INTRODUCTION
Microsoft Customer Service and Support adds sales tax when applicable to the cost of technical support for North American customers. Tax is charged at the rate appropriate to the location where the support is received. Customers who are "tax exempt" must provide a tax exemption certificate to Microsoft at the time of purchase to avoid being charged sales tax.
Important The information in this article applies only to sales tax that is charged for the credit card purchase of technical support for North American customers. The process for submitting tax exemption certificates to Microsoft for other issues differs, such as when purchasing software licenses or support through a purchase order.
How to submit a tax exemption certificate to Microsoft
Fax your tax exemption certificate to (425) 708-5283. Include the Service Request (SR) number (case number) on a cover sheet when you fax your certificate.
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Your certificate will be added to our records within two business days.
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The certificate will be retained and can be used for all credit card purchases of support until the certificate expires.
Sales tax and refunds
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Your tax exempt certificate must be on file at Microsoft at the time of purchase, or sales tax will be charged as required by various tax laws.
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If you purchased support and paid sales tax because your tax exempt certificate had not yet been processed, you can request a refund for that tax when you fax your tax exemption certificate.
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Include the Service Request (SR) number (case number) when you fax your certificate. To do this, include the following information on a cover sheet with the fax:
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ATTN: Tax Refunds
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SR# <YOUR SR NUMBER>
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The sales tax that you were charged for the Service Request will be refunded when the certificate is processed.
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You will automatically be notified of the sales tax refund by e-mail at the e-mail address that you provided when the case was created and the charge was originally applied.
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Depending on the circumstances, Microsoft reserves the right to direct customers to request sales tax refunds directly from the tax authority.
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More Information
If you have questions about the status of your tax exemption certificate, telephone (800) MICROSOFT.
Billing address and service delivery address
The service delivery address is the physical location of the computer systems that are being supported. This address may differ from the billing address of the credit card that is being used to purchase technical support.
The service delivery address is used by North American Customer Service and Support to determine whether sales tax should be applied to the cost of technical support and at what rate.
