The Hawaii Form A-6 tax clearance application is a free, two-page request you file with the Department of Taxation (DOTAX) to get official proof that all your state tax returns are filed and every balance — including penalties and interest — is paid or on an active payment plan. Submit it through Hawaii Tax Online at hitax.hawaii.gov and it is usually processed within one business day; mail, fax, or hand-deliver a paper copy and it takes 10 to 15 business days. There is no filing fee.1Department of Taxation. Tax Clearance Certificates
What to Gather Before You Start
A few mismatches on the form are enough to bounce it back or slow it down. Have these ready:
- Your legal name exactly as it appears with DOTAX, the IRS, and (if applicable) the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. Inconsistencies delay processing.2Department of Taxation. Instructions for Form A-6 – Tax Clearance Application
- Your Hawaii Tax ID number. If you don’t have one, write “NONE.” You can find it on any prior General Excise Tax filing or by signing into Hawaii Tax Online.
- Your Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN). Write “NONE” if you don’t have one.2Department of Taxation. Instructions for Form A-6 – Tax Clearance Application
- Your Social Security Number, if you’re an individual or sole proprietor.
- Your DBA or trade name, if you operate under one.
- The reason you need the clearance — a government contract, liquor license, contractor or real estate license, loan closing, residency verification, personal use, and so on. You must check at least one box on the form.3Hawaii Department of Taxation. Form A-6 – Tax Clearance Application
Download the current version of Form A-6 from tax.hawaii.gov rather than relying on a saved copy. Fields and mailing details change.
Filling Out Form A-6 Section by Section
Applicant information. Print your legal name, mailing address, and DBA or trade name. Business entities use the entity’s legal name, not the owner’s personal name, unless you’re a sole proprietor.
Tax identification numbers. Enter your Hawaii Tax ID, FEIN, and Social Security Number where each applies. These are what link your request to the right accounts inside DOTAX’s system, so double-check the digits.2Department of Taxation. Instructions for Form A-6 – Tax Clearance Application
Entity type. Check the box that matches how you’re organized: individual, corporation, partnership, LLC, trust, and so on. This tells the reviewer which tax rules apply to your account.
Reason for the clearance. Check at least one box. If you’re applying for a government contract, the form asks additional questions about whether you’re bidding, entering into a contract, working on an ongoing one, or waiting for final payment. For liquor licenses, indicate whether it’s an initial license, a renewal, or a transfer.2Department of Taxation. Instructions for Form A-6 – Tax Clearance Application
Tax-exempt status and General Excise Tax. Tax-exempt organizations still need a General Excise Tax license in many situations in Hawaii. The form’s questions are designed to catch this. If the answers show you should have a GE tax license and don’t, you’ll need to apply for one before your clearance can be issued.3Hawaii Department of Taxation. Form A-6 – Tax Clearance Application
Signature. Only certain people can sign: an individual owner or sole proprietor, a corporate officer (president, vice president, secretary, or treasurer), a general partner or LLC member, a trustee, or an executor.3Hawaii Department of Taxation. Form A-6 – Tax Clearance Application If none of those people can sign, you’ll need a power of attorney.
If a CPA or Attorney Is Signing for You
A representative signing and submitting the A-6 on your behalf needs Hawaii Form N-848 (Power of Attorney) filed with the application. The details that trip filers up:
- Line 3 of the N-848 must explicitly authorize the representative to “sign any agreements, consents, tax clearance applications, or similar documents.” Generic entries like “All Taxes” or “All Periods” will be rejected.4Hawaii Department of Taxation. Power of Attorney
- The tax years on Line 3 can’t extend more than three years past the current year.
- Attach a copy of the N-848 to every clearance application, even if DOTAX already has one on file.4Hawaii Department of Taxation. Power of Attorney
- If the clearance covers a year with a joint return, both spouses must sign the N-848.
- The power of attorney expires six years from the latest taxpayer signature date.
How to Submit the Form
Hawaii Tax Online
The fastest route is hitax.hawaii.gov. After signing in, open “I Want To” and pick “Request a Tax Clearance Certificate” under the Tax Clearance section. Requests submitted this way are usually processed within one business day.1Department of Taxation. Tax Clearance Certificates If you don’t have a Hawaii Tax Online account yet, you’ll need to register first.
Paper, Fax, or In Person
You can also mail, fax, or hand-deliver the completed form. The current mailing address and fax number are printed on page two of Form A-6, so use them from the version you just downloaded.2Department of Taxation. Instructions for Form A-6 – Tax Clearance Application All three paper channels take 10 to 15 business days. Walking the form in does not get you same-day service.1Department of Taxation. Tax Clearance Certificates
If You Have Unfiled Returns or a Balance Owed
DOTAX won’t issue the certificate if returns are missing or taxes are unpaid. You’ll get written correspondence identifying what’s outstanding, and you have to clear it before the certificate is issued, even if the business has since closed. When the total owed is more than $1,000, DOTAX requires payment by cash, cashier’s check, certified check, or money order. Personal checks are not accepted at that level.5Hawaii Department of Taxation. An Introduction to the Tax Clearance Procedure
There is one workaround. If the full balance is covered by a valid payment plan, DOTAX treats you as compliant and issues the certificate. Break the payment plan later and the department can invalidate the certificate it already gave you.1Department of Taxation. Tax Clearance Certificates For liquor license and contractor license renewals, DOTAX also offers a “conditional clearance” arrangement in some cases. Contact the Collection Branch to ask about it.5Hawaii Department of Taxation. An Introduction to the Tax Clearance Procedure
How Long the Certificate Is Good For
The certificate itself has no printed expiration date. The agency, licensing board, or lender that asked for it sets the currency rule.1Department of Taxation. Tax Clearance Certificates For state and county government contracts, the administrative rule requires a certificate dated within six months of issuance.6Cornell Law Institute. Hawaii Code of Rules 3-122-112 – Responsibility of Offerors Liquor commissions, licensing boards, and lenders may use shorter or longer windows, so confirm the deadline with whoever asked for the clearance before you file.
Government Contractors: Consider Hawaii Compliance Express Instead
If the clearance is for a government bid, look at Hawaii Compliance Express (HCE) at vendors.ehawaii.gov before filing the A-6 on its own. HCE bundles the DOTAX tax clearance, the IRS Tax Compliance Report, the Department of Labor certificate (Form LIR27), and the DCCA Certificate of Good Standing into a single compliance certificate.7Hawaii.gov. Hawaii Compliance Express That produces every document a procurement officer needs in one place, instead of tracking each clearance separately.
A Note on Buying a Business
If you’re buying all or most of a business’s inventory, fixtures, or other assets outside the ordinary course of business, the A-6 is not the right form. Hawaii’s bulk sales law under HRS 237-43 creates a separate clearance obligation, with its own report to DOTAX within 10 days of the sale and its own certificate protecting the buyer from being held personally liable for the seller’s unpaid taxes. Residential real property is excluded.8Justia. Hawaii Revised Statutes 237-43 – Bulk Sales; Transfers; Penalties Ask DOTAX about that process directly if it applies to your transaction.