Lodging & sales tax
Avalara
Avalara sells cloud tax compliance software. Its products calculate sales and use tax, occupancy tax on short-term rentals, communications tax, VAT and GST, customs duties, and real and personal property tax, and they prepare and file the corresponding returns.
The platform is built to sit behind an existing system. AvaTax calculates tax at the point of transaction through connectors to ERPs, ecommerce platforms, point-of-sale systems, and other business software, and Avalara Returns takes over preparation, filing, and remittance. Surrounding products handle exemption certificate management, sales tax registration, business licensing, e-invoicing and live reporting, item and tariff classification, and 1099 and W-9 e-filing.
Avalara is a Certified Service Provider under the Streamlined Sales Tax Program, under which 25 states cover the cost of using it for qualified sellers. Free tools sit alongside the paid products, including an address-based sales tax calculator, a lodging tax rate lookup, monthly rate tables, state nexus threshold guides, and an economic nexus self-assessment.
Published pricing starts at $69 a month for Avalara Select sales tax and returns plans; other products are quoted. Confirm which jurisdictions, tax types, and integrations a given plan covers before signing.
Best for
Businesses that calculate and file sales, use, or lodging tax across many jurisdictions and want it automated inside an existing ERP, ecommerce, or booking system. An operator filing in a single jurisdiction will not need most of the platform.
What they do
- Sales and use tax calculation (AvaTax)
- Sales and use tax return preparation, filing, and remittance
- Occupancy tax automation for short-term rental properties
- Exemption certificate management
- Sales tax registration across the U.S.
- Business license research, registration, and filing
- Real and personal property tax compliance
- E-invoicing and live reporting
- Cross-border customs, VAT, and GST management
- 1099 and W-9 e-filing
Details
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| How they charge | Avalara Select sales tax and returns plans start at $69 per month; other products are quoted. |
What stands out
- A Certified Service Provider under the Streamlined Sales Tax Program: 25 states cover the cost of using Avalara for qualified sellers.
- Avalara Select sales tax and returns plans are published from $69 per month.
- Connects to ERP, ecommerce, point-of-sale, and accounting systems through a published integration catalog and public APIs.