For Shopify stores, Amazon, Etsy and eBay sellers, and anyone selling online. Your books done the day you upload your statements, for $79 a month.
Free to join. The first 1,000 in get their catch-up free.
Sales tax
Alabama's sales tax is 4%, and cities and counties add their own, about 9.46% in all on average. If what you sell is taxable, you collect it and file returns with the state.
State income tax
Alabama taxes income at 2% to 5% in 2026, including the profit from your business.
Federal tax
Working for yourself, you pay 15.3% self-employment tax on most of your profit, plus federal income tax, usually in four estimated payments: April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15.
Contractors
Paid a contractor $2,000 or more in 2026? Send them a 1099-NEC by January 31.
What every business here keeps track of in 2026. Rates change, so check with your accountant before you file.
Why online stores need different books
Payouts come in net of fees, refunds and shipping labels, sometimes from several platforms at once. Stock is bought ahead and sold over months. Sales tax depends on where your customers are. An online seller's bank deposits almost never equal their sales, and that's where the books go wrong.
What a bookkeeper for online stores in Alabama keeps track of
Each payout split into sales, refunds and platform fees
Stock bought and the cost of what sold
Sales tax or GST/HST by where customers are
Shipping and packaging costs
Ad spend by platform
Taxes for online stores in Alabama
Sales to customers in Alabama are taxed at 4% plus local tax. Sales into other states follow those states' rules once you pass their thresholds.
Once your sales into another state pass its threshold (often $100,000 a year), you may owe that state's sales tax. Marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy and eBay collect it for sales made on them.
Payment platforms send a 1099-K once you pass $20,000 and 200 sales in a year.
Stock you haven't sold yet isn't a cost until it sells.
What SumSwift does for online sellers, for $79 a month
Connects to WooCommerce, Wix, Squarespace and PayPal today, with Shopify, Amazon, Etsy and eBay coming, and reads Shopify, Square and Amazon export files
Each payout split into sales, refunds, tax and fees, so deposits match sales
Sales tax or GST/HST worked out by where each customer is
Stock kept item by item, first in first out or average cost, with cost of goods sold each month
Receipts snapped with your phone or forwarded by email are read and matched to the charge
Every statement checked against the balances your bank printed, to the cent, with personal spending kept off your profit
Up to 3 accounts included. Prices in USD. Your accountant still files your tax return, with clean books and free access.
Questions.
How much does a bookkeeper for online stores cost in Alabama?
Published price guides put most small businesses at $300 to $1,500 a month for a bookkeeper, more when the books are busy, as they often are for online stores. SumSwift does the monthly work for $79 a month, the day you upload your statements.
Why doesn't my Shopify payout match my sales?
Shopify and other platforms take fees, refunds and sometimes shipping labels before they pay you. SumSwift splits each payout so your sales show at their full amount and fees show as costs.
Do I need to track inventory?
If you buy stock ahead, yes: the cost counts when it sells, not when you buy it. SumSwift works out the cost of what sold each month.
Does SumSwift know Alabama's tax rules?
Sales to customers in Alabama are taxed at 4% plus local tax. Sales into other states follow those states' rules once you pass their thresholds. Once your sales into another state pass its threshold (often $100,000 a year), you may owe that state's sales tax. Marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy and eBay collect it for sales made on them.
Behind on my books. Can you catch me up?
Yes. A catch-up of up to 12 months is $599, once, checked against your bank to the cent.