Creating beverage alcohol transactions in AvaTax

Creating beverage alcohol transactions in AvaTax

Before diving in to the shipping verification APIs, you should first understand how to create a beverage alcohol transaction using the CreateTransaction API. The tables below describe the required and optional fields to specify in your beverage alcohol transactions. You can see these parameters in use in the upcoming Examples section.

Advice: Transactions can include a combination of alcohol and non-alcohol lines. In these cases, the shipping verification APIs will treat all non-alcohol lines as unsupported.

Document level fields

The following fields are required at the document level of the CreateTransactionModel.

Field nameDescriptionNotes
type

This specifies the document type to create. When verifying shipping compliance for beverage alcohol transactions, the transaction must be recorded. The following are the only supported document types that can be verified:

  • SalesInvoice
  • ReturnInvoice

The document type in AvaTax defaults to SalesOrder, so this parameter must be specified for beverage alcohol transactions.

Type: String
Required: Yes

Line item fields

The following fields are required in the transaction's LineItemModel.

Field nameDescriptionNotes
taxCode

Currently, compliance checks are only performed for the alcoholic beverage tax codes listed below. All other tax codes are unsupported and are assumed to be compliant.

  • PA2020100 (for packaged alcohol - spirits)
  • PA2020300 (for packaged alcohol - wine)
  • PA2030301 (for packaged alcohol - sparkling wine)
  • PA2020302 (for packaged alcohol - fortified wine)
  • PA2020400 (for packaged alcohol - hard cider and other flavored beverages)
  • PA2020500 (for packaged alcohol - mixed alcoholic beverages)

Checks for additional alcoholic beverage tax codes will be available in a future release.

Type: String
Required: Yes

Parameters

The following fields are included in the transaction's ParameterModel, which can be specified at the document level or line level.

Field nameDescriptionNotes
AlcoholContentThis parameter specifies the total percentage of alcohol by volume included in this line item. If this parameter is not provided, then the line will fail alcohol-content-related compliance checks.Type: NumericMeasured
Required: Yes
AlcoholRouteType

This parameter is used to indicate the sales channel for a beverage alcohol transaction. Available options include:

  • 3T (for wholesale)
  • DTC (for direct to consumer)
  • DTT
  • Pickup
  • Retailer DTC

Support for additional route types will be available in a future release.

Type: Numeration
Required: Yes
BrandThe brand associated with the product being sold. This is passed as a string.Type: String
Required: Yes
CarrierCode

The compliant carrier code used for shipping. Available values are:

  • FEX
  • FEH
  • GPA
  • UWE
  • UP3
  • GES
  • UPA
  • FXG
  • GSP
  • FXP
  • FFO
  • UWEP
  • UWED
  • UPSA
  • GSC
  • GSS
  • FXO
  • FHA
  • UP1
  • GPC
  • FHE
  • GSN
  • FHD
  • FEXCC
  • FEXA
  • UP2
  • UP2A
  • FXE
  • UPS
Type: Enumeration
Required: Yes
ContainerSize

Many jurisdictions have limits on the volume of alcohol that can be purchased in a transaction. This parameter is used to describe the volume of a single container. When specifying the container size, you must also include a unit with one of the following options:

  • Litre
  • Millilitre
  • gallon (US fluid)
  • quart (US fluid)
  • ounce (fluid US customary)
Type: NumericMeasured
Required: Yes
FullfillmentHouseCode

The name of the fulfillment house for wine sales. Available codes include:

  • WineCareLogistics
  • Vinfillment
  • WineCountryConnect
  • WineCountryShipping
  • WineDirect
  • CopperPeakLogistics
  • WineServicesCoop
  • WineCountyPackAndShip
  • WineShipping
Type: Enumeration
Required: Yes
IsAlcoholSampleIndicates whether a beverage alcohol product is a sample product.Type: Boolean
Required: Yes
IsDirectAlcoholImportIndicates whether a beverage alcohol product is a direct import product.Type: Boolean
Required: Yes
IsForeignAlcoholIndicates whether a beverage alcohol product is a foreign product.Type: Boolean
Required: Yes

NetVolume

This parameter specifies the volume of the item in a transaction, exclusive of the packaging, pack size, container, or other ancillary materials. When specifying the net volume, you must also include a unit with one of the following options:
  • Litre
  • Millilitre
  • gallon (US fluid)
  • quart (US fluid)
  • ounce (fluid US customary)
Type: NumericMeasured
Required: Yes
PackSizeThis parameter is used to specify the number of taxable items in a container, such as the number of bottles in a case. Specify Count in the unit field to configure this parameter.Type: NumericMeasured
Required: Yes
PurchaserDOB

This parameter is used to evaluate age restrictions for the purchaser. The purchaser must be of legal age to request the shipment. This parameter is optional, but if it is provided, then AvaTax will perform a check on this value for compliance.

This value should be ISO-8601 compliant (e.g. 2020-07-21).
Type: String
Required: No
PurchaserNameUse this parameter to specify the first and last name of the purchaser associated with the transaction. The first and last names should be separated by a space.Type: String
Required: No
RecipientDOB

This parameter is used to evaluate age restrictions for the recipient. The recipient must be of legal age to receive the shipment. This parameter is optional, but if it is provided, then AvaTax will perform a check on this value for compliance.

This value should be ISO-8601 compliant (e.g. 2020-07-21).
Type: String
Required: No
RecipientNameUse this parameter to specify the first and last name of the recipient associated with the transaction. The first and last names should be separated by a space. This value is required because volume checks are performed on recipients.Type: String
Required: No
SalesLocationThis parameter can be used to describe whether the sale was made onsite or offsite (default).Type: Enumeration
Required: Yes
SellerClassification

Used to indicate whether the transaction is inter or intra state. For beverage alcohol transactions, the available values are:

  • InStateDirectShipper
  • OutOfStateDirectShipper
Type: Enumeration
Required: Yes
ShipDate

This parameter can be used if the date of the shipment is different than the date of the transaction. This value defaults to the transaction date. In addition, AvaTax DOES NOT verify shipments older than the 1st day of the previous month. These older transactions will still be registered but not verified.

The value should be ISO-8601 compliant (e.g. 2020-07-21).

Type: String
Required: Yes
TrackingNumberThe tacking number associated with a direct alcohol shipment. When multiple tracking numbers apply to a shipment, they must be separated by a semicolon (;).

 

Type: String
Required: Yes
VarietalFor wine only, this is used to varietal of wine being shipped. This is passed as a string, for example, Chardonnay.Type: String
Required: No