Avalara
Calculates sales tax on the invoice, then files and remits. Works in QuickBooks Online and Desktop. Not a ledger.
Best for
US shops that need sales tax calculated on the QuickBooks invoice (Online or Desktop), then filed and remitted, especially if they qualify for Streamlined Sales Tax.
Not ideal if
Anyone who expected Avalara to be the books, who only sells in one or two states and will file from QuickBooks Online, or who wants TaxJar- or Anrok-style software pricing without a three-state Core minimum.
Standout
Tax calculated inside QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop, plus Managed Returns and SST as a Certified Service Provider.
About Avalara
Avalara is sales tax compliance, not a ledger. You connect QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Shopify, Stripe, Woo, or another named connector. When you save an invoice or checkout, AvaTax calculates tax by ship-to address and product code and writes the amount onto that transaction. Managed Returns then prepares the return, files it, and remits from a linked US bank. You still close sales in QuickBooks or the store.
It does not replace QuickBooks Online or Xero. TaxJar is the published-price ecommerce Autofile pick if you mainly need one report and state filings. Anrok is the SaaS and digital loop with a per-market Starter price and a write-back onto QuickBooks Online or Xero. Stripe Tax calculates on Stripe charges. Native QuickBooks Online sales tax can be enough if you sell in one or two states and will file yourself. Avalara's job is the heavier engine: tax inside QuickBooks, including Desktop, plus Managed Returns and Streamlined Sales Tax coverage in participating states.
People who stick usually sell into many states, need tax on the invoice inside QuickBooks, or qualify for Streamlined Sales Tax so participating states fund calculation and filing. They map items to Avalara tax codes once, keep exemption records in AvaTax Exemptions, and treat month-end as a review of liabilities and remittance, not a login at each department of revenue.
What people who used it say
What they tend to like
Tax lands on the QuickBooks invoice, including Desktop
Official QBO and Desktop pages: save the transaction, AvaTax writes the tax. Anrok and TaxJar do not calculate inside Desktop.
SST can zero out participating states
r/SAP notes Avalara as an SST CSP. Official Select copy: qualifying volunteer sellers can get calc, file, and remit state-funded in up to 25 states.
One remittance instead of 20 state portals
Managed Returns prepares, files, and remits on a published calendar (review by the 10th, bank pull the 11th–14th).
What they hesitate about
Support lags the sales pitch
r/ecommerce and r/SalesTax threads describe a long wait for support after a premium sales process. Full thread bodies were not opened this pass (fetch blocked); titles and snippets only.
Older quotes were high next to TaxJar or Anrok
A pre-Select r/SalesTax thread cited about $7.4k/year for 15,000 AvaTax transactions. Select now publishes per-state prices; a three-state Core shop is still $2,397/year before registrations.
Filing frequency and the real bill can surprise you
r/SalesTax snippet: owners say Avalara set the highest filing frequency and the bill jumped. Confirm frequency before you enroll. Core's three-state minimum is the other surprise.
How it hits your books
- Replaces your ledger
- No
- QuickBooks Online
- Yes
- Xero
- Partial
- Multi-entity
- Partial
- Inventory
- No
- 1099s
- Yes
- Payroll
- No
Review Avalara liabilities from the 1st to the 10th, then let returns auto-approve at 5:00 p.m. PT on the 10th. The bank pull is the 11th to the 14th. Match that withdrawal to sales tax payable in QuickBooks. You still close and lock the period in the ledger.
Invite the accountant, or download liability reports, filing history, and exemption records from Avalara. The CPA still needs the QuickBooks or Xero file for the rest of the return. Avalara does not e-file income tax.
Images
Features
Calculate tax on the QuickBooks invoice
Connect QuickBooks Online or install the Desktop connector (Desktop 2022–2024 named). When you save an invoice, sales receipt, or credit, AvaTax calculates tax by address and Avalara tax code and writes the amount back. Map items once. Select also names Shopify, Stripe, Woo, BigCommerce, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Walmart, and Sage 50.
File and remit with Managed Returns
Avalara prepares the sales and use tax return, files it, and remits from Avalara Treasury. You reconcile liabilities from the 1st to the 10th. Unapproved returns auto-approve at 5:00 p.m. PT on the 10th. The bank pull is the 11th to the 14th. Home-rule local returns are included. Canadian returns are on Managed Returns.
Streamlined Sales Tax in participating states
Avalara is a Certified Service Provider. Qualifying volunteer sellers can get calculation, filing, remittance, and audit liaison state-funded in up to 25 SST states (24 members plus a Pennsylvania analog). Economic nexus alone does not disqualify you. California, New York, Texas, Florida, and Illinois are not SST states.
Watch nexus across all 50 states
Select includes nexus monitoring on every plan. Avalara watches transaction activity and alerts you when you may be approaching a threshold in a new state. Sales tax registration is a separate $403 per location. License Guidance starts at $119.
Record exemptions on the customer
AvaTax Exemptions is included on Core and Core + SST. Store exemption data on the customer so the next invoice calculates as exempt. Full Exemption Certificate Management (collect, validate, renew) is a broader product on Custom.
E-file 1099s and collect W-9s
Avalara 1099 & W-9 is a separate product (formerly Track1099), not inside the Select sales-tax bundle. Create a free pay-as-you-go account. IRS e-file starts at $3.10 per form (first 15), then steps down. State e-file is $1.49 per form. Pulls vendor data from QuickBooks, Xero, and BILL.
Pricing
A 5-person shop with about 500 invoices and nexus in three non-SST states (California, New York, Texas) pays the Core three-state minimum: $2,397 a year billed annually, or $237 a month. One more state is another $799 a year. If they qualify as an SST volunteer seller and only need participating states, Core + SST starts at $699 a year with no state minimum, and calculation, filing, and remittance in those states can be state-funded. Sales tax registration is $403 per location. License Guidance starts at $119. Select caps total US volume at 200,000 transactions, not per state. Revenue of $50 million or more, or a connector off the Select list (Xero, NetSuite, SAP), is a Custom quote. Five 1099-NECs on pay-as-you-go are $15.50 of IRS e-file ($3.10 each), plus $1.49 per form if you e-file states.
Core Compliance
US shops under $50M revenue that need AvaTax plus Managed Returns and do not qualify for SST, or are filing in non-SST states. Three-state minimum per filing entity.
- AvaTax calculation across 12,000+ US jurisdictions
- AvaTax Exemptions
- Managed Returns: prepare, file, remit, notices
- Nexus monitoring in all 50 states
- Select connectors (QuickBooks Online and Desktop, Shopify, Stripe, Woo, and others named on the pricing FAQ)
- 200,000 total US transactions (not per state)
Core Compliance + SST Services
Remote sellers under $50M who qualify as SST volunteer sellers. No state minimum. Participating states can fund calculation, filing, and remittance for eligible transactions.
- Everything in Core Compliance
- SST enrollment and state-sponsored registration
- One SST ID for participating states
- State-funded calc, file, and remit for qualifying sellers
- Avalara handles SST calculation-related notices and audits
- Avalara assumes liability for calculation errors in covered SST states
Custom
Revenue of $50M or more, multi-entity, high volume, or a connector off the Select list (Xero, NetSuite, SAP, and the rest of the 1,400+ catalog).
- Full Avalara product suite (VAT, property, e-invoicing, use tax, ECM)
- Multi-entity and consolidated reporting
- All signed partner integrations plus API
- Dedicated support tiers, including live chat and a 1-hour SLA
1099 & W-9 (pay-as-you-go)
Shops that want to e-file 1099s without buying the sales-tax bundle. Free account; you pay when you file.
- IRS e-file: $3.10 (forms 1–15), $2.30 (16–165), $1.30 (166–500), $0.63 after that
- E-delivery, e-corrections, and PDF/CSV included
- State e-file $1.49 per form
- TIN match $0.45; address validation $0.07
- Postal mail extra; W-9 collection is a separate add-on on pay-as-you-go
Integrations
Platforms
Audience
Pick something else instead of Avalara
TaxJar
Pick TaxJar instead if you sell on Amazon, Shopify, or other carts and want a published monthly Autofile ladder (from $39/mo at 200 orders) without a three-state Avalara minimum. TaxJar does not calculate tax inside QuickBooks.
Anrok
Pick Anrok instead if you are SaaS or digital, bill on Stripe or Chargebee, and want a per-market Starter price with write-back onto QuickBooks Online or Xero. Anrok does not do QuickBooks Desktop.
Stripe
Pick Stripe Tax instead if you already collect on Stripe and only need tax on those charges (and, on Tax Complete, US filing through TaxJar). Avalara is the engine beside the ledger and the cart, not the processor.
QuickBooks Online
Stay on native QuickBooks Online sales tax if you sell in one or two states and will file from the Sales Tax Center yourself. Avalara is extra software you do not need yet.