The Hotel Motel Monthly Return Form is the monthly return of the Chatham County Finance Department, printed on the form as the Hotel/Motel and Short Term Rental Tax Return. A lodging business uses it to report one month of gross lodging sales, deduct exempt sales and pay the tax due. It is a lodging tax return, not one of the Chatham County property tax bills. On this page you can fill out the form online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF; the county publishes the original PDF at the official source link.
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What is Hotel Motel Monthly Return Form – Chatham County, GA?
The Hotel Motel Monthly Return Form is the Chatham County Finance Department's monthly return, printed as the Hotel/Motel and Short Term Rental Tax Return, on which a lodging business reports gross lodging sales, exempt sales, taxable sales and the tax due for one month.
The return works from top to bottom. You identify the business and the reporting month and year, enter gross sales for lodging, and deduct exempt sales as a negative number. The form cites O.C.G.A. § 48-13-50.3 and Rule 560-13-2 next to the exempt-sales line. The result is taxable sales, and the tax is figured as a percentage of that amount, as printed on the form.
Three adjustments follow, each based on the tax line: a discount for paying before the due date (entered as a negative number), a delinquent fee, and interest for paying after the due date. The last line is the balance due. The return coupon travels with the payment, and the form ends with a declaration that the information is true and correct to the best of your knowledge and belief, followed by a signature and date.
This is a lodging tax return filed with the Finance Department. It is not a property tax bill or property tax return, even though searches for Chatham County property tax often lead to the county's finance pages. The form prints the Finance Department's phone number, (912) 652-7910.
Who needs to file Hotel Motel Monthly Return Form – Chatham County, GA?
The main group is businesses that collect lodging sales and report them to the Chatham County Finance Department: the form is titled Hotel/Motel and Short Term Rental Tax Return, and it asks for a business name, business license number and the gross sales for lodging in the reporting month.
Points the form itself makes:
- You file for each reporting month. The return for one month is due in the following month.
- Returns must be filed even if no taxes are due. A month with no taxable sales still needs a return.
- Exempt sales are deducted on their own line, with the citation O.C.G.A. § 48-13-50.3 and Rule 560-13-2 printed beside it.
- The person signing declares that the information is true and correct to the best of their knowledge and belief.
- Chatham County may ask to review supporting documentation for the amounts you report, so keep it available.
The form does not say who may sign for a business or whether a representative may file for it. Call the Finance Department at (912) 652-7910 with those questions.
When to file Hotel Motel Monthly Return Form – Chatham County, GA
File the return for each month no later than the 20th day of the following month, with the payment. The form gives an example: the return for January is due by the 20th day of February. The return coupon and payment must be filed and postmarked by that date.
If the 20th falls on a weekend or holiday, the return is due the next business day. Returns must be filed even if no taxes are due.
Late filing or payment has consequences printed on the form: a late fee and penalties with interest are assessed for returns filed or paid after the due date. The return has lines for a delinquent fee, which grows for each month after the due date up to a stated maximum, and for interest. Paying before the due date earns a discount, which is also a line on the return.
Documents you need
- Supporting documentation for the amounts reported (gross lodging sales, exempt sales and tax figures): not attached, but keep it available for review at the request of Chatham County.
- Payment of the balance due, sent with the return coupon as the form directs.
How to fill out Hotel Motel Monthly Return Form – Chatham County, GA
Enter the business name and address
Fill in Business Name, Address and City, State, Zip at the top of the return coupon.
Add phone and license number
Enter the Business Phone # and the Business License # exactly as they apply to your business.
Enter the reporting month and year
In Reporting Month/Year, enter the month the return covers. The return is due by the 20th of the following month.
Enter gross sales for lodging
On the Gross sales for lodging line, enter the total lodging sales for the reporting month.
Deduct exempt sales
On the Deduct exempt sales line (O.C.G.A. § 48-13-50.3, Rule 560-13-2), enter the exempt amount as a negative number.
Figure taxable sales and tax
Taxable sales is line 3. The tax line (line 4) is the percentage printed on the form applied to line 3.
Apply the early-payment discount
If you pay before the due date, figure the discount from line 4 as the form directs and enter it as a negative number.
Add delinquent fee and interest
If you pay after the due date, figure the Delinquent fee and the Interest from line 4 as the form's formulas state; otherwise enter 0.00.
Total the balance due
Combine the tax, discount, delinquent fee and interest on the Balance due line, and prepare your payment for that amount.
Sign, date and download the PDF
Sign and date the declaration at the bottom, even if the balance is zero. Check every line, then download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF and send it with payment as described under How to submit.
How to submit Hotel Motel Monthly Return Form – Chatham County, GA
The return coupon is filed with its payment and is returned to the Chatham County Finance Department, whose address the form prints as P.O. Box 9297, Savannah, GA 31412. The form is marked "Please return this portion with your payment."
- Mail: send the completed, signed return with your payment to Chatham County Finance Department, P.O. Box 9297, Savannah, GA 31412. It must be postmarked no later than the 20th day of the month after the reporting month. If the 20th is a weekend or holiday, the due date moves to the next business day.
- Phone: the Finance Department's number printed on the form is (912) 652-7910.
The form names no other submission channel and does not say how to pay. Call the Finance Department to ask about other options, payment methods or the current rate.
You do not attach supporting records, but keep them available because Chatham County may request them for review. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the channels above.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Skipping a month because no tax is due; the form says returns must be filed even if no taxes are due.
- Missing the due date, which is the 20th day of the next month, or forgetting that the return must be postmarked by then.
- Entering exempt sales as a positive number; the form says to enter them as a negative number.
- Entering the early-payment discount as a positive number; the form says to enter it as a negative number.
- Returning the coupon without the payment; the form says to return this portion with your payment.
- Leaving the signature and date blank, although the form treats submission as a declaration that the information is true and correct.
- Using the wrong reporting month or year, so the return does not match the month the lodging sales were made.
- Not keeping supporting documentation, which Chatham County may ask to review for the amounts reported.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Hotel Motel Monthly Return Form?
It is the Chatham County Finance Department's monthly return, printed as the Hotel/Motel and Short Term Rental Tax Return. A lodging business reports gross lodging sales, exempt sales, taxable sales and the tax due for one month, then pays the balance with the return coupon.
Is this the Chatham County property tax form?
No. This return reports lodging sales and the tax on them for hotels, motels and short term rentals. It is issued by the Chatham County Finance Department and does not cover property tax. Call (912) 652-7910 for property tax questions.
When is the hotel motel return due in Chatham County?
By the 20th day of the month after the reporting month; the January return is due by February 20th. It must be filed and postmarked by then. If the 20th falls on a weekend or holiday, it is due the next business day.
Do I have to file if I had no taxable sales?
Yes. The form states that returns must be filed even if no taxes are due. Complete the return for the reporting month, enter the amounts that apply and sign it.
What happens if I file or pay the return late?
A late fee and penalties with interest are assessed for returns filed or paid after the due date. The return has a delinquent fee line, which grows for each month past due up to a stated maximum, and an interest line.
Where do I mail the Chatham County hotel motel return?
The form prints the Finance Department address as P.O. Box 9297, Savannah, GA 31412 and asks you to return the coupon with your payment. It must be postmarked no later than the 20th. The phone number is (912) 652-7910.
Is there a discount for paying early?
Yes. The return has a line for a discount for paying before the due date, figured from the tax line and entered as a negative number. The percentage is printed on the form, so check the PDF or call the Finance Department.
Can I fill out the Hotel Motel Monthly Return Form online?
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 for Chatham County; you submit the return and payment through the county's channels.
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