“Is this service taxable?” It’s a seemingly simple client question that can send accountants down a rabbit hole of research, often leading to uncertain Google searches and hours navigating complex state websites.
“Google’s great for some things, but when it comes to figuring out the taxability of products, it is lacking,” explains Blake Oliver in a recent Earmark Expo webinar. “As anyone who has worked with sales tax questions knows, the answers are different by state and by local jurisdiction. It’s a giant mess.”
Sales tax isn’t something most CPAs learn in school, making these questions particularly challenging. Many accountants refer clients to specialists when they can’t find reliable answers quickly enough.
In the webinar, Luke Marlatt from Avalara demonstrated how their Tax Research tool helps accountants tackle these challenges confidently. Let’s explore what makes this solution work and how it could benefit your practice.
How Avalara Gathers and Organizes Tax Information
Behind Avalara’s platform is an impressive research operation that transforms chaotic multi-jurisdictional tax laws into accessible, actionable information.
“We employ a gigantic team of researchers who spend all day, every day going to find information,” Marlatt explains. “We’re scrubbing over 27,000 web pages every single day. That’s not just some poor intern in the basement clicking on web pages; they have web crawlers and all this kind of cool technology.”
What sets Avalara apart is what happens after data collection. Real human experts verify every piece of information, translate complex tax code into plain language, and track changes down to case law and local regulations.
The team’s commitment goes beyond passive monitoring. When necessary, they actively chase down information through direct outreach to tax authorities. Marlatt shared how one colleague spent 2.5 hours on the phone with tax authorities in Jackson, Wyoming, to confirm a customer’s tax rate question.
This thorough approach has earned such credibility that Colorado, Missouri, and the Alaska Municipal League actually use Avalara’s data to power their own public-facing websites.
Key Features That Make Research Easier
The webinar demonstration highlighted several standout features designed to make sales tax research more efficient and user-friendly:
Simplified Nexus Determination
Rather than forcing users to interpret complex legal language, Avalara converts nexus requirements into straightforward yes/no questions.
“Instead of reading through the law trying to figure out what they mean—which in Washington, you’d have to read through five totally different parts of the revenue code—we just turn them into yes/no questions,” Marlatt explains.
This makes it easy to interview clients who might not understand tax terminology but can answer simple questions about their business activities.
Multi-State Comparison
With a single click of the “compare” button, users can apply a tax question across all states simultaneously, eliminating the need to research each jurisdiction individually.
“You hit the compare button and literally have your answer in every single state in the country,” Marlatt demonstrates. “Then you can hit this export button to dump it into Excel and start a workbook for a Nexus study.”
Customizable Tax Matrices
The Tax Matrix feature allows you to create customized, multi-state, multi-product matrices showing tax liability across different jurisdictions. You can save these matrices in the system and they’ll update automatically whenever relevant tax laws change.
“If you provide a tax matrix to your client, they’re going to want it updated. And traditionally that’s a difficult thing,” Marlatt explains. With Avalara, “The only thing you need to do is log in and hit the export button. And you’ve now got an updated tax matrix for your client.”
This creates an opportunity for subscription-based services, as Leary pointed out during the webinar: “And you build a quarterly tax research update into your fees.”
Precise Rate Lookups
The platform includes rooftop-level tax rate lookups, allowing users to find exact rates for specific addresses. The system shows the breakdown of rates by jurisdiction, essential for places like California where returns require this detail.
An interactive map displays the exact boundaries of taxing jurisdictions, making it easier to visualize where different rates apply.
Change Tracking and Updates
Users can toggle on a “highlight changes” feature that visually marks modified content with color indicators. This helps accountants quickly identify what’s changed since their last review.
The customizable email update system notifies you about tax changes daily, weekly, or monthly, filtered by content areas and specific states. These updates provide both an overview and detailed information about specific changes.
Marlatt shared how this helps catch significant changes: “The state of Kentucky defines SaaS as a service—they changed their law at the beginning of 2023. Because of that service law change, SaaS is now taxable in Kentucky as well.”
Expert Research Assistance
When questions arise that users can’t resolve through self-service research, the “Contact a Tax Expert” function connects them with Avalara’s team of expert researchers (mostly attorneys).
“Ninety four percent of the time, we beat our 24-hour mark and 71% of the time we actually beat the hour mark,” Marlatt notes regarding their response times. Last year, the team answered approximately 8,900 questions.
Avalara Tax Research also saves previous Q&A exchanges in a searchable repository, allowing users to benefit from questions other customers have asked.
Accessible for Firms of All Sizes
While these capabilities might seem designed for large firms, Avalara Tax Research serves accounting practices of all sizes.
“We have all the big four and most of the really big firms across the country using our tax research. We have mom and pop shops,” explains Marlatt. “Most of the demos I do are for single person operations with two or three people in a firm.”
For firms concerned about audit protection, Avalara offers an audit information guarantee. While they don’t provide direct tax advice or audit defense (leaving that advisory role to accounting partners), they stand behind their information’s accuracy.
“We will back up our information under audit directly with that auditor,” Marlatt explains. “We will go and defend that information with the auditor. We say, ‘Here’s all our research. Here’s how we got from A to B.'”
The platform also includes training resources to help firms maximize their return on investment. “There’s a team of trainers that make sure you get the most out of this tool,” Marlatt notes.
Adding a Valuable Service to Your Practice
Avalara Tax Research helps transform a persistent challenge into a strategic advantage. By providing authoritative answers to sales tax questions, firms can build service offerings around tax compliance while delivering more value to clients.
When clients receive clear, authoritative answers instead of tentative responses or referrals to specialists, it strengthens their trust in your firm. When you can proactively alert them to regulatory changes before they become compliance issues, you position yourself as a true advisor.
For practitioners who want to see these capabilities in action, watch the on-demand webinar. Tax complexity continues to increase, and having reliable resources to navigate this landscape is essential for serving clients effectively.