Configure > Taxes > Third Party Providers

TaxCloud - Free Internet Sales Tax Management

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AbleCommerce Gold provides a certified TaxCloud integration which is fully integrated and ready to implement. [New in R10]

When implemented, the integration will provide tax calculation services through AbleCommerce using the TaxCloud service. It is a full featured integration that includes tax calculation and address validation. It is compatible with all major features of the AbleCommerce shopping cart, for example, quantity discounts, shipping charges, tax exempt accounts, and multiple origin/destination addresses. It also includes a tax exemption feature for B2B stores.

You can signup through TaxCloud.net now. It's easy and free!

Features

TaxCloud is a sales tax service for online retailers.

Free and easy to configure.
Automatically recognizes sales tax holidays and keeps track of how things are taxed differently across all the states.
Instantly calculates sales tax for any US address
Trusted by more than 7,500 retailers every day.
Supports tax exemption certificates for B2B.

TaxCloud Configuration

After creating your free TaxCloud account, login and update your account profile, contact, and bank information. Before you begin using TaxCloud with AbleCommerce, follow the instructions below.

NOTE: TaxCloud identifies the taxability of any product or service by using a 5 digit number called the Tax Identity Code or TIC. In this document, we will refer to this information as the "TIC code".

Add Locations

From the Account tab, click on the Locations menu item.
For each physical location you have a tax nexus, please enter each of them.

Add Website

From the Account tab, click on the Websites menu item.
Click the Add Website button.
Enter the name of your website (for internal use only).
Enter the URL to the website. This should match the URL for your AbleCommerce installation.
Select "AbleCommerce" for your commerce platform.
Click OK when finished.

Find your API information

As soon as you enter the website, an API ID and API key will be generated. Save this information because you will need it to configure AbleCommerce and complete the integration setup.

If you ever want to Reissue the API key, make sure to update the information within the AbleCommerce / TaxCloud configuration section.

In the above screenshot, you will see an icon next to the Default TIC.

Please click this to bring up a page where you can review and/or change the default TIC code for this location.

If your default TIC code is not 00000, please make a note of it now. You will need to use this information in your AbleCommerce / TaxCloud configuration.

Tax States

From the Account tab, click on the Tax States menu item.
Click any states you will need to collect tax from. The states where you have locations setup, should be automatically selected.

IMPORTANT: If you are unsure of any states that you should be collecting tax for, you must contact the tax authority for that state.

Enable the TaxCloud Gateway in AbleCommerce

Before you begin, make sure that you have your TaxCloud API ID and key, both of which are provided with your website registration within TaxCloud.

From the AbleCommerce administration, go to Configure > Taxes > Third Party Providers page using the top-menu.
Click the green ADD button next to TaxCloud
You will now be on the configuration page as shown in the example below.
To use TaxCloud services, make sure the check the box Enable TaxCloud. You can turn this off at any time.
In the field named API ID, enter your TaxCloud ID here.
In the next field, enter your TaxCloud API Key.
The Tax Name field is provided in case you wish to change how the tax line will appear to your customers. The default value is "Sales Tax".
The Default Product TIC code is 00000. This is the tax code for "General Goods and Services". If you need to change this value, do so now. It should match the default TIC for your website configuration with TaxCloud.
The tax codes for Shipping, Handling, and Giftwrap are pre-populated for your convenience. TaxCloud will determine if any of these items are taxable depending on which states you collect tax for. The default value for Shipping is 11010. The default value for Handling is 11000. The default value for Giftwrap is 11000.
If you are a business-2-business (B2B) store, then you may want to enable the Use Exemption Certificates option. When this feature is activated, the customer will have the option to fill out a tax exemption certificate form. This information may be used for a single transaction, or it may be saved for future transactions. For more information, please see the Tax Exemptions section at the bottom of this page.
Choose the type of Reporting Mode.
- Breakdown: In this mode, tax line items are itemized for each product within the Order Summary section. This is not the default option, but it is available.
- Summary: In this mode, the total calculated tax is created in a single summary line item, using the tax name specified in the Summary Tax Name field.
The Tax Service URL is pre-populated with an TaxCloud URL for both production and testing purposes. Do not change this field unless directed by TaxCloud or AbleCommerce support.

Default Tax Service URL: https://api.taxcloud.net/1.0/TaxCloud.asmx
The Enable Address Validation option is available if you have a USPS shipping account. It is free to register and use the USPS address validation service.
TaxCloud recommends that you use address validation to make sure the taxation is as accurate as possible. In some areas, the Zip+4 is necessary to calculate an accurate tax.
Enter the USPS User ID if you will be using Address Validation during checkout.
Debug Mode is an optional feature and should only be enabled at the direction of AbleCommerce support.
At the bottom of the page, click the SAVE button.
If this is a first time configuration, click the TEST CONNECTION button. If the test is successful, then taxes should immediately begin calculating for any product in the store.

Usage and Configuration

Within your AbleCommerce store, you can either use the default TIC codes for all products and services, or you can individually select the TIC code on a per-product basis. For the default TIC code, you would only need to make sure this is correct on the TaxCloud configuration page within AbleCommerce and that it matches the default TIC code within TaxCloud's website configuration page.

If you need to enter a unique TIC code for any product, then follow the instructions below.

How to enter the TIC code for a product

If you will not be using the default TIC code, then you can enter the code in the field provided. You can either manually enter the 5 digit number in the field provided, or select from a list of categories. See screenshots below.

OPTION A - Manually enter the TIC code into the TIC field and save.

OPTION B - Click the "select" link to view a list of categories and sub-categories. Select the applicable one for the product. The TIC code will populate the field after making your selection and saving the product.

You can change the TIC category by clicking the TIC code just after the tax code category listed.

NOTE: You can enter the TIC code for multiple products by using the Catalog > Batch Edit feature. The TIC code is also supported through the Data Import and Export process.

Tax Exemptions

TaxCloud supports the creation and storage of tax exemption certificates. This feature can be enabled from the AbleCommerce / TaxCloud configuration page. When it is activated, there will be a link shown in the Order Summary section during checkout.

If the customer clicks this link, then a pop-up page will be displayed. The page will initially show the amount of tax for the order. It will also show an Order number. This is not the actual order number though. It is really a basket ID since we do not have the order number generated until the customer completes the checkout process. This number is necessary if the customer chooses to apply for a one-time tax exemption.

How to create an Exemption Certificate

To create an exemption certificate, the customer must click the "click here" link as shown in the screenshot above.

This will bring the certificate form into the same pop-up page as shown below.

The customer will need to select a state for exemption.
Choose the option for a Single Purchase certificate or a Blanket certificate -
- A blanket certificate will be stored for the customer and can be used on all future sales.

- The single purchase certificate can be used for the current purchase only. If the single purchase certificate option is selected, the customer will need to enter the order number as shown on the top of the pop-up display page.
The Purchaser Identification section will need to be completed with the name, address, exemption ID number, business type, and a reason for exemption. Some of these selections contain a pre-populated list of data which must be used. The purchaser is required to provide valid information. The certificate is not verified by TaxCloud or AbleCommerce.
After a blanket exemption certificate is created, it will be stored with TaxCloud. During future checkout processes, the customer will be able to manage their tax exemption certificates.
Multiple exemptions can be managed by clicking on the 'Are you tax exempt?' during checkout. Existing certificates will be shown with the option to remove or view.

Viewing Orders with a Tax Exemption

If an order is placed by a customer where the tax exemption certificate has been applied, you will be able to see this information from the Order Summary page.

In the example below, the Payment Information section shows a note circled in red. This indicator shows the merchant that the order has no tax because an exemption was applied during the checkout process.

TaxCloud has record of orders placed with tax exemptions. These may be used for tax reporting purposes.

Integration Notes

When the service is configured and running, AbleCommerce will communicate with TaxCloud in the following scenarios.

Address Validation

Quality address data is crucial to accurate tax calculations. In order to ensure the best results, AbleCommerce and TaxCloud recommend that you have address validation services enabled for all transactions. When you add or edit Warehouses (the store origination address) within AbleCommerce, the address is validated and standardized. Also, when customers are proceeding through the checkout sequence their billing and delivery addresses are also validated and standardized.

Tax Calculation

When a customer is shopping on the site and proceeds to the checkout phase, taxes for the basket will be calculated and displayed prior to purchase. This calculation process can be repeated many times for a single basket during the shopping session. The recalculation will occur each time the checkout is initiated.

Tax Committal

When an order is finally submitted, the tax document is finalized with TaxCloud. This saves the order information and tax to your TaxCloud sales history and will show up on reports.

Tax Cancellation

If an order is cancelled within the AbleCommerce merchant interface, the TaxCloud service is notified if the order included any calculated taxes. This way you will not incur any tax liability for orders that were not valid.

Order Changes

Changing or editing orders with tax is not recommended or supported by TaxCloud. The tax recalculation feature will be disabled within the AbleCommerce order admin if TaxCloud is enabled.
If you need to modify the contents of an order that has already been committed to TaxCloud, then you should cancel the order and place a new one instead.

Using AbleCommerce Taxes with TaxCloud

The AbleCommerce tax display settings, tax codes, and tax rules are ignored when TaxCloud is in use.