The Energy Excise Tax return is the coupon that the Chatham County Finance Department uses to collect a business's reported energy sales and the excise tax due on them for one reporting month. It carries the business name, business license number and reporting month and year, and it is returned with the payment. On FillingPDF you can fill out the form online and download or print the completed PDF; the county publishes the original PDF at the address linked on this page, and the return is delivered to the Finance Department by the channel printed on the form.
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What is Energy Excise Tax – Chatham County, GA?
The Energy Excise Tax return, printed on the form as the "Energy Excise Tax Return," is the Chatham County Finance Department coupon on which a business reports its total energy sales for a month, the part of those sales subject to tax, the tax calculated on them and the balance due.
The form is a single return coupon. The top block identifies the filer: business name, address, city, state and ZIP, business phone number, business license number and the reporting month and year. Below it, the amounts are entered in order: total energy sales, total energy sales subject to tax, the tax, which the form figures as a percentage of the second amount, and the balance due.
The Finance Department is the county office that administers revenue management for Chatham County, Georgia, and the printed form gives its P.O. Box in Savannah and a phone number for questions. The coupon says it is to be returned with the payment. By signing, the filer declares that the information is true and correct to the best of the filer's knowledge and belief.
The form does not carry a form number or a revision date. It is a county return for energy sales, not a property tax document, even though the shared Chatham County Finance pages cover several county tax and revenue matters.
Who needs to file Energy Excise Tax – Chatham County, GA?
Businesses that report energy sales to Chatham County use this return. The form is built around the business: it asks for the business name, the business license number and the business phone number, so it is completed by or for the licensed business that makes the sales being reported.
Points the form itself makes about who must file:
- A return is required for every reporting month, even if no tax is due. A month with nothing owed still needs a filed return.
- The person signing declares that the information is true and correct to the best of their knowledge and belief.
- The business must be able to show how it arrived at the amounts: the form asks you to make supporting documentation for the reported figures available when Chatham County asks to review it.
The form does not describe who may sign for the business, and it does not define which sales count as energy sales. For questions about whether your business must file, call the Chatham County Finance Department at (912) 652-7910, the number printed on the return.
When to file Energy Excise Tax – Chatham County, GA
The return for a month is due no later than the 20th day of the following month, and the return coupon and payment must be postmarked by that date. For example, the return for January is due by the 20th day of February. If the 20th falls on a weekend or holiday, the return is due the following business day.
A return must be filed every reporting month even when no tax is due. A late fee and penalties with interest will be assessed on returns filed or paid after the due date. The form does not give the amounts, so ask the Finance Department at (912) 652-7910 for them.
Documents you need
- Supporting documentation for the amounts reported on the return: you do not attach it by default, but the form asks you to make it available for review whenever Chatham County requests it.
How to fill out Energy Excise Tax – Chatham County, GA
Enter the business name
In the top block, write the Business Name exactly as it appears on your business license.
Enter the business address
Fill in Address and City, State, Zip for the business.
Add the business phone number
Enter the Business Phone # where the Finance Department can reach the business about the return.
Enter the business license number
Write your Business License # in the field provided so the return is matched to your business.
Enter the reporting month and year
In Reporting Month/Year, enter the month the return covers, not the month you file it. A January return is filed by February 20.
Enter total energy sales
On the first amount line, Total energy sales, enter the total for the reporting month. Enter 0.00 if there were none, because a return is still required.
Enter sales subject to tax
On line 2, Total energy sales subject to tax, enter the part of the sales that is taxable. The tax line is figured from this amount.
Figure the tax
On the Tax line, enter the tax calculated as the percentage of line 2 printed on the form.
Enter the balance due
Enter the amount owed on Balance Due. This is the amount you send with the coupon.
Sign and date the return
Sign and date at the bottom. By signing you declare that the information is true and correct to the best of your knowledge and belief.
Review and download the completed PDF
Check the reporting month, the license number and each amount, then download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF. Mail it with your payment as described under How to submit.
How to submit Energy Excise Tax – Chatham County, GA
The printed form names one delivery channel: return the coupon with your payment to the Chatham County Finance Department by mail.
- By mail: Chatham County Finance Department, P.O. Box 9297, Savannah, GA 31412. The form says to return the coupon portion together with the payment.
- Postmark: the coupon and the payment for the preceding month must be postmarked no later than the 20th day of the next month. If the 20th falls on a weekend or holiday, the due date is the following business day.
- Questions: the Finance Department's phone number printed on the form is (912) 652-7910.
The form does not state how the payment may be made, whether a fee applies to it, or any online or in-person channel; ask the Finance Department for those details. Keep the supporting documentation for the amounts you reported, because the county may ask to review it. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the channels above.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Skipping the return for a month with no tax due; the form states that returns must be filed even if no taxes are due.
- Missing the postmark deadline of the 20th day of the next month, which exposes the return to a late fee and penalties with interest.
- Assuming the due date moves only for the weekend and not for holidays; the form moves it to the following business day when the 20th falls on a weekend or holiday.
- Sending the coupon without the payment; the form says to return the coupon portion with your payment.
- Mailing the return to an address other than Chatham County Finance Department, P.O. Box 9297, Savannah, GA 31412.
- Leaving the business license number or the reporting month and year blank, so the return cannot be matched to the right month.
- Submitting the return unsigned; signing is what declares the information true and correct to the best of your knowledge and belief.
- Not keeping supporting documentation for the reported amounts, which the county may ask to review.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Chatham County Energy Excise Tax return?
It is a one-page return coupon from the Chatham County Finance Department. A business uses it each month to report total energy sales, the sales subject to tax, the tax figured on them and the balance due, and returns it with its payment.
When is the Chatham County energy excise tax return due?
By the 20th day of the month after the reporting month, postmarked by that date. The January return is due by February 20. If the 20th is a weekend or holiday, it is due the following business day.
Do I have to file the energy excise tax return if I owe nothing?
Yes. The form states that returns must be filed even if no taxes are due, so file a return for every reporting month, with 0.00 where nothing was sold or taxable.
Where do I mail the Chatham County energy excise tax return?
Mail the coupon with your payment to Chatham County Finance Department, P.O. Box 9297, Savannah, GA 31412. The form prints no other address or channel; call (912) 652-7910 with questions.
What happens if I file the energy excise tax return late?
A late fee and penalties with interest will be assessed on returns filed or paid after the due date. The form gives no amounts, so call the Finance Department at (912) 652-7910 to ask what applies.
Do I need to send receipts or records with the return?
Not with the coupon. The form asks you to make supporting documentation for the reported amounts available if Chatham County requests it for review, so keep your records for each reporting month.
Can I fill out the energy excise tax return online on FillingPDF?
Yes. You can fill out the PDF online on FillingPDF and download or print it. FillingPDF is an independent service and does not file the return or accept payment; you mail it to the Finance Department yourself.
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