nexus window and how to deregister — so we've flagged it for manual review. Treat this page as a starting point and confirm with DC Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) or a tax professional before you register or deregister.
- Has a marketplace law?
- Yes
- Facilitator collects & remits?
- Yes
- In effect since
- April 2019
- Counts toward your threshold?
- Yes
Does District of Columbia have a marketplace facilitator law?
DC enacted marketplace facilitator legislation effective April 1, 2019 (law created as of Jan 1, 2019 per DC Code § 47-2002.01a). Marketplace facilitators (Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Walmart, etc.) must collect and remit sales tax on behalf of third-party sellers. Sales made through a marketplace facilitator count toward the individual seller's threshold calculation.
Do you still need your own permit?
If you sell only through registered marketplaces in District of Columbia, the platform collects and remits the tax, so you often don't need your own permit for those sales. But the catch: those sales still count toward your economic-nexus threshold, so direct sales through your own store can still require you to register.
Direct sales (Shopify, WooCommerce) are different
Sales through your own store aren't facilitated by anyone — you collect District of Columbia tax on those yourself once you're registered. Many sellers are registered in District of Columbia only because of marketplace sales the platform already handles, which is exactly the kind of registration worth reviewing.
Where TrailingZero fits
TrailingZero connects to your store read-only, maps where you actually have nexus state by state, and separates your marketplace-collected sales from your direct sales in District of Columbia, so you only stay registered where you truly need to be. During any wind-down it can file the zero-dollar returns so nothing lapses — and you only pay for the states you genuinely keep. Run a free audit anytime; this page is free education either way.
District of Columbia Marketplace law FAQ
- Does District of Columbia require marketplaces to collect sales tax?
- Yes. DC enacted marketplace facilitator legislation effective April 1, 2019 (law created as of Jan 1, 2019 per DC Code § 47-2002.01a).
- If I only sell on Amazon, do I need to register in District of Columbia?
- Often no for those facilitated sales, since the marketplace collects and remits. But the sales still count toward your threshold, so direct sales can change the answer.
- Is this tax advice?
- No. This page is general education built from public sources and the rules change often. Confirm your specific situation with the state's tax authority or your accountant before you register or deregister.
More on District of Columbia sales tax
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Primary sources reviewed for this page. Data current as of June 2026.
- https://otr.cfo.dc.gov/page/sales-and-use-tax-faqs
- https://otr.cfo.dc.gov/release/notice-oct-1-2025-tax-changes
- https://otr.cfo.dc.gov/page/new-business-registration
- https://otr.cfo.dc.gov/release/effective-april-1-marketplace-facilitators-must-collect-district-sales-taxes-its-sellers
- https://tax.thomsonreuters.com/news/district-of-columbia-enacts-2026-budget-support-legislation/
- https://mytax.dc.gov/WebFiles/faq/faq.html
- https://www.salestaxinstitute.com/resources/economic-nexus-state-guide
- https://www.avalara.com/blog/en/north-america/2025/06/states-eliminating-economic-nexus-transaction-thresholds.html
TrailingZerois software, not a CPA or law firm, and this page is general education — not tax or legal advice. State rules and thresholds change frequently; confirm your situation with the state's tax authority or your accountant before you register or deregister. See how we research and review this data in our editorial & accuracy policy.