When Vertex released its Q2 2025 earnings report, it wasn’t the adjusted EPS or revenue growth that caught attention. It was the pattern: two consecutive quarters of net customer loss.
That kind of churn doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It signals frustration. Long implementation timelines. Bloated maintenance costs. Outdated architecture. And for teams in telecom, ECM, and high-volume tax environments, it points to a tax engine that's simply not keeping up.
Vertex has been around for decades, but that legacy comes at a cost:
Searches like "Vertex O Series too complex" or "Vertex exemption issues" are becoming more common. And when product updates are slow and support cycles feel ticket-based and reactive, teams start asking: "What else is out there?"
CereTax is purpose-built for today’s enterprise complexity. It’s cloud-native from day one, with modern APIs, real-time configuration, and support that actually supports you.
Here’s why former Vertex customers are switching:
We’re not here to bash Vertex. It served its purpose for a time. But today, enterprise tax teams need more than a legacy tool retrofitted for the cloud. They need speed, agility, and lower total cost of ownership.
CereTax delivers on all three.
If you’re feeling stuck, you’re not alone. The window is open. Let’s talk about how easy it is to move forward.
[Talk to a Tax Automation Specialist]
Is CereTax a good replacement for Vertex? Yes. CereTax offers faster deployment, lower maintenance, better exemption handling, and stronger telecom tax capabilities than Vertex.
What are alternatives to Vertex tax software? CereTax is the top Vertex alternative for mid-market and enterprise companies seeking cloud-native agility and real-time tax configuration.
Why are companies leaving Vertex? Slower implementation, higher total cost of ownership, and lack of modern agility are the top reasons tax teams are switching from Vertex to CereTax.
When most businesses think of sales tax, they think of a single rate, a few exemptions, and a filing deadline. Telecom is a whole different beast.
If you provide any communications services—mobile, VoIP, IoT, managed services—you’re dealing with a mix of federal, state, local, and special district taxes layered on top of each other. Sales tax is just one piece of the puzzle, but it’s the one most likely to land you in trouble if it’s calculated wrong or applied inconsistently.
From FCC surcharges to county-level sales taxes, from streaming services to hardware bundles, the complexity isn’t just in what you sell—it’s in how it’s sold, packaged, and tracked. And that complexity is growing, fast.
Telecom providers face challenges that most other industries never have to think about:
A typical mobile package might include voice, data, messaging, hardware, and software licenses—each taxed differently. Sales tax applies differently depending on the component, the jurisdiction, and sometimes the customer’s location down to rooftop level.
A bundle that’s 20% voice today might be 5% voice in a year. If you can’t adjust your sales tax allocation quickly—and keep a record of why you did it—you’re inviting audit pain.
Two customers in the same ZIP code could be in different tax jurisdictions. That means sales tax accuracy depends on pinpoint geolocation, not just postal codes.
Whether you’re running millions of line items in a monthly bill run or processing microtransactions for IoT devices, you need speed. A slow sales tax engine can delay invoicing and cash flow.
MVNOs, MSPs, IoT providers—they all operate under “telecom,” but their sales tax rules, exemptions, and filing obligations can be wildly different.
Here’s the harsh truth: in telecom, sales tax audits are inevitable. The question is whether they’ll cost you a few hours or a few hundred thousand dollars.
Legacy systems can calculate tax, but they often can’t show how or why a decision was made months or years ago. That lack of historical traceability turns audits into slow, expensive firefights—digging through old records, filing ticket requests, and hoping someone remembers why a bundle was configured a certain way.
If you can’t produce the who, what, when, where, and why for every sales tax decision, you’re negotiating from a position of weakness.
Sales tax compliance in telecom isn’t about memorizing rates—it’s about building an infrastructure that can handle complexity, volume, and change. Start here:
Make sure you can split every package into its taxable and non-taxable parts, and apply the correct sales tax rates automatically. Bonus points if you can do it without waiting on an IT change request or a third-party consultant.
Your system should log every adjustment to product definitions, bundle splits, or tax mappings—who made the change, when, why, and what the impact was. That’s your audit shield.
If you’re an MVNO, MSP, or IoT provider, your sales tax obligations will look different from a traditional carrier’s. Use a platform that understands those sector-specific rules from day one.
High-volume bill runs shouldn’t take a day and a half. If your tax engine can’t process millions of transactions in minutes, you’re driving a horse-and-buggy in a Lamborghini world.
Telecom is evolving fast. Your sales tax platform needs the flexibility to add products, change pricing models, and adjust sourcing rules without breaking your compliance posture.
Telecom businesses don’t just need tax automation—they need sales tax automation built for telecom. CereTax delivers that with:
Break and rebuild bundles—no IT backlog, no expensive implementation team.
From hardware leases to SaaS to pre-paid voice cards, we handle every component in your offering.
Every sales tax decision is logged in detail—who made it, when, why, and what changed—so you can defend it instantly.
MVNO, MSP, IoT—we’ve onboarded them all. We know your filing obligations and exemption needs before you hit “go live.”
We process in minutes what legacy platforms take hours (or days) to run. For high-volume telecom, that’s the difference between meeting deadlines and missing revenue targets.
Telecom sales tax isn’t getting simpler. New services, new bundles, and new entrants to the market are making the compliance map more complex every quarter.
The providers who win will be the ones who treat sales tax as an infrastructure challenge, not just an accounting task—building in flexibility, audit defense, and scale from the start.
Ready to make telecom sales tax manageable? Talk to a CereTax telecom sales tax expert today—or grab our free Sales Tax Automation Checklist to see where your current system falls short.
Sales tax isn’t just about rates and returns. It’s a fast-changing compliance risk that quietly drains resources, introduces avoidable exposure, and steals time from already stretched finance teams. One wrong exemption, one misapplied rate, or one missed jurisdiction—and suddenly your team is cleaning up chaos instead of focusing on strategy.
The complexity isn’t slowing down. States are updating taxability rules faster than ever. Your product catalog is evolving. Your business model is expanding across channels, geographies, and systems. And the spreadsheet-and-support-ticket approach? It doesn’t scale.
Modern tax automation software can solve this. But only if it’s built for the way your business actually operates—not bolted on to paper over the gaps.
The right solution won’t just calculate tax correctly. It will streamline operations, reduce audit exposure, enable faster billing, and give your team confidence—not just compliance. But with every platform claiming to “automate tax,” how do you know which one can truly keep up with your complexity?
This guidebook is your go-to checklist for:
Whether you’re a CFO, controller, or systems architect, this resource is built to help you simplify complexity—and scale tax with clarity.
Start here if you’re not sure whether you need new software.
You’ve likely outgrown your platform if…
Red Flag: If even two of these apply, your tax tech isn’t just inefficient—it’s a risk multiplier. And it's slowing your team down right when you need to move faster.
Use this checklist to evaluate any sales tax solution—whether you're auditing your current provider or vetting a new one.
Your system should support sub-second tax decisions—at scale.
✓ Millisecond response time
✓ Handles multi-jurisdiction logic dynamically
✓ No latency even under high-volume loads
✓ Accurate taxability by line item, not just invoice total
Your business isn’t static—your tax logic shouldn’t be either.
✓ Configurable by product, service, location, or channel
✓ Built to manage edge cases: bundles, subscriptions, drop-ship, SaaS, etc.
✓ Adapts as your revenue model evolves
✓ Includes sourcing rules, thresholds, and exemptions
Tip: Avoid systems that force you into rigid, pre-coded tax logic.
ZIP codes won’t cut it. Rooftop accuracy is the new standard.
✓ Geospatial rooftop-level location mapping
✓ Correct tax jurisdiction selection every time
✓ Automatically adjusts for sourcing and taxability rules by state
Manual cert tracking is a liability waiting to happen.
✓ Real-time certificate capture at checkout or onboarding
✓ Built-in validation for formatting, expiration, and jurisdiction
✓ Centralized storage and version control
✓ Flags expired/missing certs before invoices go out
If it’s not traceable, it’s not defensible.
✓ Line-level audit trail for every transaction
✓ Built-in nexus, exposure, and liability dashboards
✓ Easily exportable data for reporting or filings
✓ Drill-downs available by state, customer, or SKU
Tax should live inside your workflow, not outside of it.
✓ Native or API integrations with ERP, billing, eComm, CRM
✓ Pre-built connectors for Dynamics, NetSuite, Shopify, Salesforce, etc.
✓ Scales without rework as your systems evolve
✓ No-code or low-code integration options for faster deployment
What works at $10M ARR may break at $100M.
✓ Single platform for sales tax + use tax
✓ Supports multi-entity, multi-channel, and multi-currency setups
✓ Handles new product lines, regions, or business models without custom builds
✓ Continuous regulatory updates—no manual patching required
Sales tax is too complex to navigate alone.
✓ Dedicated account manager who knows your industry
✓ Responsive team (not bots) with deep tax knowledge
✓ Proactive check-ins during critical times (filings, audits, expansions)
✓ U.S.-based support with fast SLAs
Ask Yourself: If you had a tax emergency tomorrow, would your current provider show up?
Let’s be real: you don’t just want software that works—you want software that works better than what you have now. Here’s what that looks like.
Before CereTax:
After CereTax:
Result: Zero errors, faster billing, and a tax stack that scales with your business.
Sales tax automation isn’t just about simplifying compliance—it’s about eliminating waste, reducing audit risk, and freeing up your team to focus on the work that moves your business forward.
If your current setup is dragging your team into manual work, guesswork, or endless support tickets, it’s time for a smarter solution. CereTax is built for complexity, speed, and scale—whether you're navigating nexus in 30 states, selling across channels, or managing hundreds of exemption certificates.
Here’s how to get started:
Download the printable version of this checklist and share it with your finance, tax, or systems team. Use it to audit your current tools—or as a guide when comparing solutions.
👉 Book Your 30-minute Tax Stack Review
Sales tax mistakes aren’t always underpayments. In fact, if you’re a manufacturer, the more likely risk is that you’re paying too much.
That’s right. For all the talk about compliance gaps, audit exposure, and uncollected tax, there’s another side to the story: manufacturers routinely overpay sales tax they don’t actually owe.
It’s not because they’re careless. It’s because the system is stacked with complexity—fragmented rules, outdated exemption certificates, and platforms that don’t know the difference between a resale and a repair part.
Let’s change that.
In this guide, we’ll unpack:
If you're in finance, tax, or operations at a manufacturing business, this isn’t just about tax. It's about reclaiming margin, strengthening compliance, and freeing up time to focus on the business—not on fixing avoidable errors.
Most sales tax stories start with fear: audits, penalties, nexus, exposure. All real. All worth addressing.Manufacturers often overpay sales tax not because of noncompliance, but because complex rules and default tax logic cause exempt transactions to be taxed unnecessarily.
Most sales tax stories start with fear: audits, penalties, nexus, exposure. All real. All worth addressing.
But here’s the quieter—and more common—problem: over-collection and overpayment.
That can look like:
Unlike underpayment, overpayment doesn’t come with angry letters or interest charges. It just drains cash… quietly. Month after month. State by state.
And once that money is out the door? It’s hard to get back. Most refund claims are time-consuming, documentation-heavy, and met with resistance. Better to get it right up front.
Manufacturing sales tax exemptions exist for a reason: you’re creating value, not just consuming it. States recognize that. But taking advantage of those exemptions in practice? That’s where things break down.Manufacturers face more exemptions, more transaction complexity, and more jurisdictional variation than most businesses, making sales tax overpayment far more likely.
Manufacturing sales tax exemptions exist for a reason: you’re creating value, not just consuming it. States recognize that. But taking advantage of those exemptions in practice? That’s where things break down.
Here’s why manufacturers are especially exposed:
Manufacturers often operate across state lines—HQ in one place, distribution elsewhere, contractors in between. Each state has its own exemption rules, filing thresholds, and logic about what counts as “manufacturing.”
What’s tax-exempt in Illinois might be fully taxable in California. Use the wrong logic, and you’re either overpaying or under-collecting.
Many manufacturers buy parts, raw materials, or equipment that qualifies for exemptions under manufacturing rules or resale certificates. But those exemptions require documentation. If your system doesn’t flag them—or your vendors don’t handle certs correctly—you end up paying tax on every PO.
Bundled transactions like repair services, custom fabrication, or machinery installation often get taxed incorrectly. If your tax engine treats the entire invoice as taxable (instead of separating components), you’re probably paying too much.
Manufacturers often self-assess use tax on items that didn’t include sales tax at the point of purchase. That’s smart… until it’s over-applied. Misclassify something as taxable, and you’re voluntarily paying the state more than you owe.
Want to know if you're overpaying? Start here. These are the most commonly missed or misapplied exemptions for manufacturing businesses:
If you’re purchasing inputs that go directly into the final product, most states consider those exempt. But if your purchase descriptions are vague (or your vendor miscodes them), tax may still be applied.
Ask: Are we being charged tax on inputs that are ultimately resold?
Machinery used directly in production is exempt in many jurisdictions. But this often hinges on nuanced definitions: “direct use,” “integral to production,” etc. Miss that nuance, and your AP team might pay tax on every capital equipment purchase.
Ask: Are we validating exemption eligibility before paying equipment invoices?
In some states, electricity or natural gas used directly in manufacturing is partially or fully exempt. But most utility vendors charge tax by default—and won’t stop unless you proactively file exemption certificates.
Ask: Are we reviewing utility bills for tax on exempt energy usage?
If your packaging becomes part of the product (like shrink wrap or branded boxes), it may qualify for resale exemptions. But that’s only if you’re tracking the distinction—and your vendors are coding invoices correctly.
Ask: Are we separating exempt packaging from taxable supplies?
When selling products with installation services, many manufacturers miss the opportunity to exempt the labor portion—especially in states that tax goods but not services.
Ask: Is our system separating labor from product when calculating tax?
You might have the right logic on paper—but if your systems aren’t enforcing it consistently, it doesn’t matter.
Here’s how most manufacturers lose money without realizing it:
Exemptions get tracked in Excel. Certificates sit in shared folders. Someone forgets to flag a vendor as exempt. A new buyer miscodes a PO. It’s not malicious—it’s manual. And over time, it adds up.
Many ERP or tax systems use static rules. If a transaction falls outside of that logic—like an install bundled with a product, or a drop-ship to a tax-free jurisdiction—it gets taxed by default. The system assumes taxability. Unless someone overrides it (and most don’t).
Some businesses treat certs like a box to check. But outdated, expired, or misfiled certificates are one of the top causes of unnecessary tax payments. If your system can’t flag these issues before invoices go out or payments go through, you're bleeding cash.
Sales tax overpayment is fixable—but only if you know where to look. Here’s how high-performing finance teams start:
No need to wait for the state to call. Proactively review a sample of past invoices across vendors, states, and categories. Look for tax charged where exemptions should’ve applied. You might be shocked by how much you’re leaving on the table.
Go state-by-state and confirm that your rules reflect the current manufacturing exemptions. (And yes, they change—often quietly.) Prioritize states with the highest spend or activity.
Audit how you’re self-assessing use tax. Are you overreporting? Are categories too broad? Are taxability decisions being made by someone without clear guidance?
Dig into your exemption certificate database. Are certs up to date? Are they correctly matched to customers or vendors? If you can’t answer that in seconds, there’s work to do.
Short answer: Manufacturers may be eligible for refunds on overpaid sales or use tax, but recovery is time-limited, documentation-heavy, and often difficult to execute.
Once tax has been paid, getting it back isn’t automatic. Refund eligibility depends on:
Most states impose strict lookback windows—often three to four years—and require transaction-level documentation. As a result, many manufacturers recover only a portion of what they’re owed, or don’t pursue refunds at all.
That’s why recovery alone isn’t enough. Without fixing the root causes, the same overpayments will continue.
You don’t need a bigger tax team. You need smarter infrastructure.
Modern tax automation—like CereTax—gives manufacturers real control over tax logic, exemption handling, and compliance across every jurisdiction. Here’s what that unlocks:
Handle multi-state exemption logic with precision. Configure taxability based on product, service, geography, and context—without relying on overrides or after-the-fact edits.
Store, track, and apply exemption certificates automatically. Flag expired or missing documents before the invoice is sent or the PO is processed.
No more bouncing between systems. With ERP-connected workflows, tax gets calculated and validated where your team already works—accurately and instantly.
No black boxes. Every decision is traceable, every exemption is documented, and leadership gets a clear picture of tax exposure (or overpayment) in real time.
Manufacturing margins are tight enough. Don’t let outdated systems and manual processes eat into them.
Sales tax compliance shouldn’t just be about avoiding audits—it should be about operating smarter. That means paying exactly what you owe. No more. No less.
With the right visibility, rules, and automation in place, manufacturers can finally flip the tax conversation—from a back-office burden to a source of strategic control.
Ready to see where you stand?
CereTax helps manufacturers pinpoint overpayments, uncover missed exemptions, and fix the cracks in their tax stack—before it costs them another quarter.
CereTax. Built for the manufacturers who aren’t standing still.
Avalara just filed to go public—again. And if you’ve been a customer long enough, you already know what that usually means: rising costs, slower support, and more complexity for you to manage.
On July 21, 2025, Avalara confidentially submitted its IPO paperwork. It’s the company’s second IPO attempt since being taken private by Vista Equity in 2022 and for current users, it may be the start of another round of disruptions.
While this is a strategic move for Avalara, it signals big (and potentially costly) changes for their customers.
When a SaaS company prepares for an IPO, revenue growth becomes the name of the game. That pressure typically leads to:
We’ve seen this pattern play out across the industry. And Avalara has a history of sudden pricing shifts during major corporate transitions.
If you’re already feeling squeezed, the IPO could be the tipping point.
Going public doesn’t just affect pricing, it impacts priorities. As Avalara shifts focus to investor relations, compliance, and reporting, customer support often becomes deprioritized.
During previous transitions, users reported:
The result? More internal stress and less trust in your tax platform.
IPO processes often bring reorgs, platform changes, and shifting leadership. That kind of turbulence can slow product updates, reduce system reliability, and complicate integrations.
If you’ve already experienced inconsistent performance, those issues could grow. And you may find yourself stuck between enterprise bureaucracy and sales-driven upsells.
In short: more work for you, less value from your provider.
At CereTax, we’re not chasing Wall Street. We're laser-focused on helping our customers automate sales tax with less overhead, less stress, and no surprises.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
And right now, we’re offering 30% off to Avalara customers who make the switch.
Avalara’s IPO isn’t just a corporate milestone, it’s a signal. Prices are likely to rise. Support will slow (even more!). And if past behavior is any indicator, customers could bear the brunt of the transition.
If you’ve been thinking about switching, now is the moment.
We’ll help you move quickly, painlessly, and without downtime.
Talk to us today to claim your 30% off.
For CFOs and finance leaders, the risk is bigger than fines or failed audits. Outdated sales tax processes drain time, obscure data, and expose the business to compliance landmines. Just ask Ideal Living, a fast-growing brand that was buried in tax errors until they automated the right way. Together we’ll unpack where those risks come from, what they’re costing your team, and how modern tax automation can flip the script.
Sales tax risk is a silent disruptor. For finance leaders, it’s about time lost, strategic momentum drained, and avoidable exposure creeping in. But it doesn’t have to be. In this guide, you’ll see how to transform tax chaos into clarity. We’ll show you:
> The hidden compliance risks most finance teams miss
> The real cost of outdated tax systems
> What modern automation unlocks (with a real-world case study)
> A CFO Risk Readiness Framework to future-proof your compliance
Sales tax doesn’t sit still. New products launch. Pricing models evolve. You enter new states, channels, or partnerships. Meanwhile, the rules change: quietly, often, and without warning. Treat sales tax like a one-time setup, and cracks start forming. Exemptions misfire. Nexus thresholds sneak past. Your logic drifts from reality. And when the numbers don’t line up at filing time, it’s already too late. Most systems won’t catch the drift. They assume tax is static. But your business isn’t. That’s why high-performing teams treat tax like a living function: monitored, tested, and built to adapt. Not a checkbox buried in a workflow.
The traps aren’t always obvious. That’s what makes them dangerous. Most sales tax mistakes happen not because someone dropped the ball, but because the system in place didn’t catch it, or wasn’t built to. Growing companies enter new markets, launch new products, or tweak pricing strategies and assume the tax logic will follow. But it doesn’t. Errors hide in the gray areas: misapplied exemptions, misunderstood product bundles, jurisdictions that weren’t mapped correctly. And when auditors come in, they don’t care how it happened. They care that it did.
When your business enters new markets—new states, new countries, new channels—your tax obligations change. But legacy systems don’t keep up. That lag creates gaps auditors love to find.
Sell a product that combines taxable and non-taxable components? If your system can’t handle split logic, you’re likely taxing wrong—and every incorrect invoice is a potential penalty.
Spreadsheets, workarounds, and disconnected systems might feel like a fix. They’re not. They open the door to human error, version control issues, and inconsistent tax logic across departments.
Use tax is one of the most misunderstood—and misapplied—areas of compliance. Underreporting it creates liabilities. Overpaying it eats into margins. Either way, it’s money lost and time wasted.
Not everything is black-and-white in tax. Complexity lives in the margins, and this is where legacy systems stumble most.
Bundled offerings often include a mix of taxable and non-taxable items. If your system applies a one-size-fits-all rule, you're either over-collecting (risking customer churn) or under-collecting (risking audit penalties).
You’re selling through marketplaces, direct-to-consumer, brick-and-mortar, and partners. Each channel may trigger different nexus or sourcing rules. If your tech isn’t built to handle this, you’re exposed.
Use tax often requires the buyer, not the seller, to calculate and remit tax. Most teams get this wrong. The result? Missed liabilities or wasted spend.
> Is shipping taxable in every state?
> What if a subscription includes both physical and digital goods?
> Who's responsible when a vendor misses tax on a drop-ship?
These aren’t hypotheticals. They’re recurring blind spots that only intelligent, adaptable systems are designed to catch.
When your systems fall short, the burden rolls downhill. Finance teams spend hours chasing inconsistencies, manually correcting invoices, and preparing for audits that shouldn’t be surprising. Instead of focusing on forecasting or strategy, they’re stuck cleaning up. And the cost of all that friction? Time, talent, and trust: all things no business can afford to waste.
Manual reconciliations that drag into the night. Invoices flagged for review…again. Hours lost piecing together fragmented tax data across platforms. A team that spends more time fixing errors than forecasting. For fast-moving finance teams, this is corrosive. Month-end becomes a war room. Strategic hires end up doing spreadsheet triage. And meanwhile, your compliance clock is ticking. Miss a filing deadline, and the penalties start stacking. Get flagged in an audit, and its reputation on the line. Every minute spent firefighting sales tax is a minute stolen from planning, growth, and execution.
One wrong jurisdiction code can blow up your whole quarter. Back taxes, penalties, and compounding interest pile on fast. And once you're on an auditor’s radar, it doesn’t stop at one mistake: they go back years, digging through every return like it’s a forensic investigation. Finance scrambles to defend filings. Legal gets pulled into damage control. Leadership demands answers. Meanwhile, your competitors are still focused on growth, and you’re explaining tax logic to a state agency. Most systems weren’t built for this level of nuance. They miss exemptions, ignore edge cases, and lag on updates. The cost of being reactive isn’t just financial; it’s strategic momentum lost.
Visibility is about more than dashboards, it’s about confidence. When your CEO needs a tax exposure breakdown before a board meeting, can your team deliver with precision and speed? Or are they combing through mismatched data across disconnected systems, hoping nothing got missed? That gap isn’t a minor inconvenience. It’s a credibility hit. And in moments like M&A, funding rounds, or IPO prep, shaky answers cost more than time, they cast doubt. Real-time visibility into tax data means faster decisions, stronger forecasts, and the confidence to move when opportunity strikes. Without it, finance becomes reactive. And reactive finance misses the window.
Legacy tax systems weren’t built for the speed, scale, or complexity of today’s business. They patch together rules, lag behind regulatory shifts, and force your team to fill in the gaps using spreadsheets, manual overrides, and late-night cleanup.
When logic breaks, visibility disappears. When support vanishes, your team becomes the front line. And when audit season hits, you’re the one scrambling to explain black-box decisions to leadership. These tools don’t just slow you down. They create risk. And the faster your business moves, the more dangerous that gap becomes.
Legacy tax platforms weren’t built for complexity. They force fast-growing companies into rigid workflows, assuming a one-size-fits-all model that doesn’t match reality. Have custom bundles, variable pricing, or overlapping tax rules across states? Too bad. Your team ends up writing manual rules, applying workarounds, or worse: ignoring edge cases entirely. That’s not just inefficient. It’s risky. Because the moment the tax logic breaks, you’re exposed… and fixing it means more manual patching.
When things go wrong, who picks up the phone? Legacy vendors are notorious for slow, ticket-based support. You submit a request, wait days, and hope someone understands your business. Meanwhile, you’re closing the books, prepping a filing, or responding to an audit notice. There’s no time for silence. Responsive, expert support isn’t a nice-to-have: it’s essential infrastructure. Without it, your finance team becomes the front line of a broken system.
Tax compliance lives and dies on data. But most legacy systems operate in silos; no shared logic between systems, no real-time visibility, and limited access to the insights that matter. You can’t reconcile what you can’t see. And when tax data is buried in black-box platforms, it’s nearly impossible to provide leadership with fast, confident answers. That lack of visibility isn’t just a reporting issue, it’s a strategic blind spot. One that grows more dangerous as your business scales.
Ideal Living was growing fast, but their tax process couldn’t keep up. As the wellness brand behind AirDoctor, AquaTru, and Aromatru expanded its B2B footprint, the Accounts Receivable (AR) team was stuck manually calculating tax for every new customer. That meant looking up rates, keying them into the system, and double-checking every entry for accuracy. It was slow. It was risky. And for 10 to 20 percent of new B2B accounts, it required monthly corrections. The team was spending more time fixing invoices than scaling the business. With plans to quadruple in size by the end of the year, that approach was unsustainable.
Ideal Living turned to CereTax, implementing an intelligent tax automation platform alongside Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. In just two weeks, SKUs and customer data were loaded. Sales tax rules for food, supplements, and custom shipping methods were configured. The integration was certified, real-time, and seamless. No customizations were required.
“Of all the integrations we set up with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, CereTax was by far the most straightforward and streamlined,” said Lina Pinskaya, Controller.
From implementation to go-live, the CereTax team led training, converted mappings, and held weekly check-ins to keep the process moving. There was no guesswork, no dropped balls, just expert support and fast answers.
Once live, Ideal Living saw immediate results. Invoices no longer needed last-minute fixes. AR was no longer chasing down tax issues. The team spent less time troubleshooting and more time executing.
“We’ve seen a dramatic reduction in time spent on manual processes,” said Nini Le, Accounting Consultant. “The new system has truly streamlined our operations.”
Today, both sales and finance manage tax directly in Business Central using native workflows. They have full visibility into rules, mappings, and audit trails. If a required field is missing, the invoice gets flagged before it posts. There are no more mystery errors and no more scrambling.
With CereTax in place, Ideal Living is positioned to grow with confidence. Tax is no longer a fire drill. It is a function that runs smoothly and reliably. Behind the automation is a support team that is responsive, knowledgeable, and always available.
“Having a knowledgeable support team made all the difference,” said Pinskaya. “They were responsive to our specific questions and helped us feel supported throughout the transition and after.”
The result? Fewer errors. Faster billing. Teams that are refocused on strategic work. And a tax stack that is ready to scale with the business.
Ideal Living’s story is proof that modern tax automation isn’t just about compliance. It’s about clarity, speed, and control at scale. But transformation doesn’t start with software. It starts with asking the right questions.
These aren’t just tactical questions; they’re strategic filters. They help you spot the cracks in your current setup, ask sharper questions of your vendors, and align your team around what it actually takes to manage tax risk at scale. Use it to guide internal audits, vet new solutions, and future-proof your tech stack for what’s next.
Sales tax doesn’t care how fast you’re growing. It doesn’t care how many systems you’ve connected, how sophisticated your revenue model is, or how lean your finance team runs. It will find your weak spots…if you let it.
The truth is, most finance leaders aren’t ignoring the risk. They’re just too deep in reactive work to address it strategically. Manual reviews, surprise audits, patchwork integrations, these are symptoms of a system that’s trying to scale on a shaky foundation. And the cost is both operational and strategic. Because the time your team spends fixing tax problems is time they’re not spending driving value, advising the business, or enabling growth.
What separates high-performing teams isn’t perfection, it’s control. Clarity. The ability to see what’s coming, catch issues early, and respond with confidence. That takes more than good intentions. It takes infrastructure. Systems that are built for your complexity. Support that’s proactive and human. A tax engine that’s accurate, explainable, and always up to date.
If your current setup doesn’t give you that, it’s time to move.
CereTax was built for the companies that aren’t standing still. For the finance teams who need more than duct tape and after-the-fact fixes. With our intelligent rules engine, real-time taxability decisions, and transparent reporting, we eliminate the guesswork, the grunt work, and the hidden risks. So you can focus on what actually moves the business forward.
CereTax is built for modern complexity. With a powerful rules engine, real-time decisions, and transparent reporting, we eliminate the guesswork, grunt work, and gray areas.
We’re not just a platform. We’re a partner. One that’s fast to implement, easy to integrate, and built to scale.
Ready to see where your current setup stacks up?
Grab the CFO Risk Readiness Framework to pinpoint gaps—or talk to a tax expert who can walk you through it.
As businesses grow, so does tax complexity. New markets. New channels. More jurisdictions. Faster reporting cycles. If you’re relying on your ERP’s native indirect tax tools to keep up, you’re taking a risk.
ERP systems are powerful for core operations. But indirect tax is a different beast. It demands specialized capabilities that most ERP platforms simply can’t deliver. Here’s where they fall short, and why scalable tax compliance requires a purpose-built tax automation platform.
ERP tax compliance tools were designed to handle basic, static tax scenarios: simple sales tax calculations on standard transactions within a limited geographic footprint. They were never intended to manage the dynamic, multi-jurisdictional tax environments modern businesses face today.
As tax complexity grows, ERP-native tools fall behind. Thousands of evolving tax rules, rates, and exemptions overwhelm manual configuration processes. The tools lack the depth and flexibility needed to address complex scenarios like bundled products, usage-based taxability, cross-border sales, and industry-specific exemptions.
Manual rule maintenance becomes unmanageable. Edge cases and exceptions multiply. And as your footprint expands, keeping rates, rules, and tax treatments accurate and current becomes a constant challenge that introduces risk and inefficiency.
CereTax simplifies multi-jurisdiction complexity. Our intelligent rules engine is purpose-built to manage tax at scale. It allows tax teams to model complex taxability scenarios across jurisdictions with ease, eliminating manual processes and reducing risk.
ERP tax modules were designed for basic sales tax—calculations tied to the general ledger or invoicing, not the complexities of modern indirect tax. They lack the power of a true tax engine—one that dynamically applies evolving rules, manages exemptions, and delivers clear, auditable decisions.
Without this capability, tax teams are left in the dark. When tax decisions can’t be explained or traced, audits become high-risk and time-consuming. And as tax laws change, ERP modules can’t keep up without costly development or risky workarounds.
A true tax engine does more than calculate. It manages layered logic, adapts in real time, tracks every rule change, and delivers full transparency from calculation to audit.
CereTax provides a purpose-built tax engine with full transparency. Our platform delivers clear logic, detailed audit trails, a full history of rule changes, and rooftop-accurate jurisdiction mapping, so you can answer any question with confidence and stay audit-ready.
Many businesses try to extend their ERP’s tax capabilities with bolt-on modules or manual workarounds. These bolt-ons: third-party add-ons or custom-developed extensions—are designed to fill functional gaps in ERP-native tax tools. But they introduce complexity, risk, and hidden costs.
Patchwork add-ons typically lack deep integration with the ERP’s core data and processes, leading to inconsistent tax treatment across systems. Custom integrations require constant maintenance to keep pace with ERP upgrades and changing tax rules. Workarounds, like offline spreadsheets or manual adjustments, drain tax team bandwidth and introduce opportunities for error.
What’s more, add-ons rarely deliver the transparency, flexibility, or scalability required to maintain ERP tax compliance as the business grows. They can’t match the capabilities of a purpose-built tax automation platform, and relying on them compounds risk over time.
CereTax reduces cost and complexity. Our API-first platform integrates seamlessly with your ERP and other systems, eliminating the need for patchwork solutions and freeing your team to focus on higher-value work.
As businesses expand into new markets or add new product lines, ERP sales and use tax capabilities often become a bottleneck. These tools were never designed to handle the level of complexity and scale modern tax environments demand. ERP tax modules rely on rigid configurations that must be manually updated for each new jurisdiction or product variation. This makes them difficult to adapt quickly when entering new markets or launching new offerings.
The growing complexity of tax requirements across regions and product lines pushes ERP-native tools beyond their limits. To compensate, tax teams resort to time-consuming manual processes and constant system updates. These inefficiencies slow down expansion initiatives and heighten the risk of configuration errors and compliance gaps.
The result? Delayed launches as tax processes can’t keep pace, compliance gaps from inconsistent tax treatments, and elevated audit risk due to lack of transparency and control. These impacts don’t just affect tax, they can slow revenue recognition, erode customer trust, and stall strategic growth.
CereTax scales with your business. Our tax automation platform is built for growth. Whether you’re adding new markets, channels, or business models, CereTax gives you the flexibility and control to automate tax processes and scale without missing a beat.
ERP systems were never built to manage the demands of modern sales and use tax compliance. They handle core operations well, but indirect tax is a different challenge entirely. The growing complexity of tax rules, the need for real-time transparency, and the pressure to scale quickly all expose the limits of ERP-native tax tools.
Relying on these tools means accepting bottlenecks, manual workarounds, and audit risk… none of which belong in a modern growth strategy.
Ready to take tax compliance beyond the limits of your ERP? Let’s do this.
If you’re running a growing, complex business, you’ve likely run headfirst into a frustrating reality: the sales tax software you’re using can’t keep pace with your needs.
Legacy sales tax systems were designed for a simpler time. That was before ecommerce exploded, before omnichannel sales became standard, and before businesses sold across jurisdictions with constantly shifting rules. They were not built to handle complex product bundles, usage-based taxability, or the demand for real-time reporting and audit transparency. As a result, they force businesses into constant workarounds and manual interventions just to stay compliant.
Today, they’re forcing teams to rely on manual processes, patching together outdated integrations, and chasing down opaque tax data. All of this slows operations, increases audit exposure, and drains valuable resources.
Here’s where legacy tax systems fall short. Here is how a modern tax automation platform clears the path.
Rigid architecture that can’t adapt
Legacy tax engines are brittle by design. They rely on rigid, hard-coded logic that makes it nearly impossible to keep pace with today’s evolving business models.
Introducing new product lines. Launching subscription-based services. Expanding into new markets. Adapting to changes in shipping and fulfillment. Each of these scenarios often requires expensive custom development or a patch work of add-ons that weren’t designed to work with the tax engine.
And the stakes are high:
Every manual workaround is a potential point of failure. Every delay in adapting tax rules increases your risk of non-compliance and audit penalties. Meanwhile, tax professionals waste countless hours maintaining outdated systems instead of focusing on strategy and value-added work.
Our intelligent, adaptable rules engine lets you model even the most complex taxability scenarios with ease.
Whether it’s bundled products, usage-based tax, multi-jurisdictional sales, or emerging business models, CereTax enables you to configure and manage indirect tax logic in real time. No costly service engagements required.
The result: faster time to market, reduced risk, and more empowered tax and finance teams.
But architecture is just one part of the problem. Even when businesses can adapt their tax logic, they often find they can’t see what’s really happening.
No real-time visibility or audit readiness
Legacy tax systems turn tax data into a black box. It is opaque, fragmented, and incomplete. Teams struggle to access reliable data across systems. Reporting is often delayed, manual, or inconsistent. And when discrepancies arise, understanding the root cause is nearly impossible.
This lack of visibility doesn’t just slow down month-end close; it undermines confidence across the business. CFOs can’t get clear answers for board reporting. Tax managers can’t validate calculations before filing. And when an audit hits, the scramble begins. Teams dig through disconnected systems, trying to reconstruct a defensible audit trail under pressure.
Audit-ready reporting, clear taxability explanations, rooftop-accurate situsing with GIS technology. You can trace every decision and answer every question with confidence. Every calculation, rule, and rate is visible and explainable, giving your team control and peace of mind in any scenario.
And when visibility is limited, the challenges compound during implementation. Many teams encounter painful delays and hidden costs.
Clunky, slow implementations
Legacy tax platforms promise efficiency. In reality, implementations often drain resources for months. Custom integrations stall. Legacy architecture resists modern tech stacks. Critical data migrations break. Once live, the system demands constant care while your tax needs keep evolving.
Meanwhile, teams are stuck with delayed go-lives, missed revenue opportunities, and escalating project costs. Each update requires custom services, locking you into a cycle of dependency and frustration.
All of our APIs are purpose-built for easy integration with your existing ERPs, ecommerce platforms, and billing systems. Our modern architecture eliminates patchwork and reduces implementation timelines from months to weeks. It does this without sacrificing functionality or control.
The result? You’re up and running faster with a scalable solution that adapts as your business grows, not one that holds you back.
Even if you survive implementation, legacy systems often can’t handle today’s most critical tax scenarios.
Poor support and high cost of ownership
Legacy providers love to sell you "support," but when issues arise, getting help can feel like pulling teeth. Support tickets go unanswered. Response times drag. And when you do get help, it's often from generalists unfamiliar with your specific tax environment.
At the same time, legacy tax systems quietly drive up your total cost of ownership. Every minor configuration change comes with a new services fee. Scaling to new business units or markets triggers expensive new contracts. You're locked into an inflexible system that penalizes growth instead of enabling it.
Meanwhile, your internal teams spend more time managing vendors than managing tax compliance. This erodes trust in the platform and wastes valuable resources.
Our tax experts are with you every step of the way. They are responsive, knowledgeable, and invested in your success. We provide proactive guidance and fast answers, not canned responses. Our transparent, predictable pricing means no surprises or hidden fees. Because CereTax is built to scale with your business, your total cost of ownership stays low even as your needs evolve.
The result: a partner you can rely on, and a tax automation platform that delivers real, sustained ROI.
Legacy tax systems weren’t built for today’s complexity. The cracks are everywhere. Brittle architectures force manual workarounds. Visibility gaps put your business at audit risk. Slow implementations drain resources. Critical features like usage-based taxability remain out of reach. So-called "support" often leaves teams stranded.
Modern businesses need more. They need clarity. They need control. And they need a partner who understands the stakes and delivers. Ready to turn tax from a liability into an advantage? Let’s do this.
Salesforce powers some of the most sophisticated sales and ecommerce operations in the world. From custom-configured CPQ quotes to multi-channel Commerce Cloud storefronts, it’s built to move fast, scale globally, and flex around complex customer needs.
However, speed and scale can create friction when it comes to sales tax compliance. Patchwork tax logic, manual overrides, and bolt-on tools leave gaps and risk.
That’s why we built CereTax for Salesforce: a smarter, faster way to handle tax inside the platforms you already use.
CereTax now integrates directly with Salesforce CPQ and Salesforce Commerce Cloud (B2C + B2B) to automate every aspect of indirect tax calculation, address validation, exemption management, and reporting.
Instead of patching together bolt-ons or relying on external workarounds, teams can now calculate sales tax in real time, manage exemptions as part of the workflow, and access audit-ready reporting without leaving Salesforce.
This isn’t a plug-in. It’s a fully embedded tax engine designed to match Salesforce’s speed—and handle the messiness of modern sales.
These are two sides of the same coin. Whether your customers buy through CPQ or online storefronts, the same tax engine powers it all. That means consistent logic, seamless reporting, and fewer headaches across the board.
Salesforce CPQ helps teams build complex quotes fast, but things get messy without the right tax logic in place. When tax is applied manually or added after quote approval, errors creep in, reporting breaks, and deals get delayed.
CereTax eliminates that risk by embedding real-time tax intelligence directly into the quoting process. Quotes reflect the right tax treatment from the start; that logic flows cleanly into orders and invoices. That means fewer surprises downstream, cleaner handoffs to billing, and smoother month-end closes.
Bundled SKUs and complex pricing scenarios are automatically allocated and taxed correctly. Exemptions can be captured and validated on the spot. Every rate, rule, and exemption decision is fully transparent and complete with citations and history tracking.
Because when tax is wrong, everything downstream suffers: from revenue recognition to audit risk. CereTax gets it right up front, so your team can quote faster, close faster, and trust the data every step of the way.
Running a Salesforce Commerce Cloud storefront means keeping pace with constantly changing SKUs, discounts, delivery zones, and buyer profiles. That’s a lot of moving parts, and if your tax system can’t keep up, you’re stuck filling the gaps manually. And that’s risky. Manual tax work invites errors, delays, and missed exemptions. It slows your team down when speed matters most.
CereTax for Commerce Cloud automates sales tax in real time, applying the correct rates at checkout, no matter the customer, region, or product combination. It handles the complexity of bundles, promotions, and freight sourcing logic without skipping a beat. Address validation happens at the rooftop level, not just ZIP code approximations. And exemptions are applied accurately as part of the transaction flow, not as a clunky afterthought.
Because when tax gets handled mid-checkout, not post-transaction, everything runs smoother—from conversion rates to compliance. With clean, exportable reporting and full visibility into every tax decision, your finance and ops teams stay ready for audits, month-end close, and whatever else comes next.
Tax teams don’t just need tools, they need tools that work the way their systems and their developers do.
That’s why CereTax was built natively with Salesforce in mind:
Fast to implement, so your projects stay on track
API-flexible, for seamless fit into complex architectures
Language-agnostic, so your devs aren’t stuck with constraints
UI visibility that helps tax pros self-serve, not guess
Real human support when things get complicated
More than a connector, CereTax is a foundational platform your Salesforce stack can count on: scalable, stable, and designed for how modern teams actually work.
Sales tax complexity isn’t going away. But the rework, the delays, the blind spots? Those can.
If your team is tired of stitching together temporary fixes, it’s time for a tax engine that’s built to last: one that meets Salesforce where it is and clears the path forward.
Most finance teams don’t realize how much time, risk, and money their current sales tax solution is costing them, until it’s too late. What starts as a simple add-on or legacy system can quietly turn into a major drag on your team and your bottom line.
Manual work piles up. Sales tax compliance risk creeps in. Integrations break. And when you need support, it’s nowhere to be found. If your sales tax solution is creating more work than it saves, it’s time to take a closer look. Here are five red flags that signal your system may be holding you back.
A modern sales tax software solution should be automated and accurate. If your finance or tax teams are constantly making manual overrides, fixing calculation errors, or managing workarounds outside the system, that’s a red flag—and a signal that your tax engine is no longer reliable.
Every manual intervention introduces risk and inconsistency. The more often teams override the system, the less confidence they have in its outputs. Over time, this erodes trust not only in tax data, but in reporting across the business. When leaders can’t rely on tax calculations, financial operations slow down, audit prep becomes more painful, and teams divert energy toward fixing symptoms instead of addressing root causes.
In short, manual fixes mask systemic problems. If they’ve become the norm, it’s time to take a closer look.
If you can’t clearly see how tax decisions are being made, you can’t manage risk or ensure sales tax compliance. Too often, legacy systems turn tax data into a black box, leaving teams guessing at rates, rules, and logic, or relying on outdated prior knowledge to try and fill the gaps.
Without transparency, it becomes difficult to validate tax calculations, explain variances, or ensure consistency across systems. This lack of visibility undermines confidence in reporting and can cause friction between tax, finance, and leadership.
When an audit hits or leadership asks for clear answers, the scramble begins. If you can’t easily trace a tax decision back to its source with supporting documentation and clear logic your business is exposed to penalties, reputational risk, and delayed close cycles.
Visibility into your sales tax software is a fundamental requirement for managing tax risk and maintaining sales tax compliance in today’s environment.
Audit readiness should be a given rather than an annual fire drill. If every audit cycle brings anxiety, your sales tax solution isn’t doing its job.
A strong sales tax compliance process creates a clear, defensible record of tax decisions as they happen. If your team is building audit trails after the fact, or scrambling to piece together documentation, that’s a sign of deeper systemic issues.
Missing data, inconsistent logic, and manual workarounds all add complexity and uncertainty to the audit process. When auditors encounter gaps or conflicting information, they ask more questions, request more documentation, and scrutinize your entire process more closely.
Beyond penalties, this creates reputational risk and consumes valuable internal resources. Time that should be spent driving the business forward gets redirected toward audit remediation. If this scenario feels familiar, it’s time to re-evaluate your sales tax solution.
Tax processes should move with your business instead of slowing it down. But many sales tax solutions struggle to keep up with evolving tech stacks and business models. As companies add new sales channels, markets, and systems, maintaining seamless tax integration across systems becomes increasingly complex.
Poor integration support leads to broken connections, data mismatches, and manual rework across ERPs, ecommerce platforms, and billing systems. These issues not only create operational headaches; they introduce sales tax compliance risk and can directly impact the customer experience. Inaccurate tax calculations or delayed invoicing erode customer trust and strain relationships.
When tax processes can’t keep pace with your growth, they become a bottleneck. If your team is spending more time managing integrations than managing tax strategy, it’s a clear signal your system is out of step with your business needs.
Sales tax compliance is too complex and too critical to manage without trusted support. When tax issues arise, you need expert support that shows up, understands your business, and helps you resolve problems quickly.
Unfortunately, many legacy providers deliver slow, unresponsive, or outsourced support. When your team is left scrambling during an audit, system outage, or critical filing deadline, the true cost of poor support becomes painfully clear.
Inconsistent or absent support adds unnecessary stress and risk at the worst possible moments. It also forces internal teams to waste time triaging issues they shouldn’t have to solve on their own. If your support experience is reactive or unreliable, it may be time to evaluate whether your sales tax solution is truly serving your needs.
If your sales tax solution is creating more work, more risk, and more frustration than it solves, it’s worth asking why. Tax complexity isn’t standing still. Most legacy sales tax software simply wasn’t built for the pace and breadth of today’s indirect tax demands.
Many businesses outgrow their initial tax systems without realizing it. What worked at one stage of growth can become a hidden liability at the next. When tax becomes a source of constant manual work, audit stress, and integration pain, it’s a signal that your current tools may no longer fit your needs.
Today’s sales tax compliance landscape demands agility, accuracy, and transparency. If your current system can’t deliver on those fundamentals, it might be time for a change.
Curious what modern tax automation could look like for your business? Let’s do this.
CereTax is the next-generation sales tax platform built to handle the complexity of scaling an ecommerce business.
If your BigCommerce store is growing fast, your sales tax system shouldn’t just keep up. It should support your scale. Most plug-and-play tax tools weren’t built for what comes next: multi-channel growth, bundled SKUs, increasingly complex shipping rules, and real audit risk.
At first, managing a few manual workarounds might feel easier than switching systems. But what starts as a “quick fix” becomes a daily problem that eats up your team’s time and exposes your business to compliance risk.
We’ve seen the same scenario play out over and over. Teams try to stretch basic tax tools by patching them with spreadsheets, disconnected platforms, and last-minute overrides. It works, until it doesn’t.
Over time, the tax technology stack becomes fragile, error-prone, and expensive to maintain. Businesses come to CereTax after realizing they’ve outgrown their current solution, not just because the software is limited, but because everything around it is too.
They’re dealing with inconsistent support, confusing pricing structures, and zero guidance when things get complicated. The lack of customization becomes a real obstacle to running their business. Support teams don’t understand their product or setup. They’re doing all the heavy lifting and still worrying about staying compliant.
CereTax is a certified sales tax partner on the BigCommerce platform, but we’re not just another app in the directory. We’re purpose-built for mid-sized ecommerce and retail brands that manage the complexity that off-the-shelf tax tools simply weren’t designed to handle.
Our platform is customizable by design. Whether you sell direct-to-consumer, B2B, or both, CereTax adapts to your product catalog, shipping methods, and exemption logic without constant manual updates. And the best part? You always have real people helping you work through what scale looks like for your business.
CereTax doesn’t just integrate with BigCommerce. It also connects seamlessly with your ERP, billing system, accounting tools, and other business technologies. You get clean, accurate tax calculations in real time, plus visibility into the product-level logic, legal citations, and sourcing rules behind every transaction.
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: migration. Switching to a new tax system sounds painful, but with CereTax, it will feel like coming home.
Our implementation process is fast, structured, and fully supported by a team that understands ecommerce sales tax inside and out. We walk you through each step, from configuration to testing to go-live, and tailor it to your business's unique needs.
That includes configuring rules for product-specific taxability, handling origin vs. destination sourcing, and syncing everything with your existing fulfillment logic. This isn’t a self-service install with vague help articles. It’s a guided, expert-supported transition designed to minimize downtime and eliminate confusion.
CereTax isn’t just about technology. It’s about giving your team the help they need to stay focused on growth, not fixing tax issues.
When you work with us, you get real answers from real people. No bots. No offshore handoffs. Just fast, responsive support from experts who understand ecommerce, retail, and sales tax inside and out.
For many of our customers, this is the first time they’ve had a sales tax partner who’s actually proactive and helpful. That’s intentional. We’re not here to check a box. We’re here to make sure your tax operations are clean, scalable, and headache-free.
CereTax gives you the automation, transparency, and adaptability you need to stay compliant and move faster, even as your business becomes more complex.
With CereTax, you’ll get accurate, real-time tax calculations across your whole product catalog and sales footprint. Our engine automatically handles origin/destination sourcing, freight rules, and bundled SKU logic. All of it feeds into a centralized dashboard that gives you clean, exportable reporting — perfect for audits, reconciliation, and confident scaling.
We also support custom stacks and open source. industry-specific platforms like nopCommerce. As well as working directly with customers to create tailored integrations that meet their evolving requirements. That flexibility, paired with real human support, is what keeps our clients ahead of tax complexity and out of compliance trouble.
“From a performance perspective, there isn’t even a comparison. CereTax is a far more advanced and capable platform than our prior solution.”
— David Franko, Director of Global Tax, Alvaria
“CereTax has proven itself as a future-ready partner, ready to support TEKLYNX in both current and future tax compliance challenges.”
— Jenna Wagner, Marketing Director, TEKLYNX Americas
Legacy tax apps weren’t built for where you’re headed. CereTax is.
Whether you're adding channels, bundling SKUs, or expanding fulfillment, CereTax gives you the clarity, control, and expert support to scale without second-guessing your tax setup. Clean data. Confident compliance.
CereTax is engineered to scale with your business, not break under it.
Let us show you what modern sales tax automation should look like.
Transaction action
Utah will become the latest state to remove the transaction threshold for economic nexus, effective July 1. The state’s S.B. 47, signed on March 25, repeals Utah’s mandate that a seller must pay or collect and remit sales and use tax if sales of tangible personal property, electronically transferred products or services exceed 200 separate transactions. The requirement will be only gross revenue from sales in to Utah exceeding $100,000.
More than a dozen states have eliminated their transaction thresholds, most recently Indiana and South Dakota. Many states and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico maintain their economic nexus thresholds based on dollar amount or quantity of sales over a prior period.
Battle of the taxes
A Florida lawmaker wants a $5 billion cut in the state’s sales taxes. Governor Ron DeSantis instead proposes a $1,000 tax break for homestead property owners, having argued that his tax break benefits Florida residents, but sales tax cuts also benefit tourists.
The deadline for a deal is May 2 to prevent a special session. Tallahassee House Speaker Daniel Perez said he’ll still advance cutting Florida’s sales tax from 6% to 5.25% as part of the House’s spending plan (the measure isn’t part of the Senate’s). Observers have said that cutting taxes too far would hamper Florida’s ability to respond to an economic downturn.
The up and up
Los Angeles County now has a higher sales tax as an anti-homelessness funding measure that voters greenlighted in November takes effect. The cities of
Lancaster and Palmdale added their own 0.75% tax on top of the countywide increase and now have a 11.25% sales tax, the largest hike in the area. Compton, Lynwood and South Gate saw their rates rise to 10.75%.
Exempt from sales tax in California are sales of certain food products for human consumption, such as groceries; sales to the U.S. government; sales of prescription medicine and certain medical devices; and sales of items paid for with Electronic Benefits Transfer cards.
Cap off
Pennsylvania has advanced a proposal to lift the cap on the sales and use tax vendor discounts that businesses can receive for timely collecting and remitting state sales tax. The legislation, which revives a pre-2016 break, has been approved by the state’s Senate Finance Committee and now moves to the Senate.
The vendor discount has been one percent of the amount collected, up to $300 per month, regardless of the size or scope of the business. The proposed measure is billed as helping offset the businesses’ cost of compliance, including transaction fees, bookkeeping and payment processing costs.
Grocery bill
Alabama looks to join the growing ranks of states to whittle sales taxes on groceries: A measure to cut the grocery tax from 3% to 2%, part of a larger tax-cut package, has passed the state House and now heads to the Alabama Senate for a committee vote.
Groceries, a rich source of tax revenue, incur either full or reduced sales tax rates in 10 of the states that have a statewide sales tax (or some variation of one): Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, South Dakota and Utah. Kansas and Oklahoma are among the latest states to eliminate their grocery tax.
Check out the CereTax Knowledge Base for the most up-to-date rate information.
Retail fees on the move
The rise of digital commerce has led more states to consider a Retail Delivery Fee (RDF), a levy designed to supplement traditional tax structures and fund infrastructure. Colorado was the first to implement an RDF at 29 cents per order, applying to taxable retail deliveries, with exemptions for retailers with under $500,000 in annual sales. Minnesota followed with a 50-cent RDF for orders of $100 or more, requiring collection from businesses with at least $1 million in annual sales.
Other states exploring RDFs include Washington, Mississippi (30 cents), Hawaii (50 cents), and Nebraska (50 cents), Maryland (75 cents), and New York (25 cents). Challenges include flat fees instead of percentage-based rates and a lack of refund or credit mechanisms for returns.
Food for thought
Soaring inflation and skyrocketing grocery prices—like eggs surging 59% in a recent report—have pushed more states to reconsider grocery sales tax. Oklahoma and Kansas have eliminated theirs, Virginia reduced it, and Illinois plans to end it next year. Meanwhile, Tennessee, Utah, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, and Mississippi have introduced or debated similar tax cuts.
In Arkansas, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders aims to eliminate the state’s remaining 1/8th-cent grocery tax, calling it the "most regressive tax." However, critics warn that if federal funding declines, states could face budget shortfalls, and in places like Missouri, local governments fear lost revenue will shift the burden onto them.
Fire break for L.A.
After recent wildfires, California has extended the sales and use tax filing deadline for Los Angeles County taxpayers until April 30. The state’s Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) said returns and payments due on or before January 31, 2025, are automatically extended for Los Angeles County taxpayers whose last return was for less than $1 million in sales and use tax on their 3Q24 returns.
Impacted business owners not subject to the automatic extension or who require additional relief are encouraged to contact CDTFA. Taxpayers who need copies of CDTFA tax records can receive replacements free, and help’s available for updating account information such as changed addresses.
Swipe out
An Arizona lawmaker is sponsoring a bill to remove swipe fees on sales taxes. In an op-ed for Chandler Independent, Representative Jeff Weninger, a Republican, says HB 2629 would relieve the state’s small businesses from swipe fees (aka interchange fees) when collecting sales taxes. A similar bill is being considered in Colorado.
“These fees … are charged by credit card companies on every transaction. They can range from 1% to 5% per transaction, and businesses have no ability to negotiate them,” Weninger writes. “The fees aren’t just charged on the cost of goods and services — they’re also tacked onto the sales tax businesses must collect and remit to the state.” In 2023 alone, Arizona businesses paid over $217 million in swipe fees on sales taxes,” Weninger adds, “a fee on a fee that never should have existed in the first place.
All that glitters
Colorado has revised information to clarify that the sale, storage, use or consumption of coins and precious metal bullion are exempt from state and state-administered local sales and use taxes.
Other numismatic items that are not coins or precious metal bullion are not exempt, including paper money, tokens, checks, and wampum. Coins qualify if they are monetized bullion or other forms of money; are manufactured from gold, silver, platinum, palladium or other such metals; and are designated as a medium of exchange under the laws of Colorado, the United States, or any foreign nation.
All in one
When Louisiana voters cast ballots on March 29 on a state constitutional amendment, they’ll also decide key sales tax issues.
The state’s House Bill 7 proposes to rewrite Article VII of the Louisiana Constitution to require that any new sales tax exclusion or exemption be applicable to both state and local sales and use taxes. The bill also maintains the state sales tax exclusions for food for home consumption, residential utilities, and prescription drugs. Louisiana also recently passed an expansion of sales tax to digital products, internet, and streaming services.
In March, voters will also decide on reducing the state income tax rate and adding a bigger standard deduction for taxpayers age 65 and older; and requiring a two-thirds vote of each house of the legislature for the enactment of an exemption, exclusion, deduction, credit, among other measures.
Transaction action
A bill in Trenton will, if enacted, see New Jersey join the growing number of states that have eliminated the transaction threshold for economic sales tax nexus. New Jersey currently has an economic nexus threshold of 200 or more separate transactions or $100,000 in gross sales annually involving state residents. The bill is currently being read in the state Senate.
The U.S. Supreme Court 2018 Wayfair decision ignited economic nexus thresholds nationwide based on transaction counts, gross sales, or both. Many states never had transaction thresholds and over 10 have eliminated them. Transaction thresholds are generally considered biased against small businesses, though, and New Jersey’s business community supports the bill.
Opponents say the bill could hurt state revenues even as New Jersey is running a deficit, though studies have shown that eliminating transaction thresholds ultimately has little impact on revenues.
Let freedom ring
A U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois has agreed in part with banks and credit unions for a preliminary injunction of a new law prohibiting swipe fees on some tax and tip amounts.
Last year, the state enacted the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act, which as of July 1 prevents entities from collecting swipe fees (aka interchange fees) on certain tax and tip amounts of credit or debit card transactions. (Illinois is the first state to try to ban these fees.) Challengers argued in their lawsuit that federal law preempted this type of statutory prohibition on collecting interchange fees.
U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall granted a preliminary injunction for the Illinois Bankers Association ruling that its members “face irreparable harm” without an injunction, but dismissing other Association claims related to the state not representing their interests.
Gaming experience
The Indiana Department of Revenue has ruled that optional items offered by an out-of-state video game publisher are not subject to state sales tax.
The out-of-state company uses a related entity to sell an electronic video game directly to customers and through third-party vendors such as Steam, PlayStation, and others. The company does not sell video games, and its related entity and/or its wholesalers collect applicable sales tax on the sale of the games.
The company does offer purchasers optional items after the sale of the game, including a monthly online subscription that allows the player to play the game in an online, multi-player setting; in-game items such as costumes, weapons or time saving enhancements; and virtual currency for the purchaser to acquire in-game items or pay for the monthly online subscription within the game. The DOR ruled that such optional items are not subject to Indiana sales tax because they do not constitute tangible personal property or specified digital products.
SaaS-sy
The North Carolina Department of Revenue has issued a Private Letter Ruling. SUPLR 2024-0011, that a taxpayer’s subscription fees for access to digital videos, books, and audiobooks incur sales and use tax unless the transaction is exempt as a bundled transaction.
In another opinion in the wrangling over cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and sales tax, the DOR clarified that the taxpayer is not selling SaaS or an information service when providing access to digital content, as the customers are paying for the content itself and not the software used to deliver it. North Carolina also doesn’t impose sales and use tax on revenue from access to cloud-based software accessed via internet connection.
Tax-Free Groceries
Sales tax on food in Kansas has finally hit 0%. In 2023, the Kansas state portion of sales tax on food and food ingredients for human consumption (and certain prepared food) began phasing down, most recently to 2% for last year. Now, starting Jan. 1, 2025, the state rate will be 0%.
For Kansas state sales tax purposes, food products are generally “food and food ingredients” and “prepared food,” a differentiation that sets the rate of state sales tax. The reduced rate generally applies only to food and food ingredients; prepared food continues to be taxed at the full 6.5% state sales tax rate. City and county grocery taxes, ranging from 0% to a high of 2.25%, will still apply.
Permit Perils
Holders of an Illinois “Direct Pay Permit” (DPP) must now annually review their purchase activity to verify that the purchases made in the preceding year were sourced correctly and had the correct tax rate.
Following findings that many DPP participants aren’t in compliance, the new law provides that “by March 31, 2025, and by March 31 of each year thereafter” each holder of a DPP must review its purchase activity. If the holder discovers an error in sourcing or the tax rate during this review process, the holder must file an amended return correcting the error by April 20 of the calendar year in which the review occurs. Failure to do so could incur a $6,000 fine.
NFT + TPP = TAX
Michigan now treats sales of non-fungible tokens as taxable if the NFTs represent ownership interest in tangible personal property such as artwork or collectibles. This "tokenizing" of real-world items means the buyer of the NFT can prove ownership of the specific NFT; similar to a certificate of authenticity.
Because most NFTs represent digital goods, the majority of NFTs are not subject to Michigan sales tax. But be aware that those that they represent an interest in tangible personal property can be subject to the state sales tax.
Franchise Fee-Free TV
A state court has determined that streaming and satellite TV companies aren’t subject to video service provider fees.
Last fall, Netflix Inc. and DirecTV LLC won their challenge to the fees imposed by the Missouri city of Creve Coeur, which had joined more than 400 other municipalities in the state to try to impose franchise fees on streaming companies. That legal move had come after Missouri lawmakers amended the state’s tax-related definition of “video services” last summer to exclude streaming services.
In late December, the Missouri Circuit Court of St. Louis County ruled for the steaming giants. The Missouri decision came as such TV services began incurring sales tax in other states, namely Louisiana.
Tax Blame Backfires
Pointing fingers over sales tax obligations rarely works in court. Vishal Dhar, co-founder and president of the now-defunct tech support company iYogi, was held personally liable for $19.3 million in unpaid sales and use taxes by the New York Division of Tax Appeals. Dhar argued that an overseas holding company was responsible for the taxes, but the court was unconvinced.
The judge noted Dhar was a co-founder, majority shareholder, and had authority to sign tax forms and invoices. Despite claiming his actions were directed by others in India, Dhar failed to prove he lacked authority to ensure tax compliance or that he was prevented from fulfilling his responsibilities.
CereTax is excited to announce our partnership with Rev.io and their cutting-edge telecom billing platform. Together, we’re taking a major step forward in our mission to revolutionize tax compliance for the telecom industry. As part of our ongoing commitment to be the most robust tax platform in the space, this integration reinforces our mission to deliver smarter, faster, and more adaptable tax automation solutions. By expanding our partnerships in telecom and beyond, we’re building an ecosystem designed to meet the evolving needs of businesses in this unique challenging regulatory space.
The Power of Dynamic Telecom Billing
For existing CereTax users, Rev.io offers a robust telecom billing solution that complements our true-cloud, next generation tax engine. Rev.io brings a scalable and feature-rich platform that streamlines billing, customer management, and revenue reporting, making it an invaluable tool for businesses aiming to enhance their billing operations. The integration allows CereTax customers to benefit from a unified billing and tax compliance solution, ensuring a simplified and hassle-free experience.
Next Generation Communications Tax Automation
This integration with Rev.io provides current Rev.io users with seamless sales and communications tax management to match their powerful billing solution. Our cloud-native platform seamlessly handles the burdensome and ever-changing tax requirements that telecom companies face. For Rev.io customers, this means accurate tax calculations, minimized risk, and enhanced operational efficiency. With CereTax, users can focus on growing their business rather than navigating communications tax automation and reporting.
A Comprehensive Suite of Telecom Billing Solutions
Our partnership with Rev.io is just one example of how we’re building connections across the telecom landscape.
At CereTax, we believe partnerships are the key to unlocking new possibilities for our customers. By joining forces with Rev.io, we have made another leap toward simplifying tax and billing processes for telecom businesses. We’re excited about the future of the communications industry and the role we’ll play in driving innovation and growth in the novel telecom space.
Ready to see the difference CereTax and Rev.io can make? Let’s connect and simplify tax and billing for your telecom business!
TEKLYNX is a leader in barcode label software, offering comprehensive solutions for label design, printing, automation, security, and centralized management. Their products cater to businesses of all sizes, from small enterprises to large corporations, ensuring efficient and compliant labeling processes. With a user-friendly interface and over 100 barcode symbologies, TEKLYNX software simplifies label creation and integrates seamlessly with existing systems. Their commitment to quality and innovation has made them a trusted partner in the industry.
Navigating Challenges with Their Previous Sales Tax Solution
TEKLYNX Americas initially relied on another sales tax solution to manage tax compliance but encountered numerous obstacles. The previous provider’s lack of support and complex pricing structure created challenges for TEKLYNX’s team, who often found themselves without adequate sales tax guidance and overpaying for their technology. After trying to make the system work, TEKLYNX Americas recognized that finding a reliable, supportive partner would be essential for effective sales tax management.
"One of our main challenges was the limited support from our previous provider, with response times sometimes stretching up to three weeks while we were trying to be in production. Account managers changed frequently and didn’t have time for us. Additionally, their billing method charged for each connector and ping, leading to substantial overcharges." Anthony Bieniewski, Operations and IT Manager at TEKLYNX Americas
CereTax Offers a Relationship First Approach to Meet TEKLYNX America’s Needs
To address their challenges, TEKLYNX Americas transitioned to CereTax, a next-generation sales tax solution designed to help navigate sales tax compliance with dedicated support at every stage. CereTax provided TEKLYNX Americas with reliable, hands-on guidance throughout the transition, enabling a smooth and effective implementation that minimized disruptions. The dependable support from CereTax’s team ensured that TEKLYNX Americas received answers quickly, helping the company quickly resolve issues and ensured a quick implementation.
"It’s a big deal to work with a company that actively collaborates with us and puts our needs first. From the start, CereTax responded promptly to our questions, and that level of support has continued consistently." Anthony Bieniewski, Operations and IT Manager at TEKLYNX Americas
Future-Proofing TEKLYNX America’s Sales Tax Compliance with CereTax
CereTax worked closely with TEKLYNX Americas to develop integrations tailored to their unique systems, including their custom e-commerce platform, nopCommerce. TEKLYNX valued CereTax’s willingness to actively engage in conversations about new integrations and to customize solutions that met their specific requirements. This flexibility and future-oriented mindset have empowered TEKLYNX to feel confident that CereTax will continue to meet evolving business needs.
“We appreciated CereTax’s responsiveness and curiosity about how our business works. CereTax has proven itself as a future-ready partner, ready to support TEKLYNX in both current and future tax compliance challenges." Jenna Wagner, Marketing Director at TEKLYNX Americas
A Reliable Partnership for Long-Term Success
TEKLYNX America’s transition to CereTax showcases the impact of a supportive, responsive sales tax solution on operational success. By choosing CereTax, TEKLYNX Americas was able to work through their sales tax process needs and gain confidence in a partner committed to their goals. With CereTax’s expertise and proactive service, TEKLYNX Americas now enjoys streamlined compliance and a reliable foundation for future growth. TEKLYNX Americas chose CereTax, not only for its reliable service and immediate tax solutions, but also for its commitment to adapting and expanding to meet future needs. CereTax’s flexible approach and openness to collaboration provided TEKLYNX with the confidence that the solution would grow with them.
As 2024 draws to a close we wanted to look back at everything we've accomplished as a team, as partners, and as a next-generation sales tax solution:
✅ Grew our team by over 60%
🚀 Grew our revenue 3x
🤝 Expanded our partner network 3x
🔑 Added 50% new integrations to the CereTax platform
💲 Processed 50% more tax calculation transactions
📍 Sponsored and attended events across the US
⭐ Secured a 99% CSAT score
💪 and so much more!
This year has given us so much to be thankful for and a lot to look forward to in the coming year. Thank you to our incredible customers, partners, and the entire CereTax team. The amazing partnerships, dynamic teamwork, and relentless effort made 2024 a year to remember! We can't wait to see what 2025 has in store!
