A gross receipts account must be established, in addition to a property tax account, if a business provides Prepared Food and Beverage, Rental Vehicles, Lodging or Room Occupancy, or Heavy Equipment Rental. If the business sells or serves Malt Beverages or Wine, a Wake County Beer & Wine license must also be obtained.
We have expanded our online payment options.
Payment options include:
- ACH Online checking account draft. This option is free to use and has no processing fees.
- Credit and Debit cards including: Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover.
- Digital wallets including: PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
A processing fee is charged by our payment provider for the secure handling of your credit, debit, or digital wallet payment. This fee will be disclosed prior to payment authorization and is based on the payment method.
- Credit Card: 2.3% of the amount paid; minimum fee of $1.00
- Debit Card: Flat fee of $3.95
- Digital Wallet: 2.3% of the amount paid regardless of the bank account or card type used; minimum fee of $1.00
Wake County Beer & Wine licenses may now be renewed online
Visit our Beer & Wine License page to learn more or renew your license today.
Prepared Food and Beverage Tax Returns are changing
Effective with the April 2025 Prepared Food & Beverage Tax Return (March sales), a new line item will be included on the form. This line item has been added to capture transactions completed by marketplace facilitators. A marketplace facilitator as defined in North Carolina General Statute 105-164.3 (133), is the retailer of each marketplace facilitated sale it makes on behalf of a seller. For example, if a third party accepts orders for your business and delivers those orders to the customer, that third party business is a marketplace facilitator.
On line three of the Prepared Food and Beverage Tax Return, businesses will deduct any sale reported on line one that was also reported and collected by a marketplace facilitator per the established contract with each marketplace facilitator.
All businesses must establish a property tax account with the Wake County Department of Tax Administration for the purpose of annual taxation.
The completion of a business listing form is required of all individuals, partnerships, corporations and associations who, on January 1, own, control or possess any amount of leasehold improvements or tangible personal property used or held for a business purpose. The listing period is from January 1 through January 31 each year.
For more information regarding business accounts, please call the Department of Tax Administration at 919-856-5400 or visit our Business Property Information page.
In addition to establishing a property tax account with the County, you may be subject to the Gross Receipts tax or require a Wake County Beer & Wine License if your business provides any of the following:
Prepared Food and Beverage – This tax is applicable to all prepared food and beverages sold at retail for consumption, on or off the premises, by any retailer with sales in Wake County that are subject to sales tax imposed by the State under G.S. 105-164.4(a)(1). This tax is collected by the merchant, in addition to N.C. State Sales Tax, and is remitted to the County on a monthly basis.
Rental Vehicle –This refers to any rental vehicle that is offered at retail for short-term lease or rental and is owned or leased by an entity engaged in the business of leasing or renting vehicles to the general public.
Lodging/Room Occupancy tax is incurred from the rental of any room, lodging or accommodation furnished by a hotel, motel, inn, tourist camp or similar place within the County that is subject to the State sales tax imposed under Section 105-164.4(a)(3) of the North Carolina General Statutes.
Heavy Equipment Rental – This gross receipts tax is a substitute for the property tax on short-term leases or rentals of heavy equipment and is collected from any rental location situated within a Wake County municipality that has chosen to implement the tax.
Beer & Wine – A person holding a retail ABC permit for On-Premises or Off-Premises Malt beverage or Wine must obtain a County Beer & Wine license for that activity. To apply for a county license, state and city permits must first be issued.
Gross Receipts Application
Complete and submit your application online by selecting the Online GR application button below.
If you are unable to complete your application online, a printable version is also available below and may be emailed to taxhelp@wake.gov.
More questions?
For questions regarding Gross Receipts tax or Beer & Wine Licensing, email taxhelp@wake.gov, call 919-856-5999 or select one of the links above.
View the countywide gross receipts collections totals by month.
Gross Receipts Collection totals