Exemption Certificate Management (ECM), also known as CertCapture, helps you collect, validate, and store exemption certificates in one place. It reduces manual work and keeps certificate data accurate and easy to retrieve for audits.

Core capabilities

Collect and apply exemption certificates across online, in-store, and offline sales workflows.

Capture certificates across channels

Let customers upload certificates or enter details to generate and submit new ones.

Customer-friendly upload and collection

Validate certificate data at collection so required documentation is complete and audit-ready.

Reduce non-compliance risk

Apply exemptions when valid certificates exist to reduce rebills, credits, and manual fixes.

Improve billing accuracy at scale

Start with the API documentation and integration guides. Choose the path that fits your setup, new implementation or existing ECM account, then follow the integration steps to enable certificate collection and management.

Getting started

Integrate ECM into checkout, invoicing, and tax calculation workflows to capture and reference exemption data throughout the transaction lifecycle. Use APIs to submit, validate, retrieve, and manage certificate status.

How it integrates

What Exemption Certificate Management solves

When to use Exemption Certificate Management

Exemption Certificate Management

View API docs

AvaTax automates real-time sales and use tax determination across jurisdictions, enabling accurate tax calculation at the point of transaction. It removes the need to manually maintain tax rates, rules, and sourcing logic while keeping systems aligned with continuously updated tax content.

Calculate sales and use tax during checkout, invoicing, or order processing using jurisdiction-aware logic that reflects current tax rules and boundaries.

Real-time tax determination

Apply consistent tax logic across ecommerce, marketplace, POS, and ERP systems so transactions return accurate totals regardless of where they originate.

Compliance-ready transactions

Validate addresses and map transactions to the correct tax jurisdictions to reduce errors caused by incomplete or inaccurate location data.

Intelligent address and jurisdiction mapping

Support scenarios such as product taxability differences, exemption logic, shipping rules, and temporary tax changes without building custom rule engines.

Complex rule handling

Explore API endpoints, SDKs, integration guides, and MCP capabilities. A 90-day free trial is available for evaluation and sandbox testing.

AvaTax integrates through APIs and SDKs, enabling implementation within commerce platforms, billing systems, ERPs, and custom applications. It supports both direct API integration and broader compliance workflows.

AvaTax

New ECM Customer

Get Started

Getting the duties and taxes right on cross-border sales is critical for your operations and your customers. Avalara AvaTax Cross-Border makes it easy to sell products anywhere in the world by calculating customs duties and import taxes.

Apply Avalara-maintained tax rules and rates tailored to your product category and jurisdictions.

Industry-specific logic

Support tiered pricing, bundled offerings, exemptions, and multi-jurisdiction calculations without custom engines.

Complex scenarios

Stay current with evolving requirements through regularly updated content and configuration options.

Regulatory alignment

Integrate with billing, ERP, and custom apps using REST APIs built for high-volume transaction processing.

Operational scale

Use API documentation, integration checklists, and environment setup guides linked from each product below. Provisioning and access details depend on your Avalara products and onboarding path.

Avalara APIs provide REST interfaces for billing, subscription, ERP, and custom applications. They support scalable tax determination and high-volume processing so you can embed compliance into your existing workflows.

AvaTax Cross-Border

Are you selling throughout the U.S.? If so, getting registered with the states in which you’re obligated to collect and remit sales tax should be one of your first steps.

Registrations

Avalara Managed Returns API enables partners and platforms to embed tax return preparation and filing into their workflows. It helps automate compliance by allowing businesses to manage returns without leaving their systems.

Enable return preparation, filing, and remittance within partner or platform environments without requiring separate interfaces.

Embedded returns workflows

Consolidate transaction data from ecommerce platforms, marketplaces, and business systems into a unified returns workflow.

Multi-channel data aggregation

Prepare returns and manage payments across jurisdictions through integrated, automated processes.

Automated filing and remittance

Enable partners to extend compliance capabilities to multiple customers while maintaining consistent workflows and visibility.

Scalable partner enablement

Access Avalara Managed Returns API documentation and integration guides in the developer portal.

Setup involves configuring data flows, authentication, and mapping transaction data into returns workflows.

Avalara Managed Returns API integrates through APIs with partner platforms, marketplaces, and ERP systems to ingest transaction data and manage return workflows.

It acts as an embedded layer on top of Avalara Returns capabilities, enabling automated compliance within existing systems.

Avalara Managed Returns API

Avalara Tax Content (ATC) provides centralized, regularly updated tax data to support accurate tax calculation across systems. It delivers jurisdiction-specific tax rates, rules, and taxability logic that integrate with ERP, point-of-sale (POS), billing, and custom applications.

Deliver consistent tax rates, rules, and jurisdiction mappings across systems using a standardized content source.

Centralized tax content platform

Calculate tax in offline or edge environments without real-time API calls. Receive updated tax content to reflect regulatory changes.

Offline and POS-ready tax support with automated updates

Extend tax content with user-defined fields to align with internal data models, reporting needs, or system requirements.

Flexible data model and customizations

Support multiple industry use cases through specialized content models, including retail, lodging, and car rental.

Industry-specific extensions

Access ATC APIs, configuration endpoints, and integration guidance in the developer portal.

Setup involves configuring business locations, selecting content templates, and integrating tax data delivery into downstream systems.

Avalara Tax Content integrates with POS systems, ERP platforms, billing systems, and custom applications by delivering tax data in standardized or system-aligned formats.

Content is delivered through APIs or file-based methods (such as SFTP) and ingested into target systems to support consistent tax calculation workflows.

Avalara Tax Content

The Amount Threshold To Ignore Transaction

The Amount Threshold To Mark Transaction For Manual Review

The Ap Config Tolerance Type
BATCH or REALTIME

ApConfigToleranceType

Ignore threshold when Vendor Charged Tax is zero

Represents one configuration setting for this account

MaxLines

The unique ID number of the account to which this setting applies

The User ID of the user who created this record.

The date/time when this record was last modified.

The user ID of the user who last modified this record.

The current value of the configuration setting

An account user who is permitted to use AvaTax.

ABCDEFGHIJK

The user id for the user who created this record.

The user id of user who last modified this record.

The unique name for license key per account

The unique ID number assigned to this account.

Test Account

AccountStatusId

AccountTypeId

The earliest date on which this account may be used.

If this account has been closed, this is the last date the account was open.

A boolean flag to identify if the account is deleted

Is Saml based authentication used by this account for user to login via AI.

Optional: A list of subscriptions granted to this account.  To fetch this list, add the query string "?$include=Subscriptions" to your URL.

Optional: A list of all the users belonging to this account.  To fetch this list, add the query string "?$include=Users" to your URL.

Specifies a duration for which to grant TSA accounts write access.
See AVT-25316

Descibes a record of an account granting TSA accounts write access.
See AVT-25316

The id of the account to which the TSA access entry belongs to.

The date/time when this TSA access record expires.

Represents a request to activate an account by reading and accepting its terms and conditions.

Set this to true if and only if you accept Avalara's terms and conditions for your account.

Set this to true if and only if you have fully read Avalara's terms and conditions for your account.

Certificate with exemption reason and exposure zone. This is exposed in the URL's `$includes`.

EXPOSURE

RESALE

Washington

The actual tax code for this certificate.

The actual tax number for this certificate.

The date/time when this certificate was created.

The expected tax code for this certificate.

The expected tax number for this certificate.

The exposure zone where this certificate is valid.

The unique ID number of this certificate.

The date/time when this certificate was last modified.

Model to add specific lines to exising transaction

DocumentType

Represents the different types of transactions that AvaTax can process.

Option to renumber lines after add. After renumber, the line number becomes: "1", "2", "3", ...

document code for the transaction to add lines

Name or ISO 3166 code identifying the country.
            
This field supports many different country identifiers:
 * Two character ISO 3166 codes
 * Three character ISO 3166 codes
 * Fully spelled out names of the country in ISO supported languages
 * Common alternative spellings for many countries
            
For a full list of all supported codes and names, please see the Definitions API `ListCountries`.

Geospatial latitude measurement, in Decimal Degrees floating point format.

Geospatial longitude measurement, in Decimal Degrees floating point format.

Postal Code / Zip Code component of the address.

Name or ISO 3166 code identifying the region within the country.
            
This field supports many different region identifiers:
 * Two and three character ISO 3166 region codes
 * Fully spelled out names of the region in ISO supported languages
 * Common alternative spellings for many regions
            
For a full list of all supported codes and names, please see the Definitions API `ListRegions`.

If you wish to use the address of an existing location for this company, specify the address here.
Otherwise, leave this value empty.
            
The `locationCode` field on this object allows you to quickly use the address of an existing `locationModel` object instead
of having to retype the address completely.
            
This field does not affect the behavior of transactions that must be filed on location-based tax returns.  To specify how a
transaction will be reported on location-based tax returns, please see the `reportingLocationCode` field
on the [CreateTransactionModel](https://developer.avalara.com/api-reference/avatax/rest/v2/models/CreateTransactionModel/) element.

The geospatial coordinates of this address

List of informational and warning messages regarding this address

The resolution quality of the geospatial coordinates

ResolutionQuality

The address resolution quality of an address validation result

Specify the text case for the validated address result.  If not specified, will return uppercase.

TextCase

Information about all the addresses involved in this transaction.
            
For a physical in-person transaction at a retail point-of-sale location, please specify only one address using
the `singleLocation` field.
            
For a transaction that was shipped, delivered, or provided from an origin location such as a warehouse to
a destination location such as a customer, please specify the `shipFrom` and `shipTo` addresses.
            
In the United States, some jurisdictions recognize the address types `pointOfOrderOrigin` and `pointOfOrderAcceptance`.
These address types affect the sourcing models of some transactions.

VAT transactions support a `goodsPlaceOrServiceRendered` address, which indicates where goods are located or where services 
are rendered. VAT transactions also support an `import` address, which specifies the address of the buyer importing a good 
from another country.

India GST transactions support a `billTo` address, which specifies where invoices and other billing-related information are sent to the buyer.
            
If latitude and longitude information is provided for any of these addresses along with line, city, region, country and postal code information,
we will be using only latitude and longitude and will discard line, city, region, country and postal code information for the transaction.
Please ensure that you have the correct latitude/longitude information for the addresses prior to using the API.
If you provide either latitude or longitude information but not both, we will be using the line, city, region, country and postal code information for the addresses.

The address where invoices and other billing-related information are sent to the buyer. This address type is only for India GST transactions.

The address where the goods are located or where services are rendered. This address type is valid only for VAT transactions.

The address of the buyer importing a good from another country. This address type is valid only for VAT transactions.

The place of business where you accept/approve the customer’s order,
thereby becoming contractually obligated to make the sale.  This address type is valid in the United States only
and only applies to tangible personal property.

The place of business where you receive the customer's order.  This address type is valid in the United States only
and only applies to tangible personal property.

The origination address where the products were shipped from, or from where the services originated.

The destination address where the products were shipped to, or where the services were delivered.

If this transaction occurred at a retail point-of-sale location, provide that single address here and leave
all other address types null.

Replace an existing MultiDocument transaction recorded in AvaTax with a new one.

If the AdjustmentReason is "Other", specify the reason here.
            
This is required when the AdjustmentReason is 8 (Other).

A reason code indicating why this adjustment was made

AdjustmentReason

Indicates the type of adjustment that was performed on a transaction

Replace the current MultiDocument transaction with tax data calculated for this new MultiDocument transaction

Replace an existing transaction recorded in AvaTax with a new one.

Replace the current transaction with tax data calculated for this new transaction

Input model for the Advanced Rules bulk import API

Flag to forbid reordering of the rules when all existing rules are updated

Flag to try updating existing rules instead of just append

Output model for the Advanced Rules bulk import API

Rule Execution

Import results for individual rule executions

BulkImportStatus

Model for retrieving customer data schema

Model representing an execution of an advanced rule for a company

Replaces a target value on the transaction with a replacement value

Generic replace rule

Should we keep running if we hit an exception

Unique identifier of customer data used in rule execution

The rule execution Ids in the desired order

Model for Advanced Rules when full details are requested

The JSON schema for customer data if it is required for the rule

Execution position. Both, Before or After

Is this a system rule as opposed to customer-facing

Model for the results of importing a single rule execution with the Advanced Rules bulk import API

Import result status message (e.g. list of validation errors)

Import result status code (e.g. Success, ValidationFailed, NotCreated, etc.)

Model representing a lookup file for a company

SWQsTWF0ZXJpYWxHcm91cCxUYXhDb2RlIA0KMSw0MjM0NSxTQzE1MDMwNg0KMiw0MjM0NixTQzE1MDMwNg0KMywxMTExMSxQMDAwMDAwMA0KNCw0NDQ0NCxEQzAxMDAwMA0KNSw5MDk5OSxTUDE0MDAwMA==

sampleLookupFile

Is this a lookup file in use for any rule

Is this a lookup file created for testing

A generic global advanced rule encapsulating a script

Set this value to true in order to approve the filings.

Associated objects have been deleted successfully.

ErrorCodeId

SeverityLevel

Provides detailed information about an API call.
            
The information on this record was captured by AvaTax when your API call was made.  If you are unsure why you
received an error, you can fetch these audit objects and examine the `RequestUrl`, `RequestBody`, and `ErrorMessage`
fields to determine root cause for the error.

The unique ID number of the account to which the user belongs.

If your API call specified a `AdapterName` in the [Client Profile Headers](https://developer.avalara.com/avatax/client-headers/), this
variable will contain its value.  This information is self-reported by the client and is not guaranteed to be present.

If your API call specified a `AdapterVersion` in the [Client Profile Headers](https://developer.avalara.com/avatax/client-headers/), this
variable will contain its value.  This information is self-reported by the client and is not guaranteed to be present.

If your API call specified a `ClientName` in the [Client Profile Headers](https://developer.avalara.com/avatax/client-headers/), this
variable will contain its value.  This information is self-reported by the client and is not guaranteed to be present.

If your API call specified a `ClientVersion` in the [Client Profile Headers](https://developer.avalara.com/avatax/client-headers/), this
variable will contain its value.  This information is self-reported by the client and is not guaranteed to be present.

If this API call included requests made to any of the AvaTax data layers, this contains the number of requests that were traced.
            
Please note that not all data layers support this measurement.

If this API call included requests made to any of the AvaTax data layers, this contains the total duration time measured for all the requests.
            
Please note that not all data layers support this measurement.

If this API call reported an error, this contains the name of the error that was returned.  You can look up more
information about AvaTax error messages on the [AvaTax REST Error Page](https://developer.avalara.com/avatax/errors/).

The origin IP address from which AvaTax received this API call.  If you use a proxy layer or other
gateway, this IP address may be the address of the gateway.  This information is not guaranteed
to be accurate and may change based on network conditions between your site and AvaTax.

If your API call specified a `MachineName` in the [Client Profile Headers](https://developer.avalara.com/avatax/client-headers/), this
variable will contain its value.  This information is self-reported by the client and is not guaranteed to be present.

If this API call returned an array of information, this value contains the number of records returned.

A context-dependent reference code for this API call.  This reference code is not guaranteed to contain a specific value
and may be used differently by various API calls.

A context-dependent reference ID for this API call.  This reference ID is not guaranteed to contain a specific value
and may be used differently by various API calls.

If this API call included interoperation with other Avalara services, this contains the amount of time taken by those services.

If this request was an HTTP request that included a body such as a POST or a PUT, this will contain the request body sent by the client.
            
This request body is represented as a string, exactly as it was received from the client.  Regardless of whether the request was JSON,
Base64 encoded bytes, or a CSV file, this contains the exact contents of the request body.

The original request URL as provided by the client.

The entire response body sent from the AvaTax server to the client.  This value is returned as a string regardless of whether the results
were JSON-formatted text, CSV files, or raw strings.

The HTTP response code that was sent by the server.