AMAZON TAX EXEMPTION GUIDELINES
To be exempt from sales tax, the purchase must be made directly with university funds, such as a purchasing card, purchase order or check. Carnegie Mellon’s tax exempt status does not apply to purchases made with personal funds, even if such purchases are made for valid business purposes.Enrolling in the Program
To enroll in the Tax Exemption Program for business purchases, buyers will need setup a Carnegie Mellon business account and upload the tax exemption certificate by following the instructions below:
1. Go to Amazon.com
2. If you are a new customer or creating a new business account, you will need to use your CMU email address and indicate that you are a new customer.
• Enter your name in the format “Carnegie Mellon University c/o Buyer Name”
• Enter your Carnegie Mellon email address
• Create your account password3. If you already have an account for business purchases, you will need to sign in and make the sure your account information is as follows:
• Go to “Your Account”
• Go to “Settings” area of the page
• Click on “Change Account Settings”
• Account Name must be “Carnegie Mellon University c/o Buyer Name”
• Account Email should be your Carnegie Mellon email address
• Click “Done”
Uploading the Exemption Certificate
- Go to “Your Account”
- Go to “Settings” area of the page
- Click on “Amazon Tax Exemption Program”
- Please read the information provided by Amazon and then upload the tax exemption certificates using the file upload option. Completed tax exemption certificates specifically for Amazon.
- Check the box that you agree with the Terms & Conditions. Use of Amazon to purchase goods and services is approved by the UCO and no further UCO action is required.
When you have completed the uploading process you will see a message that says "You've successfully uploaded your tax exemption information. The Amazon Customer Service team will review your documentation within 3 business days. If additional information or documentation is needed in order to process the exemption documents, the Customer Service team will contact you by e-mail.”
You may view your Amazon Tax Exemption status by returning to the “Amazon Tax Exemption Program” section of “Your Account”. The list of state exemptions, including the expiration dates can be seen for Amazon.com, LLC and Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Exemption Certificate Approval or Rejection
Example of approval notification:
We’ve received everything we needed from you, and determined you to be eligible for Amazon Tax Exemption Program. Your current exemption status in "Pennsylvania" is VALID. You can view your Amazon Tax Exemption status by returning to the "Amazon Tax Exemption Program" section of "Your Account." You'll see a list of the current status of tax exemptions that we've processed.
The Amazon Tax Exemption Program only applies to purchases made directly from Amazon.com LLC and ordered via an Amazon.com customer account. Sales tax may still be charged on items ordered from other sellers that list products for sale via the Amazon.com website. If sales tax is still showing on your orders from Amazon.com LLC in the states where you have active exemptions, please contact us via email at auto-exempt@amazon.com. We value your business and look forward to seeing you again soon.
Example of rejected notification:
We’ve received your exemption certificate in the enrollment process for our Amazon Tax Exemption Program. Unfortunately, I'm unable to add you to the program at this time because the name and address listed on the exemption certificate (Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213) does not match the name and address on your account. In order to process your request, both the exempt entity name/address on the certificate and the payer, business and organization name/address on the account must match. For future orders please update your account name/address to reflect the exempt entity name/address provided on your exemption certificate. Once you have updated Your Account (www.amazon.com/your-account) please contact auto-exempt@amazon.com and we'll review your account for enrollment into the Amazon Tax Exemption Program.
Exemption Restrictions
Maintaining Exemption Status
Requesting a Tax Refund
Products sold by Amazon.com LLC or Amazon Digital Services, Inc., or sold by other sellers and fulfilled by Amazon:
After you've placed your order and received your shipment confirmation for products sold by Amazon.com LLC or Amazon Digital Services, Inc., or sold by other sellers that utilize Fulfilled by Amazon, Amazon asks that you provide them with acceptable proof of the university’s exemption status for the state to which the items shipped in order for them to refund the sales tax. This will require sending them a copy of Carnegie Mellon’s current PA tax exemption certificate.
Sold and fulfilled by sellers other than Amazon.com LLC or Amazon Digital Services, Inc.:
Amazon’s agreement with these sellers does not allow them to initiate a refund on the seller’s behalf. However, you can contact the seller directly about your tax refund request. Contact information is available in your order summary - just click on the name of the seller listed below the item you purchased.