Approve filings

Once a return has been generated and reconciled, it must be approved before Avalara can file it on behalf of the merchant. This step can be completed manually by the merchant through your platform or automatically by Avalara at a set deadline.

Client review and approval window

Between the 1st and 10th of each month, clients have the opportunity to:

Review their prepared returns.
Approve returns for filing.

This manual review is optional but recommended to ensure accuracy before submission.

Note

Partners building integrations should ensure that clients have visibility into this window, especially if they plan to approve filings manually.

Automatic approval

To ensure that returns are filed on time, Avalara will automatically approve all unapproved returns at 5:00 p.m. PT on the 10th of each month.

This automation guarantees timely submission even if the client doesn't review or take manual action.

Developer implementation guidance

Partner developers must understand the following:

The filing calendar drives this process. Returns will only be generated and eligible for approval if a filing calendar has been created and approved for the respective region and period.
Avalara uses the approveFilings mutation to capture return approvals (see below).
This step can be triggered programmatically by the partner, acting on behalf of the Firm.

View request:

mutation ApproveFilings {
  approveFilings(
    input: {
      companyId: 12345678,
      month: X,
      year: 2025,
      country: "US",
      region: "TX",
      approvalInput: {approve: true}
    }
  ) {
    value {
      companyId
      filingRegions {
        approveDate
        collectAmount
        filingId
        status
        startDate
        salesAmount
        region
        nonTaxableAmount
        id
        hasNexus
        taxAmount
      }
      id
      month
      type
      year
    }
  }
}

View response:

{
  "data": {
    "approveFilings": {
      "value": [
        {
          "companyId": 123456,
          "filingRegions": [
            {
              "approveDate": "2025-04-24T09:30:27.056868",
              "collectAmount": 0,
              "filingId": 123456,
              "status": "PREPARINGTOFILE",
              "startDate": "2025-03-01T00:00:00",
              "salesAmount": 20.2558,
              "region": "TX",
              "nonTaxableAmount": 0,
              "id": 1416389,
              "hasNexus": false,
              "taxAmount": 1.67
            }
          ],
          "id": 123456,
          "month": 3,
          "type": "ORIGINAL",
          "year": 2025
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}