Vertex

Vertex provides software for indirect tax determination, e-invoicing, reporting, and filing, along with exemption certificate management. Its Vertex Cloud platform and Vertex O Series tax engine connect to enterprise systems and apply one set of tax decisions to transactions, so the figures on an invoice, a return, and an audit response agree. Vertex, Inc. has focused on indirect tax and compliance since 1978.

Key Capabilities

• Tax Determination: The O Series engine calculates sales, use, and value added tax (VAT) in real time on sales and purchase transactions. The vendor states coverage of more than 195 countries and territories and 20,000 or more jurisdictions, though its O Series page cites 19,000. Taxability rules and exceptions can be configured for a company's structure. Premium content covers industries such as leasing, telecommunications, healthcare, hospitality, and oil and gas. Add-ons handle address cleansing with USPS ZIP+4 data, latitude and longitude conversion, Tax Area ID assignment, and VAT ID validation.
• E-Invoicing: The e-invoicing application manages invoices from creation and validation through clearance, real-time reporting, and archiving. It exchanges data with tax authorities in jurisdiction-specific formats, covering continuous transaction control (CTC) mandates and the Peppol network, with a separate Brazil electronic document product. An API-based Invoice add-in supports localization for language, currency, and audit needs.
• Filing and Returns: Sales and use tax compliance covers returns including EDI, environmental, and business and occupation taxes. VAT compliance covers EC Sales Lists, Intrastat, ledgers, and SAF-T. Workflows prepare data, validate and submit returns, track deadlines, and archive records. Vertex also offers outsourced return preparation as an add-on service.
• Exemption Certificates: Certificate Center stores and tracks sales and use tax exemption and direct pay certificates, sends renewal requests, and offers customers a self-service submission wizard. It synchronizes certificates, customers, and taxpayers with the tax engine, and an optional service handles certificate collection and renewal.
• Analytics: Built-in dashboards track transaction and nexus thresholds, configuration and rate changes, and audit risk, and standard reports support reconciliation and audit. Analytics cover sales and use tax transactions only.
• Embedded AI: Vertex Copilot answers context-driven questions inside a user's workflow. AI agents assist with tax research, rule creation in natural language, product tax classification, anomaly detection, and analysis of the impact of tax content changes. The vendor states that outputs are reviewable under human oversight.
• Payroll Tax: A separate product assigns tax jurisdictions and calculates payroll tax for human capital management systems.

Audience & Use Cases

• Audience: Enterprise tax, finance, and IT teams responsible for indirect tax across multiple systems and countries.
• Use Cases: Calculating tax at the point of transaction in ERP, e-commerce, procurement, billing, and CRM systems. Meeting e-invoicing mandates, filing returns, managing exemption certificates, and preparing for audits.

Technical Specifications

• Deployment: On-premises, in the cloud on AWS, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, or Microsoft Azure, or at the edge with containers deployed at the point of transaction.
• Integrations: Packaged integrations for SAP (including S/4HANA, ECC, Ariba, and Commerce Cloud), Oracle (Cloud ERP, E-Business Suite, Retail, and Commerce Cloud), Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Workday, plus NetSuite, Shopify, BigCommerce, and Coupa. SAP accelerators and PLUS Tools add VAT, tax code mapping, and reporting tools.
• Support: A partner network of system integrators, plus optional staff augmentation and system optimization services.