> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.elasticfunnels.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Sales Tax Integrations

> Calculate sales tax at checkout in real time using TaxJar, Avalara, or TaxCloud.

## Overview

ElasticFunnels can calculate sales tax at checkout using any of three external services. The active integration is queried for every cart that has a shipping or billing state subject to sales tax, and the calculated rate is applied to the order before payment.

You can configure **multiple** tax integrations per brand. The offer app tries them in the order shown on the integrations list — useful for fallback (e.g. TaxJar primary, Avalara backup).

## Supported providers

| Provider     | Best for                                                           | Auth                     |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------ |
| **TaxJar**   | US sales tax across all 50 states; SaaS-friendly                   | API key                  |
| **Avalara**  | Enterprise; global jurisdictions, exemption handling, certificates | Account ID + License key |
| **TaxCloud** | Free tier for SST member states (member sellers pay nothing)       | API Login ID + API Key   |

## How it works

1. Customer fills in their billing/shipping address on the checkout step.
2. Before tax is shown, EF asks the configured tax provider for the rate using:
   * The customer's destination state, ZIP, and city
   * The order line items and total
3. The provider returns the tax amount.
4. EF adds the tax line to the order total and re-renders the order summary.
5. When payment succeeds, the tax amount stored on the conversion is exactly what was returned by the provider.

The same calculated tax flows into Shopify Order Sync (so your accountant sees matching numbers in Shopify), into the EF reports, and into the receipt email.

## Setup

### TaxJar

<Steps>
  <Step title="Get an API token">
    Sign up at [taxjar.com](https://www.taxjar.com). Open **Account** → **TaxJar API** → **API Tokens** and copy your token.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Activate in EF">
    Go to **Integrations** → **Tax** → **TaxJar**. Paste the token, save.
  </Step>

  <Step title="(Optional) Set nexus states">
    TaxJar uses your nexus configuration on its dashboard to decide which orders are taxable. Make sure your nexus list in TaxJar matches the states where you collect tax.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Avalara

<Steps>
  <Step title="Get account credentials">
    From your Avalara account: **Settings** → **License and API Keys** → copy the **Account ID** and **License Key**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Activate in EF">
    Go to **Integrations** → **Tax** → **Avalara**. Paste both credentials and save. Toggle **Sandbox** during setup if you want to use the sandbox environment.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure company code">
    Set the **Company Code** that matches the company entity in your Avalara dashboard. Avalara needs this to apply the right tax profile.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### TaxCloud

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign up">
    Sign up at [taxcloud.com](https://taxcloud.com). The plan is free for sellers in SST member states.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Get API credentials">
    Open **Websites** → pick your site → **Manage Tax States** to confirm coverage, then copy the **API Login ID** and **API Key**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Activate in EF">
    Go to **Integrations** → **Tax** → **TaxCloud**. Paste both values, save.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Multiple integrations & fallbacks

If you create more than one tax integration, EF tries them in order until one returns a valid response:

1. First active integration is queried.
2. If it returns an error or is unavailable, the next is tried.
3. If all integrations fail, the order falls back to **no tax** (and a warning is logged).

This is useful for high-availability setups (TaxJar + Avalara as backup) or for switching providers without downtime.

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Tax shows as $0 on checkout">
    Either the destination address isn't taxable in your nexus configuration, the integration credentials are wrong, or the integration call timed out. Check the checkout's developer log on the conversion record.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Tax shown in EF doesn't match Shopify after sync">
    Shopify Order Sync sends the tax amount **exactly as collected** in EF. If Shopify shows a different number, you have Shopify's automatic tax also turned on — turn it off for orders tagged `ElasticFunnel`, or set Shopify to "tax included" so it doesn't recompute.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Avalara returns 'TaxCalculationFailed'">
    The most common cause is a missing `companyCode`. Check the integration form has the correct company code from your Avalara dashboard.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>