Lecture Notes: Filing Hawaii State GET for Lyft and Uber Drivers

Speaker:

• Raymond

Objective:

• Overview of filing Hawaii State General Excise Tax (GET) for Lyft and Uber drivers.

Key Points:

Importance of Record-Keeping

• Use a spreadsheet or Google Docs to track earnings.
• Differentiation by color for various tax rates.

Tax Rates:

• Blue: Taxed at 0.5% wholesale rate.
• Orange: Taxed at 4.5% (or 4% in Maui County).

Breakdown of Earnings Categories:

• Uber Categories: Trip earnings, council earnings, promotions, and tips.

  • No council earnings in this example.
  • Trip Earnings: $1,645.35
  • Promotions: $70
  • Tips: $290, $165, $291.65

• Lyft Categories: Trip earnings, tips, bonuses (promotions), and council earnings.

  • Council earnings explained for new drivers.
  • Taxation: All but tips charged to the customer.

Tips and Taxes:

• Tips: Full 4.5% GET responsibility unless it's required by Uber/Lyft.
  • If required by the company, only 0.5% GET is paid by the driver.

Calculations and Fees:

• Detailed calculation process for Lyft and Uber earnings.
• Explanation of lift fees and how they affect tax calculations.

Filing Process on Hawaii Tax Online

G45 Form:

• Log in via hightax.hawaii.gov.
• Choose G45 form for filing.
• Select the correct district (Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Hawaii).

Steps for G45 Filing:

1. Part 1: Enter wholesale activity (0.5%).
2. Part 2: Enter tips (4% state rate).
3. Part 3: Information for insurance sales (not relevant for drivers).
4. Part 4: Oahu County surcharge explained.

Summary Page:

• Check all calculations and district selections.
• Note penalties for late filing.

Submission:

• Use ACH for payment to avoid extra credit card fees.
• Verify payment submission and check for penalties.

G49 Annual Return

• Used for annual reconciliation and corrections.
• Detailed explanation and walkthrough of potential discrepancies.
• Importance of making sure numbers match and filing any differences.

Additional Resources

• Speaker offers additional services for a fee but encourages questions in comments.

Conclusion:

• Encouragement to ask questions if there are any uncertainties.
• Offer to help with other business lines.