# How remittance works

Understand how collected tax reaches each tax authority, and how a tax account can automatically set aside and remit it.

Remittance is how the tax you collect through Stripe Tax reaches each tax authority. This page covers how collected tax moves through your Stripe balance and how a dedicated tax account can automatically set aside and remit it for supported automated US filings.

## How collected tax works

When Stripe confirms that your customer paid a transaction in full, any tax calculated by Stripe Tax becomes **collected tax**.

### Where collected tax goes

Stripe includes collected tax in your payments balance and pays it out according to your existing payout schedule.

Eligible US businesses that use automated US filings can instead have Stripe set aside collected tax in a dedicated tax account. Tax accounts are in private preview. Learn more in [Tax accounts](https://docs.stripe.com/tax/remittance.md#tax-accounts).

### Remit tax

After you collect tax, you must file returns and remit tax in each location where you’re registered. Follow each location’s filing schedule.

How funds reach each tax authority depends on how you file:

- **File yourself**: Prepare your returns with [Stripe Tax reports](https://docs.stripe.com/tax/reports/choosing-a-report.md), then pay each tax authority using an accepted payment method.
- **Use a filing partner**: Follow your partner’s funding and remittance instructions.
- **Use automated filing with Stripe**: Stripe prepares and files supported returns. Your configured remittance method funds the amount due. See [filing and remittance options](https://docs.stripe.com/tax/filing.md).

The amount you remit can differ from collected tax. A return can include adjustments such as refunds, credits, prepayments, filing discounts, jurisdiction-specific rounding, or currency conversion. See [Stripe Tax reports](https://docs.stripe.com/tax/reports.md).

### Tax amounts not in your payments balance

Some tax amounts don’t enter your payments balance:

- **Unpaid transactions**: Tax on an unpaid invoice is uncollected tax. When your customer pays through Stripe, the tax funds enter your payments balance.
- **Payments processed outside Stripe**: Stripe includes reported transactions in your tax reports even if you process the payments outside Stripe. The payment and tax funds don’t enter your payments balance.

## Tax accounts (Private preview)

A tax account is a dedicated financial account on Stripe that holds the tax you collect through Stripe Tax, separate from your operating funds. When automatic tax transfers are enabled, Stripe moves collected tax from eligible transactions into your tax account. For supported automated US filings, Stripe uses the tax account as the payment account for the amount due.

> Tax accounts and automatic remittance are available to a limited group of eligible US businesses that use Stripe Tax and automated US filings. Submitting a request doesn’t change your current setup, payouts, or filing payment method.

### Request access to tax accounts

Enter your email and we'll contact you about preview access or future availability.

```bash
curl https://docs.stripe.com/preview/register \
  -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Referer: https://docs.stripe.com/tax/remittance" \
  -d '{"email": "EMAIL", "preview": "tax_account_preview"}'
```

## See also

- [File with Stripe in the US](https://docs.stripe.com/tax/file-with-stripe.md)
- [Automated filings](https://docs.stripe.com/tax/filing.md)
- [Stripe Tax reports](https://docs.stripe.com/tax/reports.md)
- [Contact Stripe Support](https://support.stripe.com/contact)