Who can do this: Owners only. Where: Sidebar → Business → Settings → "Operations" → "Sales Tax Rate (%)"
Setting your rate#
Enter one flat percentage, like 8.25. Leave it blank if you don't collect sales tax.
The setting's own help text:
"Applied to the amount charged at checkout — the deposit on party bookings. Leave blank if you don't collect sales tax. You are responsible for remitting what's collected. Note: Square receipts show one combined line rather than breaking tax out separately."
Save with "Apply" in the bar at the bottom of the settings page.
PBHQ is not a tax service#
Read this part before you turn tax on.
PBHQ applies one flat rate to everything. It does not:
- Vary the rate by customer location
- Distinguish taxable from non-taxable items — many states tax equipment rental but not admissions, and PBHQ can't tell them apart
- Handle exemption certificates for schools, churches, or nonprofits
- File anything, or tell you what you owe
Talk to your accountant about the right rate and what's actually taxable in your state. PBHQ collects what you tell it to collect. Remitting it is entirely on you.
What gets taxed, and when#
Tax follows the money. It's applied to the amount actually being charged at that moment.
| Booking | What's taxed at checkout |
|---|---|
| Walk-on paid in full | The full amount |
| Walk-on with a gear deposit | The deposit |
| Party | The deposit |
| Event | The full amount |
| Pay on site | The full discounted total, since the whole thing settles at your counter |
On a party, the customer also sees an informational note on the balance — something like "(+$X tax)" — so they know what to expect on game day. You collect that tax at the counter along with the balance.
What isn't taxed#
The platform booking fee. PBHQ deliberately excludes its own fee from the taxable base — it shouldn't be taking a cut of money you're holding for your state, and it keeps your reconciliation clean.
Where it appears#
"Sales Tax" gets its own line on the checkout summary, separate from "Fees":
Subtotal $200.00
Sales Tax $16.50
Fees $9.60
Total Due Today $226.10
It's on the checkout page, the confirmation page, and the confirmation email. It's also visible on the booking edit screen, noted as "Customer also paid $X in sales tax — included in your payout. You are responsible for remitting it."
The Square caveat#
If you use Square, tax is included in the total charge but Square's receipt shows one combined line rather than breaking tax out separately. Square's checkout can't itemize taxes the way PBHQ needs.
Practically: your Square dashboard won't give you a tidy tax report for PBHQ bookings. Use PBHQ's own numbers instead — the booking edit screen shows tax per booking, and the Reports CSV export gives you the underlying booking data.