Frequently Asked Questions
What is a call?
TaxTools was created as a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution, which means as you use the service you are charged for the amount of calls your store makes to the server. A call occurs when your store communicates with the AccurateTax server. There are two types of calls: one for Address Validation (which happens after the customer enters their address) and another for Sales Tax Information (which is what calculates the sales tax on the items being ordered).
How do I know how many calls I will need?
When you install AccurateTax TaxTools, you will be asked to indicate which states you wish to collect sales tax for - these are called your nexus states. Sales tax calls will be made only for orders shipping to these states. To determine the number of sales tax calls you will need, look at your order history to determine how many orders to those states you receive each month.
The TaxTools Advanced solution also makes address validation calls. You can set the server to only validate addresses in your nexus states, or to validate all addresses. If you validate all addresses, you may need to choose a higher-call package than indicated by your number of orders to nexus states.
Why Would I Validate Non-Nexus Addresses?
Address validation provides several benefits beyond its need for sales tax calculations. First, it can reduce the time you spend researching a correct address when a customer provides an address that is noted as invalid by your shipping software. Second, it reduces or eliminates address correction fees charged by certain carriers:
Finally, address correction also prevents packages being returned and requiring re-shipment if the address provided by the customer could not be corrected by the carrier.