SALES TAX GUIDE
Why Must You Pay Sales Tax When Buying Nail Supplies?
Whether you buy online or in-store, nail technicians and salon owners are legally required to pay sales tax — or self-report use tax — on supplies used in their business. This page clarifies the rules so you understand your obligations and avoid penalties.
VERIFY THE TAX LAW
TAX STATUS
Use vs. Resale: Know the Difference
How you intend to use a product determines whether the purchase is taxable. Match your situation to one of the two paths below.
TAXABLE
Buying for Use
Gel polish, files, tools, and supplies your salon consumes while servicing clients. Because you are the final consumer of these products, the purchase is subject to sales tax — you pay it at checkout, or self-report use tax if it wasn't collected.
No resale certificate needed — tax applies at the point of sale.
TAX-EXEMPT
Buying for Resale
If you're a licensed reseller purchasing inventory to resell unchanged to customers, and you provide a valid resale certificate (e.g. CRT-61), the purchase can be tax-exempt. In exchange, you must collect and remit sales tax when you resell those items.
Requires a valid resale certificate on file — you collect tax at resale.
DEFINITIONS
Whoever Is the "End User" Is Responsible for Paying Sales Tax
When you buy materials or tools to use on clients in your salon, you are the End User of those items, so you are responsible for paying sales tax. If you buy smaller retail items — like polish, lotion, cuticle oil, files, etc. — to resell to customers to take home, you don't pay sales tax on that purchase, but you must have a Certificate of Resale and collect sales tax from your customer.
Easy examples:
An electrician or contractor who buys building materials at Home Depot to build/remodel a customer's home must pay sales tax at the time of purchase, because they are using the materials to perform a service — just like a nail salon.
A cleaning company that buys chemicals and supplies like bleach, trash bags, vacuums, and mops to use for cleaning jobs must pay sales tax on those purchases.
Buying paper towels or gloves at Costco/Walmart, or supplies from CosmoProf/SalonCentric to use in your salon, always requires paying sales tax. A nail salon is the same: you use materials and tools to perform a service, so you are the End User and you must pay the tax.
GOOD NEWS
Money spent on nail supplies (including sales tax paid) can usually be claimed as a business expense at year-end to reduce your income tax. (Check with your CPA.)
TAX LIABILITY
Who Is Responsible for the Tax?
Under the law, the buyer — the end user who actually consumes the goods — is always ultimately responsible for the tax owed on those goods. That obligation exists independently of whether a seller collects tax at checkout.
If a seller — whether in-state or out-of-state — fails to collect sales tax at the time of sale, the responsibility does not simply vanish. It shifts to the buyer. In that case you must self-report and pay "use tax" directly to your state, typically on your own tax return, at the same rate the sales tax would have been.
No sales tax collected does not mean no tax owed.
How the obligation moves
Seller collects sales tax at checkout — obligation is satisfied at the point of sale.
Seller does not collect — obligation shifts to the buyer, who self-reports use tax.
Use tax is paid directly to your state, usually on your own return — same rate, later step.
Sales tax + Use tax = the same obligation, just collected at a different point.
FAQ
Common Misconceptions, Cleared Up
Illinois law requires us to charge tax on items you use on clients while performing a service — like gel, powder, top coat, and so on. At that point, you are the End User of the product, and whoever the End User is, is who owes the tax. This is state law, not something we made up.
Sure. Electricians and contractors who buy materials at Home Depot to build something for a client still pay sales tax, because they are the ones using the materials. A cleaning company that buys bleach, trash bags, and a vacuum to do their job also pays tax on those purchases. Buying paper towels and gloves at Costco/Walmart, or supplies from CosmoProf/SalonCentric to use in your shop, always includes tax. Nail salons are exactly the same: you use the product to perform a service, which makes you the End User — and End Users pay the tax.
That store not charging tax doesn't mean you're exempt — if you're audited, you'll still be penalized. Illinois has a Use Tax law: if no one collects tax at the time of purchase, you are personally required to self-report and pay it directly to the state. Those other nail supply stores are simply shifting the reporting responsibility onto you. You can read more about Illinois Use Tax law here: https://tax.illinois.gov/individuals/faqs-use-tax.html
No. If a seller doesn't charge sales tax at checkout, the obligation doesn't disappear — it shifts to you. As the buyer, you still owe the equivalent amount as use tax, reported directly to your home state, typically at the same rate the sales tax would have been.
Whether or not the seller collects it, you are still ultimately responsible. Buying "tax-free" elsewhere doesn't get you off the hook — you just owe it later as use tax instead. It's the law. Get it right from the start!
No. A business license by itself does not exempt any of your purchases from sales tax. Only a valid resale certificate — and only for items you genuinely resell unchanged — qualifies a purchase for a resale exemption. The license proves you operate a business; the resale certificate is what documents a tax-exempt resale purchase.
Not yet. Writing off an invoice as a business expense only reduces your income tax — it does not pay your Sales Tax / Use Tax for you. If you deduct an invoice showing $0 tax without having actually paid Use Tax, you'll owe penalties if you're audited.
It sounds like you're saving money, but you're really just stacking up a debt. If you're audited, you'll owe back taxes for multiple years, plus penalties and daily interest — usually far more than the original tax. Paying correctly from the start is a smaller amount, but it's settled for good.
That's only because they haven't been audited yet — it doesn't mean it's legal. Illinois has a Use Tax law: if no one collects tax at the time of purchase, you are personally required to self-report and pay it directly to the state.
COMPARISON
Pay Sales Tax Upfront vs. Trying to Avoid It
THE SMART CHOICE
Pay Sales Tax at Purchase
No surprise use-tax bill later
Fully compliant, audit-ready records
Simple bookkeeping — tax is already settled
No risk of penalties or back-interest
THE RISKY PATH
Try to Avoid It / Buy "Tax-Free"
You still owe use tax later — nothing is actually saved
Risk of penalties and interest if caught in an audit
Extra paperwork to self-report use tax
Vendors offering "no tax" aren't doing you a favor
RESALE CERTIFICATE
Using a Resale Certificate (CRT-61) the Right Way
If your salon or business genuinely buys inventory to resell unchanged to your customers — retail products for take-home use, not supplies consumed during a service — you can provide a completed CRT-61 (or your state's equivalent resale certificate) to purchase those items without paying sales tax. This applies only to goods that are truly resold. It does not cover tools, implements, or supplies you use in performing services; those are taxable to you as the end user.
How to Use It Correctly
1
Confirm the item is for resale only, unchanged — sold as-is to your customer, not consumed in a service.
2
Complete the CRT-61 form with your resale/seller's permit number and required business details.
3
Provide the signed certificate to your supplier before or at the time of purchase.
4
Collect and remit sales tax yourself when you resell the item to your customer.
Important: Misusing a resale certificate for items you actually use in your business is tax fraud. It can trigger penalties, interest, and back taxes in an audit. When in doubt, pay the tax upfront — only certify true resale goods.
OFFICIAL SOURCES
Verify It Yourself: Official Sources
We encourage every buyer to confirm these rules directly with official tax authorities rather than take our word for it.
State Department of Revenue — Sales & Use Tax Guide
The authoritative guide on what's taxable, resale rules, and how use tax applies to supplies consumed in a service.
Visit official guide
IRS.gov — Business Tax Basics
Federal guidance on employer IDs, recordkeeping, and the distinction between reselling inventory and consuming supplies.
Read on IRS.gov
Illinois CRT-61 Resale Certificate Form (or relevant state form)
Download the official CRT-61 form and instructions for documenting legitimate resale purchases with your permit number.
Get the form
State Tax Authority — Use Tax FAQ for Businesses
Common questions on when use tax is owed on supplies, tools, and implements used in performing salon services.
See the FAQ
SHOP WITH CONFIDENCE
Stock Up with Confidence — Tax Done Right
Nail Superstore charges sales tax correctly wherever it's required by law — so salons and technicians stay compliant without the extra hassle. Buyers with a valid resale certificate can shop tax-exempt on genuine inventory purchased for resale.
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