Every state has its own tobacco calendar. We keep yours.
Licenses, excise tax returns, PACT Act reports and product listings, prepared and filed for cigar, tobacco and vapor manufacturers, importers, distributors and online sellers in every state where your products are sold.
Where do your products go?
Tap the states you sell into. Each shows what it requires.
Select a state to see what we can file there.
Why HNM Compliance
A fraction of the cost of a compliance hire, and a backup for the one you have.
Instead of a hire
No recruiting, no training on fifty sets of forms, no scramble when someone is out. You pay a fixed fee for each state you need, quoted before you commit, and never for the hours a form takes.
Alongside your team
We take the recurring returns, PACT Act reports and listings off your compliance officer's desk. They approve every filing in the portal and get their time back for FDA, TTB and customs work.
Backed by penalty protection
If a late-filing penalty results solely from our error, we reimburse it. An employee's mistake is your cost; ours is covered, up to the fees you paid us for that state.
See what it costs you in-house See the full comparison
Cost figure: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics median compliance officer wage, May 2025, with benefits at 31.5 percent of total compensation, June 2026. Sources and examples.
What we file
We prepare each filing from your sales and shipment data, send it to you for approval, then submit it and keep the confirmation on file. See what each state requires in our state and topic guides.
State tobacco licenses
New applications, amendments and renewals for manufacturers, importers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers, including any bonds a state requires.
Excise tax returns
Recurring cigar, other tobacco and vapor product returns, prepared on each state's schedule so nothing is filed late.
PACT Act registrations and reports
Registration and the monthly reports owed to each state tax administrator for covered products shipped into that state.
Product listings and directories
Listing your brand styles where a state allows only listed products, including vapor product directories and California's Unflavored Tobacco List, with renewals and updates as your line changes.
Compliance calendar
One calendar of every state deadline you owe, with reminders sent well before each due date.
Who we work with
Factories abroad
Manufacturers in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras and Europe that sell into the United States.
Importers and distributors
Companies moving product to retailers in several states, each with its own license and return.
Online sellers
Remote sellers shipping directly to adult consumers, where PACT Act and state reporting applies.
Nuestro equipo trabaja en inglés y en español.
How it works
Footprint review
You tell us where you sell and ship. We map every license and filing you owe.
Your calendar
We build a single deadline calendar across all of your states.
You approve
We prepare each filing from your data and send it to you for sign-off.
We file
We submit, save the confirmation and track the next due date.
Services
Everything we handle, from a single state license to a national excise calendar. Every engagement is scoped to your states, products and volume, and quoted in writing before any work begins.
Quoted to your footprint
Your quote reflects the states you sell into, the products you carry, the level of service each state needs and the volume you report.
Fixed fees, no hourly billing
You know the cost of each state and each service before you approve it. A complicated return does not cost more because it took longer.
Government charges at cost
State taxes, license and permit fees, bond premiums and listing fees are passed through exactly as the agency charges them.
Monthly or annual billing
Recurring services are billed monthly or annually through Stripe. Add or remove a state as your distribution changes.
Service levels
Each state you add is billed at the level of service it needs, monthly or annually.
For teams that file themselves
Calendar only
Per state, billed monthly or annually
Deadline calendar, reminders, portal and document archive. You file; we keep you on schedule.
- A deadline calendar for every state you choose
- Reminders 30, 7 and 1 days before each due date
- Client portal, document archive and agency logins tracker
- You prepare and submit; we keep you on schedule
For brands whose distributors pay the tax
Essential
Per state, billed monthly or annually
License and permit tracking, renewals prepared and filed, calendar, reminders and portal.
- Everything in Calendar only
- License and permit expiration tracking
- Renewals prepared, approved by you and filed
- Confirmations saved to your filing history
For companies that owe state excise tax
Standard
Per state, billed monthly or annually
Everything in Essential, plus the state's recurring tobacco, vapor or nicotine excise tax return. Includes up to 50 active SKUs per state.
- Everything in Essential
- Recurring excise tax returns prepared and filed
- Monthly sales data check before each return
- Up to 50 active SKUs per state
For national footprints
Nationwide
Quoted for your full footprint
Standard service across your whole footprint, priced as one engagement.
- Standard service in 15 or more states
- One calendar and one consolidated invoice
- Built for importers and distributors selling coast to coast
- Scoped and quoted after your footprint review
Footprint review
Where every new client starts. Scoped to the number of states you sell into.
Footprint review
One time, scoped to your states
A state-by-state map of every license, return, report and listing your products trigger, with a deadline calendar you keep either way.
Monthly add-ons
Added to any service level, in the states where you need them.
PACT Act monthly reporting
Per state, per month
For roll-your-own, smokeless, vapor and covered nicotine products shipped across state lines.
Large catalog
Per state, per month
For brands reporting more than 50 active SKUs in a state.
Product listing maintenance
Per state, per month
Keeps vapor directory and California UTL listings current, including annual recertifications.
Customer license verification
Per month, scaled to your customer list
Monthly check that your buyers hold valid state licenses and permits before you ship to them.
Data preparation
Per month, scaled to your invoice volume
We convert your system's sales export into the monthly report, so you never fill in the template.
One-time services
Quoted up front and invoiced when the work is done. Government fees, taxes and bonds are separate and passed through at cost.
New state entry package
Per state
Licenses, registrations, bond coordination, PACT registration if needed, and your first return in a new state.
New license or permit application
Per license
State fees and bonds separate.
License amendment
Per license
Change of address, ownership, officers or trade name on an existing license.
License closure
Per license
Final returns and license surrender when you stop selling in a state.
Bond coordination
Per bond
Obtaining or renewing a license bond through a surety broker. Bond premium separate.
PACT Act registration
ATF and each state you ship into
Registration with ATF and each state tobacco tax administrator.
Product listing setup
Per state
Initial vapor directory certification or California UTL submission, including SKUs added later.
Catch-up filing
Per missed period, per state
Back returns or reports owed before service began.
Rush filing
Per filing
Data received less than 5 business days before the due date.
Agency notice handling
Per notice
Gathering records, correcting and resubmitting a filing.
Audit records package
Per audit
Filings, confirmations and sales data for the audit period, assembled for the auditor. Advice and representation go to counsel.
Direct-to-consumer setup
One time
Age verification vendor, carrier and labeling requirements, and state-by-state shipping restrictions for online sellers.
Federal and international filings
The same prepare, approve and file process, for filings beyond the states.
TTB permit reporting
Per permit, per month
Recurring operations reports for TTB manufacturer and importer permits.
FDA registration or product listing update
Per submission
Establishment registration and product listing submissions.
EU-CEG product notification
Per product
Product notifications for entry into European Union markets.
EU-CEG submitter ID and EU Login setup
Per company
Requesting your EU-CEG submitter ID and setting up the EU Login and eTrustEx access needed before your first product notification.
TTB permit applications and amendments
Per permit
New manufacturer or importer permits, and amendments for changes of address, ownership, officers or trade name.
Included in every engagement
- A client portal with every draft, approval, confirmation and document
- Your approval of each filing before it is submitted
- Automatic reminders 30, 7 and 1 days before each due date
- A tracker for every agency account and who controls the login
- A monthly sales data check that catches errors before a return is prepared
- A downloadable filing history for auditors, lenders and buyers
- Logins for your own team, your accountant or your compliance officer
- Penalty protection when a late filing results solely from our error
- Service in English and Spanish
- State and topic guides, checked against each state's own sources
Questions about engagements
Why is there no price list?
Two companies with the same number of states can owe very different filings. A premium cigar brand selling through distributors may need only licenses, while a vapor importer in the same states owes monthly returns, PACT Act reports and directory listings. We quote what your footprint actually requires, so you never pay for a plan built for someone else.
How quickly will I receive a quote?
Send your business, products and states through the guided form. We reply by email with the filings you are likely to owe and a written quote. Nothing is charged until you accept it.
Do I have to start with a footprint review?
We recommend it, because it confirms every license, return and listing before monthly service begins. If you already know exactly what you file, we can quote monthly service directly.
What is not included?
Taxes, government fees and bonds, which are billed at cost. Cigarettes are outside our service. HNM Compliance does not give legal or tax advice or represent you before an agency; that work is available only through a lawyer under a separate engagement.
Can I change my services later?
Yes. Add a state, a product line or an add-on at any time and we confirm the change in writing. Recurring services can be cancelled at the end of any billing period.
Get your quote in five quick steps
Choose your business, products and states, then the services you want. We reply with the filings you are likely to owe and a written quote.
Existing clients manage billing, cards and invoices from the client portal. Payments are processed by Stripe; card details never reach our site.
Request a footprint review
Tell us your business, products and states in about two minutes. We reply with the filings you are likely to owe and a written quote. Nothing is charged until you accept it.