The Finance Department is responsible for administration of the Town's finances, budget, accounts receivable and payable, local sales tax collection, and employee benefits.

All businesses in Winter Park, including home-based businesses, are required to register with the Town of Winter Park and acquire a Business License. The Business License also serves as a Sales Tax License.

As a home rule municipality, Winter Park administers and collects its own sales tax. Neither the Colorado Department of Revenue nor any other taxing authority is authoirized to collect taxes on behalf of Winter Park. Taxes are remitted to the town of Winter Park directly.

The Colorado Department of Revenue is responsible for collecting and administering county and state taxes within Grand County. Sales taxes collected by vendors must be reported on the "Colorado Retail Sales Tax Return (DR 0100)" and remitted to the Colorado Department of Revenue.

Tax Returns for 2010 are being mailed the week of December 21, 2009.

Your sales tax returns will be accompanied by a letter from our Finance Director. If you have questions concerning the process or the forms, please contact our Finance Department.

You may access blank sales tax forms as well as instructions online.

The Town of Winter Park Sales Tax Rate is 5.0%; Grand County Sales Tax Rate is 1%; Colorado State Sales Tax Rate is 2.9%. The total combined tax to be collected on retail and the furnishing of certain services is 8.9%.

Tax reporting is monthly unless you have been pre-qualified by the Town to report either quarterly or annually. The qualify for quarterly filing your tax remittance must be less than $300 per month/$900 per quarter. To qualify for annual filing your tax remittance must be less than $300 per year.

Tax Returns for each year are sent out in the beginning of the year to registered businesses. Should you register a business after this point, your returns will be sent out with your Business License once it is approved. You can request a blank Sales Tax Return by contacting the Town Clerk or download one by clicking here.

Businesses who normally remit tax but do no have any for that period may submit electronically by completing an online form or by faxing the form to 970-726-8084.

For information concerning filing state taxes in Colorado, please visit the State of Colorado's website.
 

For all non-lodging activity:

The Town of Winter Park collects a 5.0% Sales Tax upon the purchase of any tangible property on which sales tax was originally not paid. Generally collection of Sales Tax applies to a company that does not pay Winter Park Sales Tax but which purchased an item that was previously used, stored, or consumed in the Town of Winter Park. This tax is also referred to as a 'Use Tax'.

On sales tax returns this is reported as 4% 'General Town Sales Tax' and 1% 'Supplemental Sales Tax'.

For all lodging activity:

The Town of Winter Park collects a 4.0% Lodging Tax and a 1% Accommodations Tax for a total of 5% on the rental or leasing of lodging accommodations in Town. Lodging includes leasing or rental of any hotel room, motel room, or other public accommodation in any hotel, apartment-hotel, motel or trailer court or partk or any similar place for a continuous duration of less than 30 days.

Homeowners who wish to rent or lease their property are required to hold a Business License with the Town of Winter Park and to collect the Lodging and Accommodations taxes. This only applies to short term or nightly rentals; homeowners entering into written agreement with long term renters, thirty (30) or more days consecutively, do not need to collect the Lodgings and Accommodations taxes.

On sales tax returns this is reported as 4% 'General Town Sales Tax' and 1% 'Accommodations Tax'.

The Town of Winter Park collects a 1.0% Real Estate Transfer Tax on the transfer of any real estate within the Town of Winter Park.

Certain real estate transfers are exempt from the Transfer Tax. Property transfers where the consideration is for less than $500 are exempt from the Transfer Tax. Additional exemptions include gifts of real property and '1031 Exchanges'. To view the Application for Exemption From Real Estate Transfer Tax, click here.

To view the Town of Winter Park's Municipal Code regarding its Real Estate Transfer Tax, click here. 

All property taxes, including town property taxes, are collected by Grand County. for information related to property taxes on a particular parcel of land within the town of Winter Park, please contact the Grand County Assessor's Office.