United States · Sales tax · Resale certificates
Seller permit number format by state.
Check whether a seller permit, resale certificate or sales tax number has the shape its state documents. Seven states publish one; two large ones do not.
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Result
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Short answer: there is no national layout
A seller permit, sales tax permit, resale certificate and sales tax account number are four names for overlapping things, and each state builds its own number. This page lists the layouts that a state agency actually documents, and says plainly which states do not. It checks shape only: a number can have the right shape and still be expired, revoked or invented.
The layouts, state by state
| State | Number | Documented layout | Agency source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | Taxpayer ID | 11 digits beginning with 1 or 3. A 9-digit federal employer ID (FEI) is also accepted by the search. | Comptroller Taxpayer Search |
| Florida | Certificate of Registration number | 13 alphanumeric characters, no hyphens or spaces. | Form DR-600013 |
| Washington | Reseller permit number | The last two digits are the year the permit expires. | DOR reseller permits |
| Pennsylvania | Account ID | 8 digits. | Sales, use and hotel occupancy tax |
| Illinois | Account ID | Written XXXX-XXXX. A separate tax-exempt number begins E99 and is followed by six digits. | PIO-117, Q&A 277 |
| New Jersey | Taxpayer Identification Number | 12 digits: a 9-digit FEIN or SSN plus a three-digit suffix, assigned as 000. | Starting a Business in NJ |
| Colorado | Colorado Account Number | The first eight digits of the Use Account Number on the sales tax license. | Look up a CAN |
| California | Seller's permit number | No digit layout in CDTFA Publication 73; the state says to verify online or by phone. | Publication 73 |
| New York | Sales tax identification number | No layout in the registration bulletin; every location on a Certificate of Authority shares one number. | How to register |
Reading each layout
Texas: which digits matter
The Comptroller's search asks for an 11-digit Taxpayer ID beginning with 1 or 3, and separately accepts a 9-digit FEI. Eleven digits starting with any other digit fails the documented shape. Our Texas resale certificate page covers what Form 01-339 must contain.
Washington: the number carries its own expiry
Because the last two digits are the expiry year, a permit ending in 28 is a 2028 permit. That tells you whether the permit has lapsed by year, but not by date; the Department of Revenue's lookup gives the exact date. See the Washington page for the 120-day documentation window.
Illinois: two numbers that look alike
The Account ID (XXXX-XXXX) is what a reseller or retailer registered with the Department holds. The E99 number is a tax-exempt number, a different identifier that should not be confused with a reseller's account. Illinois's CRT-61 page lists what a certificate of resale must contain.
New Jersey and Colorado: the base number is not the whole string
New Jersey's 12 digits are built from a federal identifier plus a suffix, so two accounts of one owner differ only in the last three digits. Colorado describes the account number as the first eight digits of a longer Use Account Number, so this tool accepts a longer string and treats the first eight digits as the account number.
Worked example (hypothetical numbers)
A buyer hands you a Washington reseller permit reading 603 123 456 28. The tool strips the spaces and reports an expiry year of 2028. A second buyer gives an Illinois number 99123456. It has eight digits, so it fits the Account ID shape 9912-3456; had it been written E9912-3456 it would have been read as a tax-exempt number instead. A third buyer gives a Texas number 22345678901: eleven digits, but it starts with 2, so it fails. These numbers are made up.
Common mistakes
- Treating a federal EIN as a state permit number. New Jersey builds its 12-digit number from the FEIN plus a suffix, but the nine-digit EIN alone is not that number.
- Assuming a pass means the permit is active. It only means the number could be one.
Who this is for, and what it does not cover
For sellers who accept resale certificates. It does not look anything up, does not scrape state registries, covers only the states in the table, and gives no advice on whether a given sale is exempt. For that, start with economic nexus thresholds, marketplace facilitator laws and the 1099-K thresholds by state. State guides: California and New York.
Sources
- Texas Comptroller: Taxpayer Search — 11-digit Taxpayer ID beginning with 1 or 3; 9-digit FEI
- Florida DOR: Form DR-600013 — Certificate of Registration number, no hyphens or spaces, 13 alphanumeric characters
- Washington DOR: reseller permits — last two digits of the permit number are the expiry year
- Pennsylvania Revenue: sales, use and hotel occupancy tax — 8-digit Account ID Number
- Illinois DOR: PIO-117 — Illinois Account ID in the format XXXX-XXXX
- Illinois DOR: Q&A 277 — tax-exempt number begins E99 followed by six digits
- New Jersey Division of Taxation: Starting a Business in New Jersey — 12-digit Taxpayer Identification Number with suffix 000
- Colorado Department of Revenue: look up a Colorado Account Number — first eight digits of the Use Account Number
- California CDTFA: Publication 73 — verify a seller's permit online or by phone; no layout stated
- New York Tax Department: how to register for sales tax — one tax identification number across locations; no layout stated
Every URL above was fetched in October 2026 and every figure on this page is taken from it. Agencies revise formats, so confirm anything that matters against the current official page.
Frequently asked questions
What does a seller permit number look like?
It depends on the state. Texas uses an 11-digit Taxpayer ID starting with 1 or 3, Pennsylvania an 8-digit Account ID, New Jersey 12 digits, and Florida 13 letters and digits. Seven states are covered here because their agencies document the layout.
Is a resale certificate number the same as a seller permit number?
Often. A resale certificate usually shows the buyer's own state permit or account number, so the layout is the state's usual one, but each state's form instructions say which number to give.
How can I tell whether a permit number is active?
A format check cannot. Use the state's own verifier: the Washington DOR lookup, MyTax Illinois, the Texas Taxpayer Search, or CDTFA online services or 1-800-400-7115 for California.
Why does Illinois have two number formats?
The Account ID, written XXXX-XXXX, is what a registered business holds. A tax-exempt number begins E99 followed by six digits. It is a different identifier from the Account ID, so do not use it as a reseller's account number.
What do the last two digits of a Washington reseller permit mean?
They are the year the permit expires. A permit ending in 28 expires in 2028. The exact date is in the Department of Revenue business lookup.
How long is a New Jersey sales tax ID number?
Twelve digits. The state describes it as a 9-digit FEIN or SSN followed by a three-digit suffix, assigned as 000 on the main registration.
Which states do not publish a number layout?
In the pages we read, California and New York give no digit layout, so this tool does not judge their numbers. Many other states were not checked, because we only list formats we could read at an agency source.
Does this page send my number anywhere?
No. The check runs in your browser and nothing is transmitted, stored or logged.
Format check, not verification
A pass only means the number has the shape the state documents. It does not show that a permit exists, is active, or belongs to the person who gave it to you. Verify with the state before relying on an exemption. This is not legal or tax advice.