Packtally docs
Where you owe, exemptions and who the producer is
How Packtally decides which states a Shopify brand owes packaging EPR reports to, the exemption lines it applies, who packs, and who the producer is for each brand.
In short: Packtally gives every packaging EPR state one of five statuses, worked out from your company's revenue, the packaging you shipped into the state and whether you filed an exemption. The answers are only as good as your company facts, so fill in Set up, Company and Set up, Producer first.
The five statuses
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Action required | You're over the state's lines, so you register, report and pay where the state charges fees |
| Exemption must be filed | You qualify for California's small producer exemption, but California only counts it once it's filed |
| Exemption on file | You marked California's exemption as filed. Add the filing date on File and Packtally reminds you before it needs renewing |
| Exempt | Under the state's revenue or packaging line, so nothing to file there |
| No program yet | The state has a law but nothing to file yet (Maine today). Packtally keeps counting shipments for when it starts |
Each state also says why, in a sentence, and Packtally marks a state close to the line when your figures are within 25% of an exemption line, so growth doesn't catch you out.
The lines Packtally applies
| State | Exempt if | Who reports the shipping box |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon | Global gross revenue under $5 million, or under 1 metric ton of packaging into the state | Whoever packs the order |
| Colorado | Global revenue under $5,779,297, or under 1 ton into the state | Whoever packs the order |
| California | Under $1 million of California sales, and only once the exemption is filed with CalRecycle. Renew every two years | The brand owner, even when a 3PL packs |
| Washington | Under $5 million, or under 1 ton | Whoever packs the order |
| Minnesota and Maryland | Under $2 million, or under 1 ton | Whoever packs the order |
Where a law says "1 ton" without saying metric or short, Packtally uses the stricter short ton (2,000 lb), so it leans toward telling you to report. The Help screen has a guide for each state with the sources behind these rules.
Company facts that decide exemptions
On Set up, Company:
- Global gross revenue. All channels and countries, including companies under common ownership, not just Shopify. Until you enter it, Packtally estimates from your Shopify sales and won't call you exempt on that estimate alone.
- California sales. California's exemption depends on sales into the state. Leave it blank and Packtally uses your Shopify orders. Include other channels. If your store sells in another currency, enter the US dollar figure here, since the state tests use dollars.
- Brand names. Leave blank to use your product vendors. CAA reports include a brand list.
- People employed. Prop 65 warnings apply to businesses with 10 or more.
- What you've already done. California small producer exemption filed, registered with Landbell USA for California textile EPR, secondhand or vintage only, and the Minnesota PFAS in products report.
Who packs your orders
The shipping box belongs to whoever packs the order, except in California, where it's always the brand's. For each Shopify location, choose one:
- We pack here.
- A 3PL or partner packs here. Fulfillment service locations start this way.
- A 3PL packs, we report it. For when your contract makes you report the 3PL's boxes, or the boxes carry your brand and you've agreed to report them.
- Not sure yet. Packtally warns you until it's answered.
Who's the producer of each brand
For product packaging, the producer is usually the company that owns the brand. On Set up, Producer, Packtally lists every brand from your products' vendor field with its units and packaging this year. Answer once per brand:
| Answer | What Packtally does |
|---|---|
| Our brand | Counts its packaging as yours |
| We sell it under license | Counts it as yours; the licensee is usually the producer |
| Another US company owns it | Takes its product packaging out of your tonnage, report, brand list and workbook |
| We import it, no US owner | Counts it as yours; the importer is usually the producer |
| Not sure | Counts it as yours until you know |
A brand named like your store or company is suggested as your own. Each answer is saved with its date and, if you add it, who answered, for your records. Shipping boxes you pack stay yours whatever the brand.
Associated companies
Companies under common ownership or control with yours. Their revenue counts toward your exemption lines, and CAA's portal asks for them, so Packtally puts them in your filing workbook. Packtally doesn't store tax IDs; add those in the portal.
Check without installing
Packtally's quick check at packtally.musiccitylabs.co/check runs the app's own rules on four numbers: global revenue, orders shipped in a year, average order value and packaging per order (0.8 lb is typical). Add your orders by state if you know them; otherwise it spreads orders by population. There's also our free EPR checker on this site. Both are estimates, not a determination; the app's answer comes from where every order actually shipped.