Form 8030, Occupational License Renewal, is the annual return the City of New Orleans uses to collect renewals of the occupational license tax, the hotel/motel license tax, the chain store license tax and the video poker license tax. It must be received with payment before March 1 of each year. It is not a property tax or sales tax return. On this page you can fill out the form online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF; the City publishes the form at nola.gov.
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What is 8030?
Form 8030, Occupational License Renewal is the City of New Orleans return on which a business renews its annual occupational license tax and, where they apply, the hotel/motel, chain store and video poker license taxes, and totals the payment due.
The form has four sections, each with its own tax, penalty, interest and total lines:
- Section L, Occupational License Tax Renewal, based on gross receipts and a tax table (Chapter 150, Article VII of the Code of the City of New Orleans).
- Section R, Hotel / Motel Occupational License Tax Renewal, based on the number of sleeping rooms.
- Section C, Chain Store License Tax Renewal, based on the number of chain stores and a chain store tax table (Chapter 150, Article IX).
- Section V, Video Poker Occupational License Tax Renewal, figured per device.
Line T1 adds the totals from lines L10, R6, C6 and V8 into the total payment due. A box at the top marks an amended return.
Despite the inventory label "sales tax form," Form 8030 does not report sales tax or property tax. The City's Mardi Gras Fixed Location Vendor page, for example, refers vendors to a separate sales tax form. The form is scanned by a machine, so numbers must be printed within the indicated spaces, rounded to the nearest dollar and written without dollar signs.
Who needs to file 8030?
Any person doing business in the City of New Orleans must pay an annual occupational license tax under Chapter 150, Article VII of the Code of the City of New Orleans, and renews it in Section L of this form.
The other sections apply by business type:
- Section R: any person operating a hotel, motel, rooming house or boarding house with six (6) or more sleeping rooms.
- Section C: anyone owning a chain of stores, meaning two (2) or more stores of the same name and under the same ownership where the same line of goods, wares, merchandise or commodities is sold at retail. The tax is owed for each store in New Orleans, but it is based on the total number of stores owned, in the city or not and in the state or not, as of January 1 of each year.
- Section V: any person in the business of operating coin-operated mechanical or electronic devices, who pays a license fee for each machine.
The taxpayer or an authorized agent must sign the return. A preparer who is not the taxpayer signs on the separate preparer line. Do not use another taxpayer's return: the form warns that it may cause an improper posting of your payment.
When to file 8030
The return and payment must be received before March 1 of each year to avoid penalty and interest. The form prints this as its due date, and each section's instructions repeat it.
If payment is made after that date, penalty and interest are figured for each month or fraction of a month from March 1 until paid. The penalty is capped at the maximum printed on the form; interest has no cap printed. The percentages appear on lines L7, L8, R3, R4, C3, C4, V5 and V6.
Timing of the figures you report:
- Section L uses gross receipts from the previous calendar year. If the business started during that year, line L4 prorates them to a full year.
- Section C counts the stores you own as of January 1 of the tax year.
No processing time is printed on the form.
How to fill out 8030
Enter business name and account
At the top, enter your business name, the tax period and your account number. Check the box if this is an amended return.
Report gross receipts on L1 and L2
Line L1: total gross receipts, fees, commissions, sales, premiums, income earned and loans made during the previous calendar year, received or accrued. Line L2: allowable deductions, such as sales shipped or delivered outside Louisiana, sales returns, cash discounts and others allowed by Section 150-971 of the City Code.
Figure adjusted gross receipts
Line L3: subtract line L2 from line L1. If the business operated the entire previous calendar year, skip line L4 and go to line L5.
Prorate for a business opened last year
Only if the business started during the previous year, enter the opening date on line L4(A) as MMDDYY and the days in operation on line L4(B).
Find annual taxable gross receipts
Line L5: if you skipped line L4, copy line L3. If you completed it, divide line L3 by line L4(B) and multiply by 365.
Look up tax, penalty and interest
Line L6: compare line L5 with the tax table indicated on the form. Lines L7 and L8 apply only if payment is made after March 1. Line L9 adds L7 and L8, and line L10 adds L6 and L9.
Complete hotel/motel Section R
If you operate a hotel, motel, rooming house or boarding house with six or more sleeping rooms, enter the total sleeping rooms on line R1 and multiply by the per-room amount printed on line R2. Add any penalty and interest on lines R3 to R5, and enter the total on line R6.
Complete chain store Section C
Line C1: total stores owned as of January 1 of the tax year. Line C2: use the chain store tax table. Lines C3 to C5 cover penalty and interest; line C6 adds C2 and C5.
Complete video poker Section V
On lines V1 to V3, enter the per-device amount from the instructions for each video poker device renewed, under Code Number 4511 and its sub-codes. Line V4 adds V1 through V3; lines V5 to V7 cover penalty and interest; line V8 adds V4 and V7.
Total the payment on line T1
Line T1: add lines L10, R6, C6 and V8. Round to the nearest dollar and leave out dollar signs.
Review, sign and download the PDF
Date and sign as taxpayer or authorized agent; a preparer who is not the taxpayer signs on the preparer line. Check every figure, then download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF and submit it as described under How to submit.
How to submit 8030
The form names two ways to file: online through the City's website, or by sending the signed return with payment so it is received before March 1.
- Online: the form says "To file online go to www.nola.gov".
- Paper return with payment: the return must be received with remittance before March 1. The form prints no mailing address, so check www.nola.gov for where to send or deliver it.
- Checks: the form states "Please send separate checks for each remittance form," so do not combine this payment with payments for other City remittance forms.
Before sending, confirm that the return is signed by the taxpayer or an authorized agent, because no return is accepted unsigned. Use only your own return, not another taxpayer's. Print numbers inside the indicated spaces, since the form is scanned by a machine. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the City's channels above.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Writing dollar signs or entering cents; the instructions say to round to the nearest dollar and not use dollar signs.
- Printing numbers outside the indicated spaces, although the form is scanned by a machine.
- Submitting the return unsigned; no return is accepted unless signed by the taxpayer or an authorized agent.
- Using another taxpayer's return, which the form warns may cause an improper posting of your payment.
- Combining payments in one check; the form asks for separate checks for each remittance form.
- Paying after March 1 and leaving the penalty and interest lines blank when they apply.
- Completing line L4 when the business operated the entire previous calendar year; the instructions say to skip it and go to line L5.
- Reporting only New Orleans stores on line C1; the instructions say to enter all stores owned as of January 1.
- Not checking the amended-return box when you are correcting a return already filed.
Frequently asked questions
What is Form 8030 used for?
Form 8030 is the City of New Orleans return for renewing occupational license taxes each year. It covers the general occupational license tax, the hotel/motel tax, the chain store tax and the video poker tax, and line T1 totals the payment due.
Is Form 8030 the New Orleans property tax form?
No. Form 8030 renews occupational license taxes under Chapter 150 of the Code of the City of New Orleans. It does not report property tax or sales tax. Contact the City if you need the form for either of those taxes.
When is Form 8030 due?
Before March 1 of each year. The form says the return must be received with remittance before that date to avoid interest and penalties. Penalty and interest run for each month or fraction of a month from March 1 until paid.
What counts as a chain store on Form 8030?
A chain is two or more stores of the same name and under the same ownership that sell the same line of goods at retail. On line C1 count all stores you own as of January 1, whether in New Orleans or not, and in Louisiana or not.
How do I fill in line L5 if my business opened last year?
Complete line L4: enter the opening date as MMDDYY and the number of days in operation. Then divide line L3 by line L4(B) and multiply by 365. If the business ran the whole previous calendar year, skip L4 and copy line L3.
Can I file Form 8030 online?
The form says to go to www.nola.gov to file online. You can also fill out the PDF online on FillingPDF and download it, but FillingPDF does not file it with the City; the return reaches the City only through the City's own channels.
Can I send one check for several City forms?
No. The form says to send separate checks for each remittance form. Use one check for the total on line T1 of this return and do not combine it with payments for other City remittance forms.
Who can sign Form 8030?
The taxpayer or an authorized agent must sign, and the form accepts no return without a signature. A preparer who is not the taxpayer also signs on the separate preparer line.
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