Avalara AvaTax Configuration

For US based companies that require real-time tax calculations for US based customers, SOLO Server offers an integration with Avalara AvaTax. Several steps are needed to configure SOLO Server to integrate with AvaTax.

Perform Initial Configuration in AvaTax

The first task to integrate SOLO Server with AvaTax is to perform some basic configuration of your AvaTax account and gather some information which will be entered in to SOLO Server.

If you have not already done so, obtain an AvaTax account.
Once you have an account, log in to the AvaTax administrative interface.
Obtain your Account ID by clicking Account in the upper right and viewing the Account ID. Make note of this ID as it will need to be entered into SOLO Server.
Next, verify or create a company, which is the entity which collected sales tax will be attributed to. From the Settings menu, select Manage Companies. If using an existing company, verify the details, otherwise create a new company. In either case, make note of the Company Code, as this will need to be entered into SOLO Server.
Next verify or create a location, which is the origin address that sales tax will be calculated against. From the Settings menu, choose Company locations and marketplaces. If using an existing location, verify the details, otherwise create a new location. In either case, make note of the Location Code, as this will need to be entered into SOLO Server.
Generate a License Key if you do not have an existing key. From the Settings menu, choose License and API Keys, and then generate a key. Make note of this key as it cannot be re-obtained, only reset, and will need to be entered into SOLO Server.

Perform Initial Configuration in SOLO Server

Once basic configuration in AvaTax is completed, the next task is to perform some basic configuration of your SOLO Server account to allow SOLO Server to communicate with AvaTax.

Log in to your SOLO Server account.
From the menu, choose Store / Cart Options, and then click the Edit button.
Change the Tax Calculation Method to Avalara.
Next, from the menu, choose Store / Avalara Settings (Sales Tax), and then click the Edit button.
Enter the Account ID, License Key, Company Code, and Location Code that were noted when configuring AvaTax, as well as an address to fall back to as the tax origin address should AvaTax tax calculation for some reason fail. Save the changes.
Test connectivity with AvaTax by clicking the Test Connection button and verifying that you receive the message "Connectivity check with AvaTax was successful".
Set up fallback tax rules. When tax calculation through AvaTax fails, SOLO Server will fall back to using the standard tax rule implementation. For more information on configuring tax rules, see the Collecting Sales Tax topic.

Map SOLO Server Product Options to AvaTax

Once basic configuration of both the AvaTax and SOLO Server accounts is complete, the next task is to set up mappings within AvaTax for your product options. SOLO Server sends up the Product Option ID to AvaTax, where it is mapped to an Item Code stored in AvaTax which also identifies details on how the item should be taxed.

In SOLO Server, open the product listing from the menu through Configure / Products.
In AvaTax, from the Settings menu, choose What you sell.
For each product option in SOLO Server which will be sold through the shopping cart, add a corresponding item in AvaTax, setting the Item Code to the SOLO Server Product Option ID, the Description to the product and option name, and choosing an appropriate Avalara Tax Code. If you are unsure what to enter for the tax code, you can simply type a letter into the field and scroll to the bottom of the search results to and click the Browse the directory link to view a directory of tax codes.

Avalara Configuration Options

The Avalara configuration options page allows you to edit the settings related to using for tax calculation on the shopping cart.

Account ID: The Account ID of the Avalara AvaTax account used to access the AvaTax API. This can be found in the AvaTax administrative interface by clicking Account in the upper right and viewing the Account ID.
License Key: The license key used for accessing the AvaTax API. To generate a license key in the AvaTax administrative interface, choose the Settings / License and API Keys menu option.
Company Code: The company code used when accessing the AvaTax API. To view and configure company in the AvaTax administrative interface, choose the Settings / Manage Companies menu option. Tax will be attributed to the company whose code is entered here.
Location Code: The location code used when accessing the AvaTax API. To view and configure location in the AvaTax administrative interface, choose the Settings / Company locations and marketplaces menu option. Tax will be calculated using the address of the location code entered here as the origin address.
Address: The street address to use for origin address when tax calculation falls back to using tax rules when AvaTax calculation fails.
City: The city to use for origin address when tax calculation falls back to using tax rules when AvaTax calculation fails.
State: The state to use for the origin address when tax calculation falls back to using tax rules when AvaTax calculation fails.
Postal code: The postal code to use for the origin address when tax calculation falls back to using tax rules when AvaTax calculation fails.