# Create and activate a company for ECM integrations

Source: https://developer.avalara.com/products/ecm/integration-guides/document-management/cms0875328187517/

Guide: Exemption Certificate Management (ECM)

# Create and activate a company for ECM integrations

Learn how to create and activate a company in your Avalara Sandbox environment for ECM integrations.

Before you begin

Ensure you have the necessary permissions to activate a company in your Avalara account.

About this task

The Avalara Knowledge Center provides detailed information about how to set up a company, including the [information you need to collect](https://knowledge.avalara.com/bundle/dqa1657870670369_dqa1657870670369/page/What_you_need_to_create_a_company_profile.html), [adding your company information](https://knowledge.avalara.com/bundle/dqa1657870670369_dqa1657870670369/page/Add_your_company_information.html), and [specifying where you’ll collect taxes](https://knowledge.avalara.com/bundle/dqa1657870670369_dqa1657870670369/page/Tell_us_where_you_collect_and_pay_tax.html).

For this integration guide, we'll walk through the setup process for creating a company in your Sandbox environment. Technology partners can create a test company with generic information, while API customers may want to use their actual company information.

Steps

1.  Sign in to your Avalara [Sandbox](https://sandbox.admin.avalara.com/) environment.
    1.  Check your email for the confirmation that you received from Avalara when you signed up for your account.
    2.  Sign in to your account using the username and link in your confirmation email.
    3.  Follow the prompts to create a new password.
    4.  Select I accept to agree to the Terms and Conditions.
2.  Select Get Started to begin the walkthrough for adding a company. Specify a name and taxpayer ID for the company, then select Next. This information isn’t verified, so technology partners can use a generic name and taxpayer ID.
3.  Accept the defaults for Is this a standalone company or a child company? and Is this an online marketplace?, then select Next.
4.  Enter a mailing address for your company. For the purposes of this integration guide, enter a Washington State address. Validate the address, then select Next.
5.  Once you've validated your company's primary address, AvaTax enables tax collection in that [jurisdiction](https://help.avalara.com/Avalara_AvaTax_Update/Local_jurisdictions). AvaTax then prompts you to add more regions. Select No, this is complete.
6.  When prompted to confirm whether this company is registered to collect and pay tax in other countries, select No, where I collect tax is complete.
7.  A confirmation page opens. Select Done with tax jurisdictions.
8.  Finally, select Activate Company to begin using AvaTax.

Result

The company is now active, and you can manage its tax calculations and compliance settings.

Tip

You can create multiple company profiles within a single AvaTax account. If you create multiple company profiles, you must designate one as the default company. AvaTax uses company codes to designate which company profile processes the transaction. When creating transactions in AvaTax, if you don't specify a company code, then AvaTax uses the default company to process that transaction.