---
title: "What's the difference between a lookup and an order?"
description: "TaxCloud does two fundamentally different things with your transactions: it calculates tax, and it records tax. Knowing which is which helps you understand your bill and your reporting."
canonical_url: "https://support.taxcloud.com/articles/whats-the-difference-between-a-lookup-and-an-order-mZCfnB6Kpf"
md_url: "https://support.taxcloud.com/articles/whats-the-difference-between-a-lookup-and-an-order-mZCfnB6Kpf.md"
---
# What's the difference between a lookup and an order?

TaxCloud does two fundamentally different things with your transactions: it calculates tax, and it records tax. Knowing which is which helps you understand your bill and your reporting.

**In one line**: a lookup is a calculation, an order is a completed transaction.

## Lookup (the calculation)

A lookup is a request that asks TaxCloud, "how much tax applies here?" It considers origin, destination, quantity, and product taxability, and returns a rate or amount. It does not record a sale or create any tax liability.

Lookups typically happen when:

* A shopper is still browsing or at checkout and you're showing an estimated tax amount.
* You're generating a quote or estimate.
* You're validating a shipping address.

Because a lookup is just a calculation, it counts as 1/10th of an order toward your subscription allotment.

## Order (the completed transaction)

An order is a finalized transaction that TaxCloud records for reporting and filing. This is the data TaxCloud eventually files with the state on your behalf, so it carries real tax liability.

An order is created when a transaction is completed — when the sale is finalized/fulfilled or paid (depending on your connection's capture settings). Orders include:

* Sales — a completed purchase.
* Refunds and returns — these are recorded transactions too, because they change what you owe.

Each completed sale, refund, or return counts as one full order toward your subscription allotment.

## Side by side

| <br />                           | Lookup                                                   | Order                                  |
| :------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------- |
| **What it is**                   | A tax calculation or address check                       | A recorded, completed transaction      |
| **When it happens**              | Browsing, checkout estimates, quotes, address validation | A sale, refund, or return is finalized |
| **Records a transaction?**       | No                                                       | Yes                                    |
| **Creates tax liability?**       | No                                                       | Yes                                    |
| **Used for reporting & filing?** | No                                                       | Yes                                    |
| **Counts toward your plan**      | 1/10th of an order                                       | 1 full order                           |

## How this affects your subscription

Both lookups and orders count toward your monthly plan usage — orders at full weight, lookups at 1/10th. Here's the full breakdown of what counts:

* Each sale, refund, or return counts as **one order.**
* Applying an exemption certificate to an order counts as **two orders**.
* Each transaction **imported via CSV** with a unique `order_id` counts as one order. 
* Orders that will be used for filing count toward your allotment:
  If `ExcludeFromFiling` is `False`, the order counts toward your allotment.
  If `ExcludeFromFiling` is `True`, the order is treated as historical, or as a marketplace order another entity has already filed, and it **does not count**.
* All **imported orders** sent to any jurisdiction or state count toward your monthly order limit, regardless of whether sales tax was collected.
* Any API call that is a unique **tax rate lookup or address verification** counts as 1/10th of an order toward your monthly total.

:::info
**Note:**

* Orders above your order tier will be billed per order at the tier's per order price, unless you upgrade order tiers.
* Orders from [SST member states](https://support.taxcloud.com/en-us/articles/what-is-streamlined-sales-tax-sst-and-do-they-cover-taxcloud-services-6iV6ycHRCp) do not count toward the plan allotment, provided the merchant is on a Premium plan, enrolled in SST for the member states, and has no physical nexus in the member states. *(API lookups, 1/10th of an order, are still counted towards usage)*
:::