Online Services: Business Taxes

UST-1 County Data File Upload

Overview

File upload otions have been added to the to the UST-1 in order to facilitate data entry of UST-1 Sales Tax data. This functionality allows the taxpayer/practitioner to upload county sales tax data from a file, reducing the number of keystrokes that need to be performed within the OBG application.

Instructions

(Note: If you need assistance with registration or navigation of OBG, there are tutorials on the Ohio Business Gateway introduction page that can help.)

1. In order to take advantage of the “file upload” (or express data entry) capability, you will first need to format your County Sales Tax data file properly. There are two format that will accepted: .txt and .csv. The file format specifications are provided at the end of this document.
2. After signing into OBG, navigate to the Sales Tax Return page.
3. When you get to the screen below, select the “County Data File Upload” radio button. Then browse to and select the file to be uploaded. Select the "Next" button.

               

 

4. Continue to follow the on-screen instructions.
5. The County Sales data screen should be pre-populated with the data that you uploaded. Any errors in the file or with the calculations will be indicated on the top of the page. After verifying that the data is correct, select the Next button.
6. Continue to follow the on-screen instructions and enter Gross Sales and all other data, as needed, to complete the UST-1. Select the Next button.
7. OBG will automatically calculate the UST-1 return for you. If the return is correct, select the Accept Data button on the final UST-1 screen. This will mark the UST-1 return as “ready to file” but will not file it yet.

File Upload Formats

Submitted files must be in a comma delimited text format (.csv or .txt) only and adhere to the File Format guidelines below.   There is a slightly different format for .txt and .csv. 

.csv File Rules:

• Download the Excel Template.
• DO NOT change the format of the Excel file or the data may not upload successfully.
• DO NOT use commas, dollar signs or any special characters within the fields. Decimals are required.
• DO NOT include a period within the file name (i.e., Jan. 2009).
• Each county number can be a maximum of 3 numeric charachters. 
• Negative numbers may be used, as long as the total sales and liability lines are positive.
• Enter all County data in the Excel spreadsheet that is provided by the Ohio Department of Taxation.
• Save the file to be uploaded as “.csv (comma-delimitated)” format.
• Semi-annual returns that include two different rates for the same county can be accommodated within the data file by adding the applicable County Code, Taxable Sales, and Tax Liability at the bottom of the spreadsheet. The period (quarter) with the original rate will have a “2” in front of the county number. For example:

Hancock County:  July 1 – Sep 30, 2008  Tax Rate:  6.0%   County Code = 232
Hancock County:  Oct 1 – Dec 31, 2008  Tax Rate:  6.75%  County Code = 32

OBG UST-1 .csv (from Excel) County Data File Format

               

.txt File Rules:

• Use a carriage return (Enter key) at the end of each county data set.
• DO NOT use dollar signs or any special characters within the file.
• DO NOT include a period within the file name (i.e., Jan. 2009).
• Decimals are required to separate the whole dollars from the cents (100 = 100.00).
• Data for only one report can be contained in each file.
• Each county number can be a maximum of 3 numeric charachters. 
• Negative numbers may be used  (-100.00, -7.05), as long as the total sales and liability lines are positive.
• File extensions must be .txt.
• County sets do not need to be listed in numerical order by county.
• Only data for counties that have taxable sales need to be included in this file.
• Multiple data sets for the same county are accepted. The application will total the sets up and combine them into one single count data set within the application.
• Semi-annual returns that include two different rates for the same county can be accommodated within the data file. The period (quarter) with the original rate will have a “2” in front of the county number.   For example:

Hancock County:  July 1 – Sep 30, 2008  Tax Rate:  6.0%   County Code = 232
Hancock County:  Oct 1 – Dec 31, 2008  Tax Rate:  6.75%  County Code = 32

OBG UST-1 .txt County Data File Format