USA sales tax: what you need to know
Last updated 1 September 2026
If you are in the USA, some states require sales tax on digital content. Where it applies, it is added at checkout as a separate line and passed on to your state. It is not a Hidden fee.
How much
Between 4% and 13%, depending on your state and sometimes your city or county. Rates are set by your local authorities rather than by us, and we use specialist tax data to apply the right one for each address.
You will see it as its own line on your receipt, separate from the price of what you bought.
When it applies
It depends on two things: where you are, and what you are buying. Not every state taxes digital content, and not every type of payment is taxable in the states that do.
If nothing is added at checkout, your state does not require it on that purchase.
Why it applies at all
Most US states now treat digital content as a taxable item, whether it is downloaded or streamed. Many have also passed marketplace facilitator laws, which make platforms responsible for collecting the tax rather than leaving it to the individual seller.
Those laws were written with large streaming services in mind and have since been read more broadly, which is how they reach a platform like ours.
Where the money goes
Straight to your state tax authority. We collect it and pass it on. None of it is income for us and none of it reaches the creator, so a tax line does not mean anyone on our side earned more.
If your state does not charge it now
It may in future. More states are bringing digital content into scope over time. If yours does, tax will start appearing on your receipts from that point, and it will not be applied retrospectively to anything you have already bought.
Common questions
+Can I avoid it?
No. It is determined by where you are, and we are legally required to collect it where it applies. Entering a different address would be inaccurate and is against our terms.
+Why did the amount change?
Rates change when your state or locality changes them. If you moved, the rate for your new address applies.
+Is it refunded if I get a refund?
Where a purchase is refunded, the tax collected on it is dealt with as part of that. Get in touch if the figures do not look right.
+I think I was charged the wrong rate.
Check that the address on your account matches where you actually are, since the rate follows the address. If it does and the rate still looks wrong, email bill@hidden.com with the date and amount.
+I am outside the USA.
This does not apply to you. VAT may instead, depending on where you are. See What is Value Added Tax?
Related
How transactions and charges work
Tax on transactions: VAT and US sales tax
Tax line looks wrong? Email bill@hidden.com with the date and amount.
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