TaxCloud has several Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to calculate the sales tax when a customer buys something.

TaxCloud has several Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to calculate the sales tax when a customer buys something.

## But first, what's an API?

A common analogy to explain how APIs work is that of a waiter at a restaurant. For example, you tell the waiter what you want to eat and they write it down (with an API, you complete the data fields so it can get the information you want). The waiter then gives your order to a chef (an API delivers your request to a database), the chef prepares your food (the database computes the data you entered), and the waiter returns with your food (the API returns with the information you requested).

## Below is a list of commonly used TaxCloud APIs (please visit TaxCloud's developer site for more information):


1. **Address Verification API**. A valid shipping address must be provided at checkout to determine the most accurate sales tax. TaxCloud's Address Verification API works with your shopping cart to ensure customers enter addresses correctly and asks customers to confirm an address if it's unrecognized by our database. Note, however, that TaxCloud never stops a transaction from proceeding. It merely asks customers to confirm an address and then provides the most accurate sales tax amount possible with the information provided.
2. **Lookup API Call**. A “TaxCloud Lookup” is an API call sent to TaxCloud from a merchant to determine the sales tax amount of at least one product or service. A Lookup API call considers all relevant information provided by the merchant to determine the tax amount due: e.g. origin address, shipping address, item quantity, item taxability, and item dollar amount.
3. **Duplicate Lookup Calls** - A "Duplicate Lookup" is an original Lookup sent to TaxCloud multiple times. There is no reason to send duplicate API calls, so please talk to your developers if TaxCloud notifies you of duplicate Lookup calls.

There are various reasons why a Lookup call might be sent erroneously, but they're almost always tied to shopping cart settings/configuration. For example, duplicate API calls sometimes occur after

a customer places an item in his/her shopping cart but then continues shopping, and the merchant’s website (shopping cart) is designed to send a new Lookup request each time the customer loads a new page as he/she browses the website's products.

5\. **APIs for Order Completion - (Authorized and Captured; or AuthorizedWithCapture).** These APIs let TaxCloud know when a customer has completed his/ her purchase and your store has collected the appropriate amount of sales tax. (Important: The Captured API call is required to prepare your sales tax reports and returns, regardless of who files your sales tax returns.) The "Authorized" API call is sent to TaxCloud when a customer's payment instrument has been successfully processed. The "Captured" API call is sent to TaxCloud when a customer's order has been shipped. However, many merchants consider an item to be 'shipped' as soon as the customer's payment instrument is processed, so they combined the Authorized call and the Captured call into AuthorizedWithCapture.

6\. **Returns** - This step occurs when an order is canceled or modified after it was completed (after the Captured call). Once a return is initiated through the store's cart admin panel, the store alerts TaxCloud and we modify our transaction records accordingly.

Your cart may use anywhere between 3-5 API call per completed transaction.

For more information, please visit our [Developer Documentation](https://app.taxcloud.com/developer) page.

What are API calls and what do they do?

TaxCloud System Status

Where to Find Your API Key & Login ID

TaxCloud's APIs

What is TaxCloud's Premium Trial?

How to Take Your Integration Live

Preparing For Onboarding

TaxCloud Onboarding Webinars

How to Set Up and Manage Locations

Getting Started

How Payment Methods Are Used For Billing and Tax Funding

How can I get a copy of my TaxCloud invoice receipt?

How do I change my default payment method?

How to Add a Payment Method in TaxCloud

Billing and Payments

How to create a TaxCloud account?

Account Setup

TaxCloud Account Lockout Policy

I have a new EIN. How does that impact my TaxCloud account?

How to Close Your TaxCloud Account and Cancel Subscription

How to Use Multi-Account Login

How to add/remove a contact from your TaxCloud account.

Verify Your TaxCloud Account is Complete for Calculations

Video: How to complete your TaxCloud Business Profile

How do I reset my Password?

How to Enable & Disable Tax Collection in a State

How to Update My New Business Address With The States?

Best Practices for your TaxCloud Account

Account Management

Account and Billing

Changing your TaxCloud Subscription Plan

Fee Schedule: Understanding TaxCloud Fees

Understanding the difference between TaxCloud Starter and Premium Plans

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Understanding Nexus Threshold Calculations

How do I confirm a rate with TaxCloud?

How do I find my Merchant Number?

Is TaxCloud collecting Illinois Retailer's Occupation Tax (ROT)?

What Services Does TaxCloud Provide?

What happens if I go over my allotment of orders?

What is a voluntary seller?

What is an order in TaxCloud?

Can TaxCloud help with my State Income Taxes?

How to Speak to a Member of Each State's Tax Authority or Department of Revenue

How to Speak to a member of each state's DOR

What are Home Rule States?

What is a multi-state id or sstid?

Does TaxCloud collect the Colorado Retail Delivery Fee (CO RDF)?

Understanding the Minnesota Delivery Fee

General

What is an Exemption Certificate?

How to Upload Exemption Certificates in Bulk

How to Add an Exemption Certificate to TaxCloud

Exemptions and Certificates

How to contact TaxCloud?

TaxCloud Audit Support Overview

Support and Resources

Michigan - Business Taxes Registration Summary of Changes

Rhode Island - Failure to Renew

Colorado SUTS Filing Reminder Notices

Texas - Notice of Tax/Fee Due

Texas - Sales & Use Tax Return Paper Form

Florida - Credit Memo

Florida Hunting, Fishing, and Camping Sales Tax Holiday (Sept 8 – Dec 31, 2025)

Arkansas - Excise, Waste Tire or Withholding Wage Tax

Louisiana State Sales Tax Rate Update

Does TaxCloud Handle Sales Tax License Renewals?

How to register in a new state and obtain my Sales Tax License

Indiana - Notice of Proposed Assessment

Nebraska - Enforcement of Lien Notice

New Jersey - Certificate of Registration

North Carolina - Certificate of Registration

Tennessee - Notice of Overpayment

When To Forward a State Notice to Taxcloud

Wyoming - License Certificate

Connecticut - Delinquency Notice

California - CDTFA Statement of Account

State Notices and Licenses

Navigating Your Tax Dashboard

Understanding the Dashboard in Your <PERSON> Account

Navigating the TaxCloud Portal

Uploading Historical and Marketplace Transactions via CSV

How to Import Partial Refunds via CSV

CSV Template Required Fields and Column Descriptions

What is TaxCloud's policy regarding Transaction import timing?

When is the deadline to upload my transactions to TaxCloud?

Why are exempt sales taxing in my import?

Uploading Transactions via CSV

How to Upload Transactions via CSV

Transactions: Import and Export

Can I edit a transaction?

How to Locate a Transaction URL in TaxCloud

Managing your transactions

Transaction Timestamp Policy

How to Filter Transactions with Advanced Search

How to manually return a transaction in TaxCloud?

Setting the Transaction Shipping Destination

How to Manually Add a Transaction

How to View and Share Transaction Details

Transactions: Overview

Using the Download Center for Reports

Does Washington B&O (excise) Tax Appear in Your TaxCloud Reporting?

Understanding the differences between TaxCloud Tax Reporting and Your Platform's Tax Reporting

When does TaxCloud pull my tax funding?

Understanding Tax Reports and Drilling Into Transaction Details

Reporting

Transactions and Reporting

Managing Your Tax Thresholds

South Dakota - Sales & Use Tax Return Paper Form

Does TaxCloud File in Louisiana?

Filing: State-Specific Workflows

Enabling Filing in TaxCloud (via Thresholds Page)

How can TaxCloud assist with Filing?

How do I confirm my filings have been submitted in SST / Streamline member states?

How do I know if TaxCloud is filing for me in a state?

I just got a filing frequency change notice, what should I do?

Understanding TaxCloud's Filing Costs & Filing Subscription

Why might my Direct Filing ACH be less than what TaxCloud is saying I collected.

How to Request TaxCloud to Begin Filing Sales Tax Returns

How to Stop Filings with TaxCloud

Filing: Managing Filing in TaxCloud

Does TaxCloud file Withholding Tax?

Understanding Your Tax Reporting Page

What are TaxCloud Filing Fees?

What does it cost for TaxCloud to file for me in non-SST states?

Filing: General

Filing and Compliance

Is shipping taxable?

Managing Product TIC Mapping with Product Catalog

Sales Tax Holidays & Product Codes (TICs)

TaxCloud Taxability Information Codes (TIC)

Taxability and TICs

Calculating sales tax on Digital Goods

Calculating sales tax on P.O. Boxes

Does TaxCloud Calculate Sales Tax for International Orders?

Guidelines on When TaxCloud May Cover Penalties and Interest (P&I) for Sales Tax Fiilings

How does New York handle sales tax on apparel under \$110?

How does TaxCloud round sales tax?

Is the plus 4 zip code extension (9 digit zip) required to calculate sales tax?

Understanding the difference between sales tax and use tax

What is Sales Tax Sourcing?

What is Streamlined Sales Tax (SST) and do they cover TaxCloud services?

How do I know if I've reached Economic Nexus in a state?

What is Nexus?

What is Washington B&O Tax?

Tax Concepts

Building a custom API connection with TaxCloud

Building a direct API integration with TaxCloud

Reviewing and Submitting an Exemption Certificate

How to Add and Manage Integrations in TaxCloud

Video: How to add or disable an integration

General Integrations

How the QuickBooks Online Integration Works

Connecting TaxCloud to QuickBooks Online

Changing the Sales Tax Display Mode for QuickBooks Online

Managing Exempt Customers in TaxCloud for QuickBooks Online

Managing Invoices with Multiple Payments in Quickbooks (Real-Time Integration)

QuickBooks Online Integration: How to Resolve a Missing Account, Product Code, or Sales Tax Item Error