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As Department of Revenue representatives prepare for Corporate Activity Tax (CAT) update meetings in 13 cities across Oregon in March, the agency reminds businesses that that they have 30 days after eclipsing $750,000 in commercial activity for the year to register for the CAT.
Businesses that passed the $750,000 threshold in late January will need to register with the department by the end of February.
“Our CAT team will personally engage our taxpaying communities in March to provide important compliance information. Before those meetings, however, we want to remind businesses that have reached the threshold that the first step of compliance is registration,” said Nia Ray, director of the Oregon Department of Revenue.
Meetings on the March tour are planned in Bend, Ontario, La Grande, The Dalles, Klamath Falls, Ashland, Eugene, Gresham, Coos Bay, Lincoln City, Seaside, Keizer and the west side of the Portland metro area. The full schedule is available on the CAT page of the agency’s website.
More than 6,100 businesses have already registered for the CAT. During the 2019 session the Legislative Revenue Office predicted approximately 40,000 businesses would have to pay taxes under the CAT, which went into effect January 1.
To register, individuals doing business in Oregon will need their name and their social security number or individual taxpayer identification number. Businesses will need their entity’s legal name and federal employer identification number.
Businesses and individuals will need:
• Their mailing address;
• The date they exceeded or expect to exceed $750,000 in Oregon commercial activity;
• A valid email address or current Revenue Online login, and;
• Their Business Activity Code (Refer to the current list of North American Industry Classification System codes found with their federal income tax return instructions.)
Taxpayers don’t need a Revenue Online account to register for the CAT. Those who have Revenue Online accounts can’t be logged in to register for the CAT. Instead, they should go directly to the CAT webpage and click on the “Register for the CAT” link on the right-hand side of the page.
The ability to make online payments and apply for ACH credit are now also available through Revenue Online.
CAT registrants who want to make ACH payments must submit an ACH credit application for the Corporate Activity Tax (CAT). The application is available on the department’s website through Revenue Online by scrolling down to “Tools” and clicking “apply for ACH credit.”
Once their application is completed, taxpayers will receive a confirmation providing the routing and account number. Taxpayers should not use account numbers from other tax programs. First-quarter estimated payments for the CAT are due April 30.
More information about the Corporate Activity Tax is available on the Department of Revenue’s website at oregon.gov/dor. It includes a list of frequently asked questions and a form to sign up for email updates on the CAT. Stakeholders can direct questions or comments about the CAT via email to cat.help.dor@oregon.gov or call 503-945-8005.
Visit oregon.gov/dor to get tax forms, check the status of your refund or make tax payments; call 800-356-4222 toll-free from an Oregon prefix (English or Spanish); 503-378-4988 in Salem and outside Oregon; or email questions.dor@oregon.gov. For TTY (hearing or speech impaired), call 800-886-7204.
