Product Tax Codes
This article applies to selling in: United States

Product Tax Codes

Important: Information on this page does not constitute tax, legal, or other professional advice and must not be used as such. You should consult your professional advisers if you have questions.

Tax Calculation Services require both Product Tax Code (PTC) and jurisdiction settings to be configured for calculations to take effect.

Product taxability rules are applied by PTC and are specific to jurisdictions, as outlined in the Amazon Product Tax Code list. A PTC can be assigned at the item or default level.

If a PTC assignment is not assigned to the default or item levels, the tax calculation result will be non-taxable for the item(s) in the transaction using the "Always Non-taxable" A_GEN_NOTAX product tax code, resulting in a zero percent calculation.

Default level: The default PTC is set in your Tax Settings and is used to apply a single PTC assignment to multiple offers that do not have a specific item level PTC already assigned. If you use a custom rate, your PTC rule and rate will be overridden with your custom rate. Custom rate is not available in Canada.

To view or edit Default Product Tax Code:


  1. In Seller Central, go to Settings.
  2. Click Tax Settings.
  3. Under Tax Calculation Rules use the drop-down next to Default Product Tax Code.
  4. Select your Default Product Tax Code
  5. Read the Tax Methodology and Service Terms and check acknowledgment box
  6. Click Save Settings

Item level: Your item level PTC is set in the items inventory page and is used to designate a specific PTC to the specific item it is assigned to. The item level PTC will be used before your default PTC assignment. Also, if you use a custom rate, your PTC rule and rate will be overridden with your custom rate. Custom rate is not available in Canada.

To view or edit item level product tax code:


  1. Go to Manage Inventory
  2. Click Edit for the individual product
  3. This will take you to the Edit Product Info page
  4. In the Offer tab locate the Tax Code field
  5. Click into the field and select your item level product tax code from the drop down list
  6. Click Save and finish

The following tools are available to assist with updating individual product detail pages:

How a Product Tax Code (PTC) is determined at the time of tax calculation

When a PTC is assigned at the seller-defined default level AND the item level, Amazon will use the item level tax code.

When a PTC is assigned at the default level but not at the item level, Amazon will use the seller-defined default PTC.

When a PTC is not assigned at the item or default level, a calculation will be made using the nontaxable PTC A_GEN_NOTAX.

Note: Custom Rate, if configured, will override the taxability rules of PTCs except for A_GEN_NOTAX. To learn more, see Custom Rates. Custom rate is not available in Canada.

Tax Calculation Setting updates will typically become effective within 15-20 minutes and do not apply to orders retroactively. If you notice unexpected tax calculations, check your settings (tax settings and item level) and inventory file upload for errors (if you used an inventory file upload). If the calculation issue persists, please contact seller support.

You are responsible for identifying your Tax obligations in addition to the calculation, remittance, and reporting of all taxes within your obligation, regardless of your participation in Amazon’s Tax Calculation Service. For more information, see our Tax Policies.

Related Pages

Set up tax calculation services

Tax Calculation Services

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