Registering a Wisconsin washing business for tax accounts
How does a new Wisconsin pressure washing business register for its tax accounts?
- Decide whether any of your services are taxable
- Get a free EIN from the IRS
- Apply online for Wisconsin business tax registration
- Pay the $20 registration fee
- Add employer registration before your first payroll
- Calendar the two-year renewal
Get the EIN before you register anywhere else
The EIN comes first because every later form asks for it. The IRS issues it at no charge, and it warns that you never have to pay a fee for one.
Apply on the IRS site. The online tool is for domestic organizations with a principal place of business in the U.S., and the applicant must be the responsible party with a Social Security number or ITIN.
A sole proprietor with no employees may not strictly need one. The IRS says an EIN is generally needed to hire employees, operate as a partnership or corporation, pay sales and excise taxes, or change business structure.
$0The IRS says you never have to pay a fee for an EIN, and that one is generally needed to hire employees or pay sales taxes. — Internal Revenue Service, retrieved 2026-09-29
File the Wisconsin business tax registration online
One application covers the state's main business tax accounts. Use the Department of Revenue's online business tax registration.
The fee is $20 for a new business and it covers two years. It applies to most Department permits and certificates, including the employer registration certificate and the seller's permit. Renewal is $10.
Most registrants receive their account number by email the same day. The Department bills the fee afterward, so you do not pay at the time you apply.
$20Wisconsin business tax registration costs $20, covers two years and includes seller's permits and employer registration certificates. — Wisconsin Department of Revenue, Business Tax Registration, retrieved 2026-09-29
Decide what you charge tax on before you invoice
Registration is not the same as charging tax on everything. Publication 201 lists the taxable services, and it taxes the cleaning of taxable products such as awnings and signs.
The list does not name building exterior cleaning, so a house wash may be untaxed while the awning on the same job is not. The sales tax page explains the reading in detail.
When in doubt, itemize the invoice. Separate lines let you charge tax on the part that needs it and leave it off the rest.
Publication 201 taxes the cleaning of taxable products and lists canvas awnings, electric signs and furniture among them. — Wisconsin Department of Revenue, Publication 201, retrieved 2026-09-29
Add the employer account before the first paycheck
A crew means a payroll account. The employer registration certificate is issued under the same $20 registration, so add it when you apply if you know a hire is coming.
Workers' compensation is separate and comes from an insurer, not from the Department. It is required with three or more employees, or when wages reach $500 in a quarter.
The hiring page covers the insurance side and the contractor test.
3 employees or $500Workers' compensation is required with three or more employees or $500 or more in wages in a quarter. — Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, retrieved 2026-09-29
Put the renewal and the annual report on one calendar
The registration lasts two years, then renews for $10. Put the renewal date on the same calendar as your LLC annual report, if you formed one.
The annual report for a Wisconsin LLC is due in the quarter of its organization anniversary and costs $25 online. Missing it may lead to administrative dissolution.
Add the DNR items too. A crew with wash water permit coverage keeps monthly inspection logs, so the calendar holds three cycles: monthly, yearly and every two years.
$25A Wisconsin LLC's annual report costs $25 online and is due in the quarter of its organization anniversary. — Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Form 5 instructions, retrieved 2026-09-29
Questions
Can I skip registration if I only clean houses?
Not automatically. Registration also covers the employer account, and any taxable work, such as cleaning an awning or sign, needs a seller's permit. Ask the Department of Revenue if you are unsure whether your work qualifies.
Where does the seller's permit number appear?
The Department issues the account number after you register, and most registrants receive it by email the same day. Keep it with your invoices.
Is the EIN the same as the Wisconsin account number?
No. The EIN is a federal number from the IRS. The Wisconsin account number comes from the Department of Revenue, and the two are used on different filings.