WooCommerce Go-Live: Payment & Tax Setup

Session Summary

Flipped the PBS shop from staging/test mode to fully live production payments. Configured Stripe and PayPal for live transactions, registered for Virginia sales tax, set up Stripe Tax for automated tax calculation, and completed a successful end-to-end test purchase.

What Was Completed

Stripe - Live Mode

Disabled test mode in WooCommerce Stripe settings
Connected live API keys (pk_live / sk_live) from Stripe Dashboard
Stripe handles Google Pay and Apple Pay natively — no extra config needed

PayPal - Live Mode

Disabled sandbox/test mode
Connected live PayPal business account
Disabled Google Pay and Apple Pay in PayPal settings (Stripe handles those)

Payment Responsibility

Stripe: Credit/debit cards, Google Pay, Apple Pay
PayPal: PayPal balance and PayPal Credit only
No duplicate payment method buttons at checkout

Virginia Sales Tax Registration

Registered with Virginia Department of Taxation via iReg
Virginia Account Number: 10-413414875F-001
Filing Frequency: Monthly (ST-1 form)
Beginning Liability Date: 03/2026
First filing due: April 20, 2026 (even if $0 in tax collected)
Must file every month even with no sales — penalty for missed filings

Stripe Tax Configuration

Stripe Tax plugin handling automated tax calculation
Virginia registration added to Stripe Dashboard → Tax → Registrations
Default product tax code: Electronically Supplied Services (1000000000)
Digital cookbook product code: Electronically Supplied Services (1000000000)
Digital products are currently tax-exempt in Virginia (and most US states)
Dashboard automatic tax enabled for any invoices/payment links created in Stripe

Tax Nexus Notes

Only registered in Virginia (physical presence = mandatory regardless of thresholds)
No need to register in other states currently — digital products are exempt in most states
Stripe monitors nexus thresholds and will alert when registration needed in other states
Virginia legislature considering HB 900 to tax digital goods — monitor for changes
When physical products are added (merch, printed cookbook), revisit default tax code and nexus obligations

Test Transaction

Completed a real end-to-end purchase of the digital cookbook
Confirmed: order confirmation email received
Confirmed: order visible in WooCommerce → Orders
Confirmed: payment visible in Stripe Dashboard
Confirmed: digital cookbook download/delivery worked
First official PBS sale! 🎉

Ongoing Obligations

File VA ST-1 monthly by the 20th (first due April 20, 2026)
Keep VA account number and sales tax certificate permanently
Keep copies of filed returns for 3 years
Monitor Stripe Tax "Needs attention" tab for nexus alerts in other states
Watch for Virginia HB 900 (digital goods tax bill) status
When adding physical products: update default tax code to General Tangible Goods (999999999)

Shop Page Updates

Banner for cookbook promotion: use Container (Row direction) with Heading

Text Editor on left, Button widget on right

Background color: PBS green #3E6B41
Check responsive/mobile view after building

NAICS Code

454110 — Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses (used for VA tax registration)

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