Sales tax paid twice on delivery orders
Delivery Sales Tax Overpayment Calculator
Updated · Checked against primary sources
The short answer
If a delivery platform remitted sales tax as marketplace facilitator and you reported the same sales as taxable, the overlap is marketplace sales x tax rate x months affected. It is a screening number: the refund is capped at the lower of what you paid and what the platform remitted.
DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub orders where the platform collected and remitted the tax. Food subtotal, before commissions.
Combined state and local rate for your location.
100% if marketplace sales flowed into your gross sales with no deduction.
Capped by your state's refund window, often 3 or 4 years.
- Possible overpayment per month
- $1,650
- Possible overpayment over 36 months
- $59,400
A screening estimate, not a refund amount. It assumes the platform was the marketplace facilitator for these orders in your state for every month counted, and that you paid tax on the same sales. Each state sets its own rules, forms and refund deadline; a refund claim is filed by the business or its CPA.
The formula
This is exactly what the calculator above computes.
overpaid per month = marketplace food sales x tax rate x share you also reported total = overpaid per month x months inside the refund window refund claim = min(tax you paid on those sales, tax the platform remitted)
Worked example (hypothetical numbers)
- $20,000 a month of marketplace food sales the platform taxed and remitted.
- Combined prepared-food rate 8.25%, all of it also reported on the restaurant's return.
- $20,000 x 8.25% = $1,650 a month paid twice.
- Over 36 open months: $1,650 x 36 = $59,400.
A possible overpayment of about $59,400 to verify against the platform's remittance reports and your filed returns, period by period.
What this does not account for
- Each platform started remitting on a different date in each state, and some (DoorDash since 2024, Uber Eats in several states) pass local taxes back for the restaurant to remit. Count only months and taxes the platform actually remitted.
- Refund windows run per return period, typically 3 or 4 years, and are counted differently by state. See the deadlines table.
- Some states only refund tax the claimant bore and did not pass on, and marked-up menu prices on delivery apps change the taxable base.
- A refund claim is filed by the business or its CPA. This is not tax advice.
Frequently asked questions
- Which states does this apply to?
- States where the platform acts as marketplace facilitator for restaurant orders, such as Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, Washington and Indiana. In California (except Uber Eats since April 2021), Texas and New York, the restaurant remits, so there is usually no double payment.
- Where do I find what the platform remitted?
- DoorDash: the Monthly Subtotal Tax Breakdown report and the "Subtotal Tax Remitted by DoorDash" column in payout reports. Uber Eats: the payment details report. In Toast, the Sales Summary tax tile splits Remitted by 3rd Party from Remitted by Restaurant.
Free leak scan
Find out what your restaurant is owed
Send exports, not logins: processor statements, payout reports, delivery-app CSVs and payroll summaries. We return a written list of what looks recoverable, what each item is worth, and which deadlines are still open. If something is worth pursuing, we quote the recovery before you commit to anything.
Request a free leak scanQuestions this calculator answers
- AnswerDo restaurants pay sales tax on DoorDash orders?It depends on your state. Where DoorDash is the marketplace facilitator for restaurants, such as Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia and N...
- AnswerAm I paying sales tax twice on delivery-app orders?You may be, if your state makes the delivery platform the marketplace facilitator and your sales tax return still includes those orders as t...
- AnswerHow long do you have to claim a sales tax refund?Usually 3 or 4 years, but each state counts differently. California allows the later of 3 years from the return's due date or 6 months from ...
Go deeper
- GuideDoorDash Sales Tax: Are Restaurants Paying Twice?In most states DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub remit sales tax on your delivery orders. If those sales also hit your return, you paid twice. How to check.
- GuideMarketplace Facilitator Sales Tax by State, 2026Does DoorDash, Uber Eats or Grubhub remit sales tax for restaurants in your state, and since when? A state-by-state table from each platform's own list.
- GuideHow to Claim a Restaurant Sales Tax RefundOverpaid sales tax on delivery-app orders? Refund deadlines run 3 to 4 years by state. The forms, the evidence states ask for, and a step-by-step claim.
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Sources
- DoorDash marketplace facilitator FAQ
- Uber Eats Merchants: Marketplace facilitator
- Toast Support: DoorDash marketplace facilitator tax
- Cherry Bekaert: Potential tax refund for restaurants using third-party delivery
Cite this page
Pavado, “Delivery Sales Tax Overpayment Calculator”, https://www.pavadotech.com/restaurants/calculators/delivery-sales-tax, updated 2026-09-23.