Table Of Contents
Avalara Overview
OrderPort has partnered with Avalara to provide users with the latest in compliance solutions. We have created an integration with their Avatax program that makes business compliance easier than ever.
With Avatax your business will never have to worry about changes in laws or jurisdiction causing compliance issues. Their software automatically updates tax rates based on the latest information, meaning that your business will not be caught off guard. The integration with OrderPort will allow the two programs to communicate in real-time for a seamless user experience.
Getting an Alavara Account
The first step is to contact OrderPort , who will introduce you to an Avalara representative. This representative will go over how their program works and decide on a plan that best suits your business needs. Please reach out to helpdesk@orderport.net.
During your enrollment process, your Avalara representative will assist you with setting up your account.
Avalara Setup
The First Step will be to set up your account information in the Avalar /AvaTax system. If you have any questions about this process please contact your Avalara Rep.
AvaTax Users
In your Avatax portal, make sure that there is an account set up for each employee who will need access. An account in OrderPort will not grant them access to Avatax, so your employee will need to have an account in both systems. Just like in OrderPort, you can grant access based on their role in your business.
The Users section can be found by clicking the Settings tab and choosing Users. Click Add a user to create the employee’s account and grant access. Click Add and send an invite to complete the process.
Setting Up Tax Rules
Log into the Avatax portal to begin setting up your account and compliance parameters. Your credentials will be provided by Avatax directly. Keep these as you need them to set up the integration in OrderPort.
The first step will be to specify the states that you want Avatax to track for you. Nest you will specify the sales taxes for each state that you want Avatax to calculate. Make sure that you include basic sales tax as well as alcohol taxes. If you are shipping liquor, make sure you have specified so.
In this example, we have set it up to calculate sales tax when we process orders being sold in California and Washington. We will now add the state of Colorado. Click Add to where you collect sales and use tax. Then we Colorado from the list of jurisdictions.
In this example, we are adding Colorado to our list of states that we are shipping to. After choosing the state, verify the taxes that you will be collecting. Click Next to save changes and be redirected to the dashboard.
If you need to specify that you are collecting alcohol tax on top of sales tax, click Add to where you collect alcohol tax and repeat the same steps.
Product Codes
The next step is to begin specifying the types of items that you will be selling and shipping. Avalara creates tax codes that represent product groups or a specific product. This is how the system know which tax rate to use.
If you are using the Avatax Integration, your items will be coded based on their product type. So, if you are adding new items to your Catalog, items will be assigned a tax code accordingly. If you need to update a tax code, you can do so in the Avalara module.
Coding your Products
After setting up your tax rates and locations, the next step is to get your products coded. Avatax tax codes are how the system will know to categorize your catalog and tax the items at the appropriate rates.
In the example at right, we are looking at 3 products. The Item Code is tha name of the product, and the description is used to clarify the product’s details. If you do not have a product listed here, sales tax will not be calculated by Avatax. If you are new to Avatax, you will import your items with a spreadsheet.
If you need to add subsequent products, they will be coded as soon as they are created in the Catalog Manager.
The quickest way to get your products coded is to import your catalog to Avatax in your account. You can create a spreadsheet of your products and assign each the appropriate code. Avatax provides a template and a list of their codes so that you know how products should be categorized.
Once your spreadsheet it ready, choose What you Sell from the Settings dropdown menu. Then click Import Items. You can upload it from your computer or drag and drop the files into the upload box. Once the upload is done, Avatax will begin calculating sales tax for each item.
Click Avalara tax code list if you need to see the list of available codes.
Setting Up a Location
If you are opening a new location for your business, this must first be set up in the Inventory module. Once you have completed setting it up, Avatax will assign it a Location Code. This code will be used to track sales for the location. To view your locations in Avatax, click the Settings tab and choose the Company Locations & Marketplaces option. You will see your list of current locations.
Once you have verified the information is correct in Avatax, you will need to give the location an Attribute. Click Details to continue.
OrderPort Setup
Once you have created your account with Avatax, OrderPort will turn the Avalara module on, which is in the Integrations section of OrderPort Admin.
Configuration
Once you enter the module you will land on the Configuration Tab. You will need to input your Company Code, Account ID and License Key, which are provided by Avatax.
Then enable your Doc. Recording and Address Validation. These are what allow OrderPort to Communicate with Avalara. Once you have entered in your credentials, toggle the Integration Status switch to Enabled. OrderPort will now begin communicating with Avatax for all relevant orders. Click Test Connection to ensure that the integration is completed.
If you need to log into your account with Avatax, click the Avalara Avatax Adim Console button.
There are two additional Settings Options with Avatax.
Age Verification - Avatax has a system in place where it does a background check on the person/address that is purchasing wine. It checks if there is a person associated at this residence over the age of 21. Once you enable this feature you will need to set up when you would like Avatax to ignore errors.
You will need to set this up for the five OrderPort checkout Options. Point of Sale, Resturant, Webstore, Admin Cart, and Wine Club. Make sure you only select the ones you want OrderPort to Override.
Types of Errors
Deceased
Dob Unverifiable
Not Found
Suspect to Fraud
Under Age
Unknown Error
Shipment Verification - If Avatax can't validate an address or an error occurs these settings allow you to decide how the Order gets handled. You will need to set this up for the five OrderPort checkout Options. Point of Sale, Resturant, Webstore, Admin Cart, and Wine Club.
Verification Options
Quarantine On Fail
Reject on Fail
Skip Validation
Tax Codes
In OrderPort, there will be a tax code for each Product Type that you sell, as well as Category (if your winery uses this tool). Your products types will have default codes, whereas you will need to code your categories based on the options provided by Avatax. Shipping and handling will also have their own tax codes. Avatax will calculate sales tax on these as well based on the state the item is being sent to. If any of your items have unique tax codes, these will also be listed in the Avalara module.
Locations
The Locations tab is where you can decide which inventory locations will communicate with Avatax. A Location Code will need to be assigned to every location you plan on incorporating into your integration. These codes will be generated by Avatax when your integration is set up. If you need to create a new location, first make it in the OrderPort Inventory module. Avatax will then generate a code for it.
Catalog
The Catalog tab lets you know how your products have been categorized. You can search for a specific product to make sure it has the correct tax code. If you come across an item that is not coded, make sure to add one to ensure the proper tax rate can be calculated.
If your product has been incorrectly coded, edit it here. Click in the dropdown menu to see the available codes. If you know the code, type it into the box.
Click Save Changes when you are done.
Transactions
The Transactions tab is where you can view the orders that were processed using the Avatax integration. You can come here to check if information on a certain order was sent to Avatax or not. You can run the report by date range, or search for specific orders.
Clicking Payload will show the information that was sent to Avatax. Clicking Response will show the message that was sent back to OrderPort upon receiving the information. Consult this information if you need to know why transaction details were not transferred correctly.
Reporting
Reporting on orders completed using the integration are available in both OrderPort and Avatax. Even though Avatax is calculating your sales tax, that information will still be recorded in OrderPort when an order has been created. This means that the current compliance reports you use in OrderPort admin will still be available.
Avatax reports can be viewed in your browser, or exported just like in OrderPort. At right is a report in Avatax. This sales tax summary can be found by clicking the Reports tab and choosing the interval you want to view.
Liability & Tax Return and Exemptions reports are also available in Avatax. The Exemptions report calculates revenue that was not taxable.
