Create New Sales Tax Rule

The information below illustrates how to search for a Sales Tax Rule and how to create a new one for either a single product or for products within a Merchandise Hierarchy. Sales Tax rules can also be imported using the Data Import tool.

Sales Tax Manager Access

Path: Back Office> Products > Sales Tax Manager

Search for a Sales Tax Rule

It is recommended that before creating a new rule, that you first Search to verify that it does not already exist. Sales Tax Rules are defined by several attributes. Existing Sales Tax Rules can be searched using these attributes, as well as the products to which the rules are applied.

ID – This is a value set by the system for every Sales Tax Rule created.

Name – Allows you to associate a name with the Sales Tax Rule that is meaningful to you.

Description – Allows you to describe the attributes of the Sales Tax Rule in some detail for more flexible searching in the future, or to clarify between similar rules.

Rule Type – Defines what a rule is to be applied to: Product, Shipping, or Shipping Taxable Items Only.

Postal Code – Refers to the zip code, if required, where the Sales Tax Rule applies.

State – The state where the Sales Tax Rule applies.

Merchandise Hierarchy - Filter using product grouping.

Step	Action
1	Enter the criteria into the search fields.
2	Click the Search button.
3	From the Search Results list, click on the next to the rule to be reviewed or edited.
4	Make any necessary changes to the attributes and click Update.

Create a New Sales Tax Rule

Follow the steps below to create a new Sales Tax Rule. The General Attributes window is used to define the basic parameters of the new Sales Tax Rule.

Step	Action
1	From the Search Sales Tax Rules filter, click on the New Sales Tax Rule button.
2	Enter the information for the new Sales Tax Rule as described below. Enter the Name for the new rule in the Label box. Select the State where the rule applies from the drop-down list. Enter the numerical % value of the sales tax Rate (e.g. 7.00 = 7.00%). Add Zip Code field - when a zip code is entered and the screen is updated, the zip code is added to the zip code list, and the sales tax rule is applied. If the rule does NOT apply to the entire State, enter the applicable Zip Code. Remove Zip Code field - when a zip code is entered and screen is updated, the zip code is removed from the zip code list and the sales tax rule. Enter a Description of the new Sales Tax Rule to enhance the search options that will find this Sales Tax Rule in the future. Select type of tax (product or shipping) as defined here. The Zip Code List is read-only - all zip codes are managed through the Add and Remove fields.
3	You can apply a sales tax rule to a specific sales channel(s). There are two radio buttons with the default set to apply the tax rule to all channels. If you select the second option "Apply this rule to selected channels," a channel selector box displays allowing you to select the channels the rule is to be applied.
4	Click the Update button. The Sales Tax Rule can now be assigned to any grouping of products within the Merchandise Hierarchy, or just a single product.
5	To assign a Sales Tax Rule, click on the Products link.
6	To assign Sales Tax Rules to a Merchandise Hierarchy products, there are two methods: Select the hierarchy path from the drop-down list Click on the to open the Merchandise Hierarchy Picker, which allows the user to select each hierarchy level individually to more quickly define the products group. Select the product group levels that you want the Sales Tax rule applied to. Click the Go button.
7	Click on the Add Products button to confirm Sales Tax Rule assignment to the Merchandise Hierarchy.
8	To assign a Sales Tax Rule to a single product: Enter the Product ID into the Product field Click the to access the Product Picker to search for the product
9	Click on the Add Products button to confirm Sales Tax Rule assignment to the product. As the Sales Tax Rules are associated to one or several products, the products display in the Product Listing area at the bottom on the page.
10	To remove a product from the Sales Tax Rule, click on the next to the product listing.

Sales Tax Import

Attached is a sample import file of sales tax. Be sure to export your own template first and then update it as needed before doing an import. Go to System Admin > Tools > Data Import.

Sample Import

It is recommended that you create an individual rule per % - per state and pipe delineate all of the zip codes for each state %.
Many of the states will have just one % for each zip code within that state. Others like California, have multiple %'s dependant upon the zip code within that state. For states with just one % throughout, you do not need to supply zip codes. For the others like California, you would create one Rule per % and include the appropriate zip codes pipe delineated in the zip_code_list column.

Apply Sales Tax Rules

There are three methods to apply sales tax rules to products.

Method	Description
Sales Tax Manger/ Merchandise Hierarchy (RECOMMENDED)	Assign each rule groups of products via the Merchandise Hierarchy from the Sales Tax Manager. This method ensures that any future products, once assigned to a merchandise hierarchy, will inherit the tax rule.
Product Apply All Tax Rules	All rules can be globally applied to all products via Tools > Data import > Product Apply all Tax Rules button.
Batch Product Update	Rules can also be assigned via the Batch Product Update by individual rule or all rules. Search for products using Merchandise Hierarchy criteria. Select tax rules to be applied to the products.