Guide to Sales Tax Software
Sales tax software is a type of technology designed to automate and simplify the sales tax calculation and reporting process. It is an important tool for businesses of all sizes, helping them automate their sales tax processes, improve accuracy and save time.
Sales tax software can be used to calculate how much sales tax should be charged on a sale. It can also generate reports that show the total amount of taxes collected across jurisdictions or for specific products, services or customers. The software allows businesses to accurately calculate, report and remit taxes in compliance with applicable laws in all jurisdictions where they do business, reducing the potential for errors or non-compliance penalties from regulatory agencies.
The functionality of sales tax software varies depending upon the specific solution chosen by a business. Some solutions are stand-alone programs that require manual inputting of data, while others offer automated features such as integration with accounting systems or syncing with ecommerce stores. Advanced systems may feature multi-jurisdictional capabilities, including automatic rate calculations based on zip codes or address information; complex product classification rules; management of exemptions and exclusions; fixed asset tracking; audit trails; integration with other financial systems (ERP); and more.
Choosing the right sales tax software requires businesses to consider their own particular needs—the number of transactions processed each month; level of complexity associated with calculating rates in different states; need for customizations such as exempt customer management; value added tax (VAT) support needed; etc.—and then select a software package accordingly. Popular sales tax solutions include Avalara Avatax, TaxJar AutoFile, Zip2Tax Tax Suite, Vertex O Series Sales & Use Tax Solutions and Sovos Compliance Suite (formerly Compli).
The benefits derived from using quality sales tax software outweighs its cost over time because it reduces staff hours spent preparing taxes manually, ensures accuracy at every step along the way—minimizing risk of noncompliance penalties—and simplifies reporting for companies conducting business across multiple locations. In addition, the automated features streamline back-office processes and help businesses become more efficient.
What Features Does Sales Tax Software Provide?
- Automated Tax Calculation: Sales tax software provides automated tax calculations so businesses can accurately determine the amount of sales taxes corresponding to a sale. This feature automatically calculates taxes based on the customer's location, taking into account any applicable exemptions or deductions along with the latest rates and regulations specific to that jurisdiction.
- Reporting: Sales tax software simplifies the process of generating reports for filing sales and use taxes. This feature helps businesses track their taxes owed, in addition to providing detailed insights into their taxable revenue. It also ensures accuracy by flagging errors or discrepancies in calculations before they are reported.
- Document Management: Many sales tax software solutions offer an integrated document management system which allows users to store and manage important documents related to their business’s sales tax compliance such as receipts, invoices, contracts, etc., all in one secure place.
- Tax Jurisdiction Mapping: This feature enables businesses to easily identify which local, state, and federal jurisdictions they need to be compliant with for each transaction. By keeping up-to-date information about which jurisdictions apply to certain transactions, this feature ensures accurate filing of returns no matter how often those taxes change.
- Audit & Compliance Tracking: This tool assists businesses with tracking audits and remaining compliant with ever-evolving regulations by providing them detailed auditing reports as well as automated notifications when changes have been made in countries or states where they do business.
- Integration Capabilities: Many modern sales tax software solutions come equipped with APIs that allow integration with other accounting systems such as QuickBooks or Xero, making it easier for businesses keep their books up to date without having duplicate data entry processes across multiple platforms.
What Types of Sales Tax Software Are There?
- Point-of-Sale Software: This type of software is used at the point of sale to collect and process sales taxes. It usually integrates with existing retail store systems, allowing retailers to keep track of taxable sales and submit required taxes to the applicable government agencies.
- Self-Service Tax Software: These programs are typically web-based, making them easy to use by small business owners who don't have a lot of IT experience. They offer features such as automated tax calculations, filing, and payment support for multiple locales.
- Enterprise Tax Solutions: These solutions are designed for larger businesses and can handle complex tax calculations across multiple jurisdictions. They also integrate with other in-house systems and provide accurate financial analysis for more efficient tax planning.
- Online Tax Filing Services: These services allow taxpayers to easily file their taxes online without having any knowledge of how the tax system works. Some services even provide advice from experienced professionals or automated filing options, depending on your needs.
Sales Tax Software Advantages
- Automated Calculation: Sales tax software automates the calculation of sales taxes, making it easier and faster to compute taxes accurately. This eliminates manual mistakes that can lead to incorrect tax calculations.
- Up-to-date Tax Rates: Sales tax software allows businesses to keep up with changing rates across various jurisdictions. This reduces the risk of filing returns with inaccurate or outdated information, ensuring businesses remain in compliance with applicable laws.
- Streamlined Data Management: Sales tax software simplifies the process of tracking data related to taxes, such as invoices, receipts, and customer information. It also helps businesses keep better track of their expenses and other financial records related to sales tax collection.
- Automatic Filing: Sales tax software automatically generates reports and files required returns on time without any manual intervention from employees. This helps save time and ensures accurate filings that meet state requirements for accuracy and timeliness.
- Improved Accuracy: By eliminating human error caused by manually calculating taxes, sales tax software provides greater accuracy when dealing with complex transactions that involve multiple jurisdictional rates or exemptions.
Who Uses Sales Tax Software?
- Small Business Owners: This type of user typically needs to calculate and collect sales tax for their business, ensuring that they are in compliance with local, state, and federal laws.
- Accountants: Accountants typically need to be able to accurately report sales tax collected on behalf of their clients. They may also need to handle the collection and remittance of taxes owed by businesses.
- Tax Advisors: These users may need access to software that helps them provide advice about taxation issues for businesses.
- Enterprises: Enterprise-level companies often have complex global supply chains that require complicated taxation solutions. Sales tax software can help these organizations manage the complexities associated with international taxation.
- Online Sellers: Many online retailers need access to automated sales tax calculations so they can accurately price products that are being sold over the internet.
- Government Entities: Local, state, and federal government offices might use sales tax software in order to track collections from individuals or businesses within their jurisdiction.
How Much Does Sales Tax Software Cost?
The cost of sales tax software varies greatly depending on multiple factors such as the size of your business and the features you need. For example, a small business might pay between $20 and $50 per month for basic software, while a larger company may require more sophisticated software capable of handling thousands or even millions of transactions each year, which could cost up to several thousand dollars per month. Additionally, some services offer an annual subscription fee with discounted pricing when pre-paid in advance.
When deciding on which sales tax software to purchase, it is important to take into consideration what features are most important to your business’s unique needs. Some common features that businesses consider include auto-filing of returns, ability to handle multiple taxes and jurisdictions, compliance tracking tools, audit trails, real-time updates on rates and rules changes, detailed reporting capabilities and customer support. Taking the time to research the different offerings available can help ensure you find the right tool for your business at a price that fits within your budget.
What Does Sales Tax Software Integrate With?
Sales Tax Software can integrate with a variety of other types of software such as accounting software, eCommerce platforms, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and customer relationship management (CRM) tools. This integration helps businesses to streamline their processes, reduce the manual effort associated with managing taxes, and ensure accurate processing of sales tax. For example, by integrating an ERP system with Sales Tax Software, businesses are able to capture invoice data from ERP and use it in their Sales Tax Software to sync rates and invoices in real-time. Similarly, retail stores that use CRM tools are able to sync customer data across both systems to receive up-to-date information about customers’ locations for accurate tax calculation. Lastly, when integrated with eCommerce platforms such as Shopify or Amazon Webstore, sales tax software can help online retailers automatically process orders by finding out the taxing jurisdiction for a given order and calculating the applicable rate for that transaction.
Sales Tax Software Trends
- Automation has become increasingly important for sales tax software, with many companies now using automated systems to calculate, file and pay taxes. This eliminates the need for manual data entry and reduces errors.
- Sales tax software is becoming more accessible, with cloud-based solutions allowing businesses to access their software from anywhere with an internet connection. This makes it easier for companies to manage their sales tax obligations without having to install any additional hardware or software.
- Sales tax software is becoming more accurate and reliable, helping businesses to ensure that they are filing accurate returns and paying the correct amount of taxes. The accuracy of sales tax software has been improved through the use of automation, eliminating manual errors and reducing the risk of costly mistakes.
- Security is an important aspect of sales tax software, as businesses must ensure that their data is secure at all times. Many modern sales tax software solutions offer enhanced levels of security, including encryption and two-factor authentication, helping businesses to protect their sensitive data from being compromised.
- With changes in regulations and laws related to sales taxes, it has become increasingly important for businesses to stay compliant with the latest requirements. Sales tax software can help businesses keep up with the latest rules and regulations, ensuring that they are always compliant with the applicable laws.
How to Select the Best Sales Tax Software
On this page you will find available tools to compare sales tax software prices, features, integrations and more for you to choose the best software.
- Research your options: Start by researching the various sales tax software options available to you. Make a list of all the features that each option offers and any additional fees associated with using the software.
- Determine your budget: Figure out how much you can afford to spend on sales tax software and make sure the options you’ve chosen fit within that budget.
- Consider integration: Consider if the software can integrate with other systems or programs that you already use, such as an accounting program or payment processor. This will save time when it comes to filing taxes and help improve accuracy in reporting.
- Find user reviews: Read online reviews from real users of the product before making a decision so you can get a better understanding of what other people think about it and what their experiences have been like using it.
- Ask questions: Contact customer service representatives for each option on your list if necessary to ask any remaining questions you might have before making your final decision.