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.

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)*
:::



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

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General

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Best Practices for your TaxCloud Account

Verify Your TaxCloud Account is Complete for Calculations

How to Enable & Disable Tax Collection in a State

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Video: How to complete your TaxCloud Business Profile

How to Use Multi-Account Login

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Account Setup

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How Payment Methods Are Used For Billing and Tax Funding

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Understanding Your Plans & Billing Page

Billing and Payments

Account and Billing

Understanding the difference between TaxCloud Starter and Premium Plans

Changing your TaxCloud Subscription Plan

Fee Schedule: Understanding TaxCloud Fees

Plans and Pricing

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Where to Find Your API Credentials

TaxCloud System Status

TaxCloud's APIs

How to Add an Exemption Certificate to TaxCloud

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Exemptions and Certificates

TaxCloud Audit Support Overview

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Support and Resources

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Louisiana State Sales Tax Rate Update

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

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Arkansas - Excise, Waste Tire or Withholding Wage Tax

California - CDTFA Statement of Account

Colorado SUTS Filing Reminder Notices

Connecticut - Delinquency Notice

Florida - Credit Memo

Indiana - Notice of Proposed Assessment

Michigan - Business Taxes Registration Summary of Changes

New Jersey - Certificate of Registration

North Carolina - Certificate of Registration

Rhode Island - Failure to Renew

Tennessee - Notice of Overpayment

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Texas - Sales & Use Tax Return Paper Form

Wyoming - License Certificate

State Notices and Licenses

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Understanding Tax Reports and Drilling Into Transaction Details

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

Using the Download Center for Reports

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Uploading Transactions via CSV

Uploading Historical and Marketplace Transactions via CSV

Transactions: Import and Export

Transaction Timestamp Policy

How to Filter Transactions with Advanced Search

Managing your transactions

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How to View and Share Transaction Details

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Transactions: Overview

Navigating Your Tax Dashboard

Transactions and Reporting

Understanding TaxCloud's Filing Costs & Filing Subscription

What are TaxCloud Filing Fees?

Understanding Your Tax Reporting Page

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Filing: General

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How to Stop Filings with TaxCloud

How can TaxCloud assist with Filing?

Enabling Filing in TaxCloud (via Thresholds Page)

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

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

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

Filing: Managing Filing in TaxCloud

Does TaxCloud File in Louisiana?

South Dakota - Sales & Use Tax Return Paper Form

Filing: State-Specific Workflows

Managing Your Tax Thresholds

Filing and Compliance

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

What is Sales Tax Sourcing?

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

Understanding the difference between sales tax and use tax

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

What is Nexus?

What is Washington B&O Tax?

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

Calculating sales tax on Digital Goods

Calculating sales tax on P.O. Boxes

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How does TaxCloud round sales tax?

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Is shipping taxable?

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Sales Tax Holidays & Product Codes (TICs)

Flags, Fuel & Agricultural TICs

Religious, Infant/Toddler & Collectibles TICs

Special Reporting & State Fees TICs

Business, Web Hosting, Construction & Household TICs

Services TICs

General & Administrative TICs

Foods & Beverages TICs

Telecommunications TICs

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Medical & Hygiene TICs

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Taxability and TICs

Tax Concepts

Updating to TaxCloud's new Shopify App (June 2024)

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Shopify Reporting FAQ

Connecting TaxCloud to Shopify

How to Mark Customers Tax Exempt in Shopify

Keeping your TaxCloud and Shopify collection states in sync 

Shopify

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Connecting TaxCloud to BigCommerce

Marking a Customer Exempt in BigCommerce

Upgrading from the Legacy BigCommerce Integration

BigCommerce

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How to Connect my TaxCloud Account to Odoo eCommerce

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Upgrading TaxCloud Modules in Odoo

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Connecting TaxCloud to WooCommerce

Enabling Exemptions In TaxCloud for WooCommerce

How to Configure WooCommerce Order Capture Behavior with TaxCloud

Understanding WooCommerce Integration Modes

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