§ 31.5. Persons rendering taxable services.
(a) Imposition. The following services rendered upon tangible personal property are ‘‘taxable services’’ whether or not tangible personal property is transferred in conjunction with the rendition of the services:
(1) Repairing, altering, mending, pressing, fitting, dyeing, laundering, drycleaning or cleaning tangible personal property other than clothing or footwear. Effective July 1, 1971, charges for repairing, altering, mending, pressing, fitting, dyeing, laundering, drycleaning or cleaning clothing or footwear are exempt from tax. For example, if a bookcase is taken to a carpenter to have a defective shelf repaired, the charge for the repair is subject to tax. However, if a shoe is taken to a shoe repairperson to have a heel fixed, the charge for the repair is not subject to tax.
(2) Applying or installing tangible personal property as a repair or replacement part of other tangible personal property. For example, if a garage employe replaces a tire on an automobile with a new one, the installation charge plus the price of the new tire is subject to tax. If the garage employe merely replaces the old tire with a spare belonging to the car owner, the installation charge is nevertheless subject to tax.
(3) Labor or services billed by the vendor for delivering, installing or applying tangible personal property sold by the vendor even if the services are contracted for separately. The taxability of these services is effective March 4, 1971. For example, if a dealer delivers and installs a gas range which the dealer has sold, the charges for delivery and installation, as well as the price of the range, are taxable. The delivery and installation charges are taxable whether or not they are invoiced separately from the price of the range.
(4) Inspecting, altering, cleaning, lubricating, polishing, repairing or waxing motor vehicles.
(5) Printing or imprinting tangible personal property for persons furnishing the materials used in the operations. The services shall be taxable whether the person for whom they are rendered or the person’s agent supplies the materials. When the person for whom taxable services are rendered fails to pay the tax to the person rendering the taxable services, the Commonwealth may collect tax from either party.
(b) Services when performed by coin-operated self-service laundry equipment. Effective July 1, 1971, charges for the services of repairing, altering, mending, pressing, fitting, dyeing, laundering, drycleaning or cleaning of clothing and household goods by means of coin-operated self-service laundry equipment shall be exempt from tax. Laundry equipment includes washing and drycleaning machines. Included within this exemption are services performed on the following types of property: clothing, sheets, towels, rugs, drapes or other household goods. Charges for similar equipment for use in conjunction with motor vehicles are subject to tax. Charges by a laundry for the services in the subsection performed upon household goods are subject to tax.
(c) Tangible personal property subsequently affixed to real estate. The vendor shall collect and remit tax on the vendor’s rendition of services even though the tangible personal property upon which the taxable services are performed will later be affixed to the real estate so as to become a permanent part thereof. For example, when a lighting fixture is temporarily removed from a home and taken to a silversmith to be electroplated, tax shall be collected on the entire charge for the electroplating.
(d) Tangible personal property belonging to a third person. The vendor shall collect tax from persons paying the purchase price for taxable services even though the tangible personal property on which the services are performed belongs to another. For example, when an insurance company has a car repaired for an insured person the person rendering the service shall collect tax from the insurance company on the total charge.
(e) Application of tax to service or maintenance agreement. Persons who enter into ‘‘service’’ agreements to render a taxable service are making ‘‘sales at retail’’ and shall collect sales tax on the entire charge made under the agreement. The fact that the agreement may be designated ‘‘Inspection,’’ ‘‘Maintenance’’ or by any other name does not change this rule if, under the terms of the agreement, the persons shall be obligated to render taxable service upon the tangible personal property of their customers. For example, when a firm enters into agreements with a serviceman to have its office equipment inspected, repaired and cleaned, the entire charge, without any deduction for separately stated items, is subject to tax.
(f) Taxable services performed outside Pennsylvania on tangible personal property used in this Commonwealth. When taxable services are performed outside of this Commonwealth on tangible personal property brought into this Commonwealth for use in this Commonwealth, the services shall be subject to the use tax, based upon the entire charge made by the vendor. If the tax is not collected by the vendor, the purchaser of the services shall report and pay use tax directly to the Commonwealth. For example, when a resident of this Commonwealth has his automobile repaired outside of this Commonwealth, tax shall be paid directly to the Commonwealth by the person for whom the services were rendered, or alternatively to the person rendering the services if the person is ‘‘maintaining a place of business within the Commonwealth.’’ A tax credit shall be permitted for taxes paid to most other states. See § 31.7 (relating to use tax).
(g) Services performed in this Commonwealth on tangible personal property to be used by nonresidents outside of this Commonwealth. Services performed in this Commonwealth on tangible personal property to be used by nonresidents outside of this Commonwealth shall conform with the following:
(1) The vendor shall collect tax on services if the tangible personal property on which the services have been performed is delivered to the purchaser or the purchaser’s agent in this Commonwealth, even though the purchaser will subsequently use the services and tangible personal property outside of this Commonwealth. The fact that the purchaser is a nonresident and the services will be used outside of this Commonwealth does not in itself make the transaction exempt. For example, when a nonresident of this Commonwealth has his car repaired in this Commonwealth while vacationing, the garage employe shall collect tax on the entire charge. A person rendering a taxable service need not collect sales tax on the rendition of services for a nonresident when the agreement between the vendor and the purchaser requires the vendor to deliver or provide delivery of the tangible personal property at a destination outside of this Commonwealth for use outside of this Commonwealth, and when the delivery is in fact made. For example, when a laundry in this Commonwealth picks up soiled drapes from a Maryland customer and delivers the clean laundry in Maryland to the customer, the laundry is not required to collect tax. Similarly, when a nonresident has his car repaired while on vacation in this Commonwealth and directs the garage employe to deliver his car to his out-of-State residence, the garage employe is not required to collect tax.
(h) Exemptions. The TRC grants certain purchasers an exemption from tax not only on tangible personal property purchased for use in exempt activities but also on services which may be performed on the exempt tangible personal property. Therefore, the fact that the TRC now imposes tax upon the full charge for taxable services rendered does not affect the use of the Exemption Certificate by purchasers who are entitled to an exemption from tax under the act. Thus, persons engaged in activities such as farming, dairying, manufacturing and mining may, upon their purchases of services on exempt tangible personal property, use an exemption certificate applicable to their particular activity. For example, when a manufacturing firm has a machine repaired which is directly used in its manufacturing operations, the charge for the rendition of such service is not subject to tax. When the same firm has a filing cabinet repaired, the charge for the repairs is subject to tax, since the filing cabinet is not directly used in manufacturing.
(i) Purchase of equipment and materials used in taxable services. Persons rendering taxable services shall be considered the consumers of all tangible personal property which they use but do not transfer to their customers. Therefore, all machinery, equipment, tools, supplies, materials or other tangible personal property, or services performed thereon, purchased for this type of use is subject to tax. They are entitled to use the ‘‘resale’’ exemption with respect to purchases of tangible personal property or services which they will transfer to their customers. The following examples illustrate these rules:
(1) A furniture repair shop purchases sand paper and paint brushes to be used in refinishing the furniture. The shop cannot claim a ‘‘resale’’ exemption for the purchases but shall pay tax thereon. When a furniture repair shop purchases finishing nails and varnish to be incorporated into its customer’s furniture in connection with the rendition of repair services, the shop may give a ‘‘resale’’ exemption certificate on its purchases of such materials.
(2) An auto repair shop shall pay tax on purchases of brushes, sandpaper, masking tape and other equipment and supplies used in rendering its repair services but not transferred to its customers. On paint, parts and other property which is transferred to the customer as part of the repair service, the shop may give a resale exemption to its suppliers.
Source The provisions of this § 31.5 amended March 19, 1993, effective March 20, 1993, 23 Pa.B. 1322. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (40191) to (40194) and (54477).
Cross References This section cited in 61 Pa. Code § 31.6 (relating to persons rendering nontaxable services); 61 Pa. Code § 31.12 (relating to imposition of tax); and 61 Pa. Code § 52.4 (relating to sellers and repairers of eyeglasses).
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