PARKER LAUNCHPAD

Every person who is “engaged in business” within the Town of Parker must by licensed by the Town. “Engaged in business” means performing or providing services or selling, leasing, renting, delivering, installing, or any activity in connection with the selling, leasing, renting, delivering, or installing in the Town of tangible personal property by a retail sale. Information about submitting a business license application is available on the Town’s website, by contacting the Sales Tax Division at 303-805-3228, or by picking up an application at Parker Town Hall, 20120 E. Mainstreet. New licenses are issued at no cost for a two-year license.

Town sales tax must be collected on sales, leases and rentals of items in the Town of Parker, including items delivered into the Town. Sales tax must be collected at the time of sale. Sales made to another vendor for taxable resale are exempt when properly documented. All exempt sales must be properly documented, and records must be kept by the seller for audit purposes.

Additionally, all purchases by an exempt organization, regardless of purchase amount, must be made directly from the organization’s funds. For a complete listing of taxable services and tangible personal property, please review the Town’s Municipal Code.

Tax returns are due on the 20th of the month following the reporting period. If the 20th falls on a holiday or weekend, the due date is the next business day. Your tax filing frequency is determined by the amount of tax you expect to remit each month: 

• Monthly Filer: $300.00 or more in tax due each month. 

• Quarterly Filer: Less than $300.00 in tax due each month. 

• Annual Filer: May be granted for $15.00 or less in tax due per month. 

The Town of Parker partners with Xpress Bill Pay to provide a service that will allow you to both file and pay your sales tax returns online (including $0 and past due returns). 

Yes, business licenses in Parker need to be renewed every two years. The licenses are valid through Dec. 31 of even years. The Town will contact businesses via email a few months prior to the expiration date with business license renewal instructions. It is important to keep contact information up-to-date with the Town so these notices are not missed.

There are two mistakes we see most often.  The first is not filing a return for a period that has no tax liability. If you are required to file a return, you must file even if no taxes are due. You will file what we call a “zero return,” meaning zero tax is being remitted. 

The second common mistake is filing the return late, which results in a loss of revenue for the business. For every return not filed by the due date, a penalty will be assessed. The Town’s penalty is the greater of $10 or 15% of the amount of tax due. A $10 penalty will be assessed on late filed returns in which no tax is due. Additionally, interest will be assessed at a rate of 1.5% per month for each month the return and/or payment is delinquent on the amount of tax due, plus accrued interest.  

Also, the Town’s vendor fee is disallowed on all late returns. The vendor’s fee is a reduction in the sales tax the vendor must pay if they file and pay their return by the due date. The vendor’s fee is 3.33% of the sales tax due or $200.00, whichever is smaller.

Our Sales Tax Division can provide guidance in determining taxability and answer business license related questions. They may be contacted at 303-805-3228 or salestax@parkerco.gov.