Regulators
- TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) — federal wine premises regulator under the U.S. Department of the Treasury
What is Form 5120.17
Form 5120.17 is the monthly Report of Wine Premises Operations every bonded wine premises (BWP) and taxpaid wine bottling house (TPWBH) must file with the TTB. You'll submit it by the 15th of the month following the reporting period. Missing a filing triggers automatic notices and can put your wine permit at risk. Cepaos pulls every line directly from your cellar book so the report is ready in under five minutes.
Prerequisites
Before your first filing, verify the following:
- TTB permit number entered in Settings > Compliance > US.
- Wine premises type selected: BWP, BWC, TPWBH or experimental.
- Tax class structure configured for still wine 14% or less, 14-21%, 21-24%, artificially carbonated, sparkling and hard cider.
- Pay.gov account if you plan to file electronically.
- Cellar book entries complete for the reporting month.
Step by step
1. Open the report builder
From the sidebar, go to Compliance > TTB Reports > Form 5120.17. The dashboard lists every reporting period along with the filing status: draft, filed, accepted or rejected.
2. Select the reporting period
Pick the month you need to file. Cepaos auto-locks the period after the 15th to prevent retroactive edits to filed reports.
3. Review pre-filled sections
Cepaos pre-fills all 36 lines of the form across the seven sections:
| Section | Source |
|---|---|
| Section A — On-hand at start of period | Prior month carryover |
| Section B — Received in bond | Bulk transfer log |
| Section C — Produced and gained | Fermentation log |
| Section D — Removed taxpaid | Tax-determined removals |
| Section E — Removed for export | Export documentation |
| Section F — Losses | Loss log (evaporation, breakage, sediment) |
| Section G — On-hand at end of period | Calculated closing balance |
Each line shows the exact source document so you can drill down if a number looks off.
4. Validate balances
Click Run validations. Cepaos checks that:
- Section A + Section B + Section C = Section D + Section E + Section F + Section G.
- All losses stay within TTB's allowable thresholds (typically 1.5% for normal storage losses).
- No negative balances anywhere.
- Every transfer in bond reconciles with the receiving winery's permit number.
Validation failures show up in red with a direct link to the offending entry.
5. Generate the filing package
Click Generate package. Cepaos produces:
- A signed PDF formatted to TTB specifications.
- A CSV mirror for your records.
- A pay.gov-ready XML payload if you opted in to electronic filing.
6. Submit to TTB
File through pay.gov or print and mail to the TTB National Revenue Center in Cincinnati, OH. Record the TTB tracking number in Cepaos so the audit trail stays complete.
Key deadlines
- Monthly filing: by the 15th of the following month (no extensions).
- Excise tax: semi-monthly for large producers; quarterly for small producers under the Craft Beverage Modernization Act (CBMA).
- Annual reconciliation: file Form 5000.24 in addition to the monthly 5120.17.
FAQ
What if I find an error after I file?
File an amended Form 5120.17 marked AMENDED in the header. Cepaos generates the amendment with a delta versus the original submission so the TTB sees only the corrections.
Does Cepaos calculate excise tax too?
Yes. The tax calculator runs alongside Form 5120.17 and surfaces the amount due based on your tax class structure and the small producer credit if you qualify.
Can I file for multiple premises under one parent permit?
File a separate 5120.17 for each premises with its own permit number. Cepaos groups them under a single organization so you can track them together.