Avalara

The Avalara module, located in the Integrations group, is an add-on module that can be installed from the Plugin module. After installing the plugin, a new module is added that integrates with Avalara AvaTax. Avalara takes the hassle out of managing the many complex taxing laws and automatically returns a total tax amount based on the product, price, and location.

Install

The documentation on this page is for the most recent version of the Avalara plugin. To get the most recent version, Update Fishbowl.

1. In any Fishbowl Client, open the Plugin module, located in the Integrations group.
2. Select the Avalara plugin and click Install.
3. Completely close all Fishbowl Clients.
4. Exit the Fishbowl Server by right-clicking the Fishbowl Server tray icon and selecting Exit.
5. After re-opening the Fishbowl Server, the admin user can access the Avalara module from any Fishbowl Client by opening the Integrations group.
6. To grant access to additional users, assign the Avalara-View access right to the appropriate groups in the User Group module.

Connect

1. In the Avalara module, enter the username and password used to log into Avalara.
2. Alternatively, enter the Account Number and License Key which can be obtained by logging in at https://admin.avalara.com/. For more information, click here.
3. The other fields are Avalara options, such as the ability to mark transactions as Pending or Committed.
   • Commit Transactions - This marks all transactions that are sent to Avalara as Committed. Transactions that are committed are available to be reported to a tax authority by Avalara Managed Returns.
   • Send QuickBooks Class as AvaTax Location Code - This uses the QuickBooks class that was assigned to a transaction in Fishbowl when it is sent to Avalara for identifying it.
   • Use Customer Account Number instead of Customer Name - When this is checked, the customer’s identification in a transaction will be based on their account number rather than their name.
   • Use Shipment Number Prefix - This adds a prefix number to the shipment number to distinguish each transaction by its source.
4. Click the Connect button in the Avalara module to verify that the connection is valid and then click Save.

Process

1. All products must be marked as taxable in Fishbowl or they will not be sent to Avalara. Non-taxable products should have a non-taxable code assigned, but the taxable checkbox must still be enabled on the Fishbowl product. The taxable checkbox can also be changed on the sales order.
2. The tax code for a product can be set on the Custom tab of the Product module.
3. To get a tax estimate, click the Avalara button on the Sales Order module toolbar.
   
   • If any changes are made to the order (modified quantity, partial shipment, address change, etc.), the estimated amount may vary from the actual amount calculated during shipping.
   • In some cases, local laws and other complexities may also result in the actual tax being different from the estimate.
   • The tax estimate is stored on the Details tab of the Sales Order module.
   • The Order Estimated Tax column can also be enabled on the Sales Order report.
     
   • The order total will not include tax until the order has been shipped.
4. Once an order has shipped, a line item will be added to the order with the actual tax amount.
   
   • Below is an example of the data that is stored in Avalara when an order ships.
     

Avalara will validate the Ship To address when requesting a tax estimate and when the order is shipped. An address can also be validated manually by clicking the Validate Address button above the Ship To address.

Notes

When using Avalara, some orders need to be processed in a specific way to ensure that the correct calculations are made. Below are some notes that apply when using the Avalara integration.

• USA - Avalara is not configured for countries outside of the United States.
• Taxable vs. tax codes - All products must be marked as taxable in Fishbowl or they will not be sent to Avalara. Non-taxable products should have a non-taxable code assigned and the taxable box checked in Fishbowl.
• Shipping - If an order doesn't have anything to ship, a non-inventory item should be added to the order so that the order will be routed through the shipping process.
• Drop ship - Drop ship items should be received before shipping the last item on the order. A warning will be displayed when trying to ship an order with unreceived drop ship items.
• Duplicate - Duplicating a fulfilled sales order will also copy the Avalara line item tax to the new order. This item should be removed from the new order so that the tax on the new order is recalculated correctly.
• Returns - The Receive button at the top of the Receiving module should be used to receive all credit return items. The Receive button on the component toolbar to the right should only be used if there will be an accounting export after receiving each line item.
• Checkout - Orders with the AvaTax tax item cannot be processed in Fishbowl Checkout and will display an error.
• Miscellaneous items - A miscellaneous sale or credit should only be used if it has a $0 amount, because miscellaneous items do not have tax codes. Instead, new products should be created and associated with the correct tax codes. Alternatively, non-inventory items can be associated with the correct tax codes and the line item descriptions could be edited on each sales order as needed.
• Service - Service items must be combined with an item that will go through the shipping process. If service items are also combined with credit return or drop ship items, Quick Fulfill must be used to fulfill the rest of the order first, then fulfill the credit return or drop ship items. An alternative would be to create these as non-inventory items instead.
• Return and Drop ship - Credit Return items and Drop Ship items should not be combined with Service items. If they are, Quick Fulfill must be used to fulfill the rest of the order and then fulfill the Return. Use the Receiving Ref # to enter a unique number to prevent tax calculation issues.