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Avalara

Avalara

Overview

What is Avalara?

Avalara AvaTax connects to the software that businesses already have and delivers sales tax decisions based on precise geo-location in more than 12,000 taxing jurisdictions in the U.S.

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Recent Reviews

Avalara Review

7 out of 10
February 29, 2024
Incentivized
We use Avalara to track our sales tax eligible sales and calculating the correct amount of sales tax that should be charged and remitted …
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Indirect Tax

9 out of 10
December 05, 2023
Incentivized
I played a pivotal role in implementing AvaTax at Alchemee. I used to manage the system. We filed our US and Canadian returns through this …
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Great!

10 out of 10
December 05, 2023
Incentivized
We use Avalara for our sales tax compliance. Avalara is excellent at tracking the data necessary to fill out the sales tax returns. We …
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Awards

Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards

Popular Features

View all 11 features
  • Sales and Use Taxes (295)
    8.8
    88%
  • Tax Exemption Processing (201)
    8.3
    83%
  • Tax Data Reporting (248)
    8.3
    83%
  • 3rd-Party Software Integrations (223)
    8.0
    80%

Reviewer Pros & Cons

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Pricing

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Entry-level set up fee?

  • Setup fee optional
For the latest information on pricing, visithttps://www.avalara.com/us/en/products/…

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

Starting price (does not include set up fee)

  • $21 per month
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Product Demos

Avalara AvaTax Demo

YouTube
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Features

Type of tax

A list of the different types of taxes that can be filed using tax compliance software.

8.1
Avg 8.4

Tax Reporting & Compliance

Activities relating to tax filing, reporting, document management, and exemption certificate processing.

8.1
Avg 8.4
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Product Details

What is Avalara?

Avalara helps to make tax compliance faster, easier, more accurate, and more reliable for 30,000+ business and government customers in over 90 countries. Tax compliance automation software solutions from Avalara leverage 1,200+ signed partner integrations across ecommerce, ERP, and other billing systems to power tax calculations, document management, tax return filing, and tax content access. Visit avalara.com to learn more.

Avalara Features

Type of tax Features

  • Supported: Sales and Use Taxes
  • Supported: Cross-border Taxes
  • Supported: VAT / GST Taxes
  • Supported: Energy and Fuel Taxes

Tax Reporting & Compliance Features

  • Supported: Geolocation for Tax Assessment
  • Supported: 3rd-Party Software Integrations
  • Supported: Tax Data Reporting
  • Supported: Compliance Administration Management
  • Supported: Tax Exemption Processing
  • Supported: Tax Document Management
  • Supported: Complex Tax Scenario Management

Additional Features

  • Supported: Centralized tax management: Unifies sales and use tax calculation, document management, and returns preparation.
  • Supported: Integrations: AvaTax connects with more than 700 prebuilt integrations to connect with accounting, ecommerce, POS, and other systems, plus an advanced API.
  • Supported: Cloud-based: A software-as-a-service solution, AvaTax updates take effect as soon as they are deployed, helping to ensure the most current information is used.
  • Supported: Exemption management: Certificates from vendors are stored electronically for access and to track expiration dates. Automatic renewal requests are sent out before certificates expire.
  • Supported: Returns filing and remittance: Returns preparation and remittance in multiple jurisdictions. Avalara Returns can track and manage due dates and payment requirements, enabling users to pay returns with a single source of payment.
  • Supported: Lodging: Lodging tax for hotel or rental property are managed with a solution that plugs into reservation software to deliver lodging tax calculations in real time as well as preparation, filing, and remittances of lodge tax returns.
  • Supported: Communications: Tax calculations are delivered on an array of communications transactions by directly connecting to a current billing or ERP system, or to an in-house build via API.
  • Supported: Beverage Alcohol: Simplified regulatory compliance for suppliers, distributors, and retailers in the beverage alcohol industry.

Avalara Screenshots

Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of

Avalara Video

Why Avalara?

Avalara Technical Details

Deployment TypesSoftware as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based
Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

Avalara AvaTax connects to the software that businesses already have and delivers sales tax decisions based on precise geo-location in more than 12,000 taxing jurisdictions in the U.S.

Avalara starts at $21.

Vertex, Sovos Intelligent Compliance Cloud, and Thomson Reuters ONESOURCE are common alternatives for Avalara.

Reviewers rate Sales and Use Taxes highest, with a score of 8.8.

The most common users of Avalara are from Mid-sized Companies (51-1,000 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(720)

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-3 of 3)
Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
September 29, 2023

The good, the bad and . . .

Kathleen Gage | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Currently, I am the primary user, with my manager as back-up. I do have plans to roll out the application to billing personnel in my company and to sales for tax calculation.
  • Calculate real-time sales tax for invoices.
  • CertCapture for managing my TEC's.
  • Transaction sales tax detail.
  • Local jurisdiction exemption certificates.
  • Avalara online university classes are not interactive and do not provide for practice applications.
Avalara does a great job with usual sales tax calculations, but it needs a bit of improvement in trickier or unusual sales tax calculations/exemptions.
Type of tax (1)
90%
9.0
Sales and Use Taxes
90%
9.0
Tax Reporting & Compliance (7)
78.57142857142857%
7.9
Geolocation for Tax Assessment
80%
8.0
3rd-Party Software Integrations
80%
8.0
Tax Data Reporting
80%
8.0
Compliance Administration Management
90%
9.0
Tax Exemption Processing
80%
8.0
Tax Document Management
90%
9.0
Complex Tax Scenario Management
50%
5.0
  • I feel that I spend the same amount of time & energy on sales tax, but now my time is more on reconciling than getting data for returns filing.
  • I do believe that with time and learning this will improve, and also when we move forward with returns filing.
  • Microsoft Dynamics SL 2018
Not too difficult, Field Service module had to have custom integration built and there were several bugs to work out once we went live.
The application (Avalara Identity) is very user-friendly, in my opinion.
  • Avalara Returns
  • CertCapture
Yes, helped me reduce my returns filing calculation time and improved accuracy of returns and payments. CertCapture has eased the availability of requesting certificates and finding expired certificates.
RSM already had a connector and CCH did not; we were also using RSM for SL2018 implementation.
Nexus alerts and standard reports available to show sales & tax by state.
n/a
No
n/a
n/a
2
Accounting
1
myself
  • more accurate sales tax calculations
  • faster returns calculations & filing
  • nexus research
  • taxable/non-taxable sales by state
  • sales tax registrations
we are not going backwards to a more manual system
No
  • Price
  • Product Usability
  • Prior Experience with the Product
  • Third-party Reviews
We were already using Avalara rate tables import and RSM as our SL upgrade 3rd party implementation vendor.
Not sure I would change it.
  • Third-party professional services
RSM & Plumline
No
  • bugs had to worked out once we were live that didn't come up in test
  • sales tax calculations were not showing up on our invoices there were completed
Our company management did not allow enough time for implementation. I was also very disappointed that the implementation team were not available on day one of go-live; we had a lot of issues the first week of go-live, and that more direct support should have been available. Waiting over an hour on the phone to get problems addressed only to be told the issue would have to be escalated to another team was extremely frustrating.
  • Online training
The videos go too fast; I kept having to pause them and go back. They don't allow for any practice transactions or provide training materials.
We had to have a custom integration built for Field service module which when we went live still had quite a few bugs to work out.
Yes, make sure to completely understand Avalara and your company. We were told we had to do a complete import of our customers by our Avalara implementation coordinator with their shipping addresses but after we went live I found our we should have only imported our customers and not the shipping addresses. I could not get the shipping addresses deleted in bulk. I was told we would have to re-do the whole import and lose some of our data for sales tax transactions and/or re-import the transactions. I can only delete shipping information on a customer by customer basis which is a pain.
Some - we have added small pieces of custom code
Yes it was relatively easy with supports assistance once we talked to the right person. We have some customization for a few local taxes.
no
No
Not cost effective for us and the support we need.
They were not so good in the beginning but since the implementation of submitting cases online their support has improved. I do find some support techs are very knowledgeable but while some are not. Also sometime it can be very difficult to understand a support tech as their English language skills may not be very proficient.
No
No, not really. I had some difficulty with Avalara in the beginning and support was difficult to obtain. I had to go above my customer service representative be get the immediate support we needed. I did attend the Avalara Crush a while after going live and I believe it was extremely important in my knowledge of Avalara. They was a lot of information I learned that I wish had been provided to me when we first implemented as what reports to use to reconcile and how to correct Avatax transactions to reconcile to my general ledger. I also think Avalara online training could be improved. The videos go too fast and don't allow for practice transactions and training materials.
  • adding transactions
  • running reports
  • deleting information in bulk
  • importing transactions, template is not user friendly
  • Mircrosoft Dynamics SL 2018
yes
  • File import/export
not sure, we are now on direct/live integration with Avalara in real time
Mostly a smooth integration but we had to have customization for our service department and Avalara doesn't support Project construction billing entry which we do use sometimes.
Have good communication within your organization and between integration team, your company and Avalara. Get in writing exact details of who will do what and when exactly.
  • Solomon 2018
  • Field Service module
We had to have an RSM custom builder connector for the Field Service module; it was not part of the standard SL2018 connector.
In hindsight I feel they gave us a "canned" presentation on Avalara that was not customized to our company. They were a lot of things behind the scene that I only found out during the implementation process.
Once we went live and were experiencing problems we had to escalate the issue to get things resolved quickly. We were only told after the fact that our implementation support stopped the minute we went live and we had to go through regular customer support which at the time was calling in and waiting on hold forever. One exact issue took support over an hour on hold before someone answered and we did not have the option to leave a number for support to call us back. That situation has improved and now if the wait in more than a few minutes you can press 9 and leave a number for a call back.
We did not negotiate with Avalara. We were told the price for the product. We did negotiate with RSM/Plumline for the Field Service custom Avalara portion.
Yes, deal not only with your customer service representative but also their manager and make sure to get all the specific details regarding support before you go live. Ensure you have adequate date and time allotment for testing. Go live near the Avalara Crush and attend the classes on returns, reporting and reconciliations.
Yes
We were using the Avalara rate tables prior; now we are fully integrated with Avalara.
  • Streamlined sales tax process
  • Improved accuracy of sales tax calculations & returns
  • easy way to import transactions
No
No
Not sure what you mean by this question
Avalara usually connects without issue. There have been a few occasions when we couldn't connect to Avalara but not sure if the problem hs been with Avalara or our system.
For the most part don't have a problem with Avalara performance. On the few occasions I've had a issue isn't has been resolved quickly and usually without having to contact support.
February 04, 2020

Cream of the crop

Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We are using the federal terminal reporting of Avalara
  • Customer Service is top notch
  • Always willing to help you 100%
  • Detail of the program is above and beyond
  • the new e-mailing customer help desk
Setting up everything, the customer service department stayed on the phone with me the entire time walking me through it and they also were right there watching me via the computer the first time I filed the return. They have been a help ever since when needed.
Type of tax (2)
100%
10.0
Sales and Use Taxes
100%
10.0
Energy and Fuel Taxes
100%
10.0
Tax Reporting & Compliance (1)
100%
10.0
3rd-Party Software Integrations
100%
10.0
  • The actual process is cut by more then 80%
  • ADDS
Could not do because of the other system.
Very easy to navigate
If you are at the top of the stack looking down the first one you will see is Avalara
I use their changed monthly
NA
No
na
2
Tax Department
1
None needed from a user stand point, customer service at Avalara is great
  • Federal filing
  • ease of use
  • Tax updates
  • Went to use them for sales and excise tax in multi states
Worth every $$
No
  • Product Features
  • Product Usability
na
  • Implemented in-house
No
Change management was a small part of the implementation and was well-handled
  • training
  • integration
Easy and painless, customer service will stay with you the entire time
  • Online training
na
was really good
na
just right for this product
let your support do what they do best.
Some - we have done small customizations to the interface
support help me and showed me how
No - the product does not support adding custom code
na
No
the e-mail you have to send to support back and forth is not easy. Easier to make a 5 mion call then hours on e-mails
No
once you get to the support team, they are great at helping you resolve all issues.
  • filing
  • support e-mail
  • ADDS
Not able to
  • File import/export
could not integrate, not because of Avalara
do your homework and make sure you can
  • Adds
We have to create a CSV file to upload.
na
na
No
  • na
  • na
No
No
February 04, 2020

CertCapture

Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
CertCapture was used by the tax department, and our company just pushed it down to the whole organization this year. It helps to store and track our customer's resale certificate in a central place and provide support for tax audit purpose.
Some Problems:
  • Missing certificates.
  • Improper certificate forms were used by the division.
  • Incomplete certificates were accepted.
  • Misplaced certificates.
  • Out of date certificates.
  • We were able to track the number of missing customer certificates.
  • We were able to identify the acceptable certificate forms.
  • This product educated our division's credit manager enough to only accept the proper forms.
  • The automated and customized report is needed.
Avalara provides a State verification link provided when entering the tax ID number, and the tax ID number format is also provided. The customer list upload templates are also great.
Type of tax (1)
80%
8.0
Sales and Use Taxes
80%
8.0
Tax Reporting & Compliance (2)
80%
8.0
Tax Exemption Processing
80%
8.0
Tax Document Management
80%
8.0
  • The time saved to obtain the resale certificate to support the tax audit.
  • AS400 in-house program
not sure, our IT team is leading the integrations.
It is user-friendly and provides a lot of supports.
  • CertCapture
management decision.
don't know.
it provides the rules across state
Not applicable
I'm not sure
TTR
not applicable to our company
50
division credit managers and tax department
no in-house support
  • collect the resale certificate in right format
  • storage the resale certificate in a central place
  • using rate is low
  • need to duplicate the resale certificate information twice - to our in-house program and CertCatpure
  • storage other tax documents in addition to resale certificate
No
  • Product Features
  • Product Reputation
Don't know
  • Implemented in-house
Change management was minimal
  • it was implemented before I joined the company, so not sure
The system was installed prior to my enrollment at the company.
  • Online training
not applicable
self-study training only, not much support.
it's very easy to follow the instructions and learn how to use the product.
its just right.
Need to found it out with IT team.
Not sure as I am not a IT person.
the response is fast and useful.
Yes
not yet. still waiting for resolution.
this case happened before the bulk deletion function available. I need to delete a bulk of customers, but already attached with certificate. I don't want to spend so much time to delete one at a time. Contact the support and they helped to delete at their end. Saved me a lot of time.
  • search
  • report
  • editing
  • deleting
No
  • AS400 in house program
i think so.
  • File import/export
I don't think so.
I don't work on the integration.
no comments as I don't involve on the integration
  • AS400, a customized program written to fit our company.
our program is in house written software.
not applicable
not applicable
  • not applicable
  • better performance
No
No
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