FAQ's: Dealers and Businesses

Special Inventory Tax (SIT)

If you have a general distinguishing number (GDN) issued by Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, state law requires you to report all sales and pay a tax on certain types of transactions.  Dealers of Vessel and Outboard Motor, Manufactured Housing, and Heavy Equipment (HDE) must also file.

If you are new to SIT (formerly known as VIT) or just have questions, you may contact our office to speak with a specialist who can assist you with those questions, or help you to be sure you are compliant with the law.

Important Dates to Remember:

        December:                    Tax Office mails Rate Letter advising of special rate to use for the upcoming calendar year (begins January 1)

        January 31:                    Deadline to file Annual Declaration with Appraisal District and Tax Office for prior year transactions

        10th of each month:    Prior month report of transactions due to Tax Office for Vehicle, Vessel and Outboard Motor, and

                                                  Manufactured Housing Dealers

        20th of each month:    Prior month report of transactions due to Tax Office for Heavy Equipment Dealers

Penalty for Non-Compliance

• Late payments incur a 5 percent to 10 percent penalty depending on the date received by the Tax Office
• Late reports incur a $500 late filing penalty for each month or part of the month in which the statement is not filed
• Requests for Waiver of Late Filing Penalty must be received in writing no later than the 30th day after the date the report was required to be filed

Monthly Reporting and Payment Options

      You may report and pay SIT by any of the following methods:

• By mail
• In person at any of our branch locations
• Online (Requires a User Profile) - please contact our office for instructions

Forms and Instructions

       You may download forms and instructions from the Comptroller's website at:

       https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/property-tax/special-inventory.php.

Contact Us

       Phone:  817-884-1963 or 817-884-1864

       Email:  vit@tarrantcounty.com

Business Personal Property

Rendition Penalty

For business personal property tax accounts, the law requires that a 10 percent rendition penalty be assessed and collected where the owner fails to render values on a timely basis. 

If you have any questions about this penalty, please contact the Tarrant Appraisal District  (TAD) at 817-284-0024.

TAD is also responsible for questions concerning value, owner name, owner address or exemptions.

Additional Collection Penalty

On February 1, current year taxes become delinquent and will incur penalty and interest according to the schedule below unless the first half payment was paid by the November 30 due date. 

An additional collection penalty may be charged on accounts that are delinquent on April 1 for personal property or July 1 for real property.  Mineral accounts are considered real property. 

The collection penalty will be 15 percent or 20 percent of the total taxes, penalties and interest due, depending on your taxing jurisdiction. 

After July, interest continues to accrue at 1 percent per month. 

Taxes not paid by January 31 will increase as follows:

If tax is paid in (MONTH) add: PENALTY + INTEREST = TOTAL PERCENTAGE (listed below)

 February = 7 percent

                                March = 9 percent

                                April = 11 percent

                                May = 13 percent

                                June = 15 percent

                                July = 18 percent