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Avalara Exemption Certificate Management (ECM) Essentials

Automate the process of collecting and storing exemption certificates

Real-time electronic certificate capture and storage for businesses with straightforward tax exemptions.

ECM Essentials overview

How it works

Automate exemption certificate image collection and storage

Send customers a CertExpress link to guide them through certificate creation. They can also upload existing forms for centralized storage.

Gain more control and more accurate calculations

ECM Essentials integrates with your existing Avalara AvaTax instance and only exempts tax on a transaction when a valid certificate has been received.

Easily track expirations

View certificate status, track renewals, find upcoming expirations, and collect new certificates to prevent sales delays.

Improve efficiency without adding resources

Exemption Certificate Management Essentials automates compliance tasks so you can streamline your exemption processes.

Improve efficiency without adding resources

Exemption Certificate Management Essentials automates compliance tasks so you can streamline your exemption processes.
  • When compared to manual processes, automating exemption certificate management simplifies operations, increases productivity, and reduces errors.
  • CertExpress allows your customers to self-manage their certificates, reducing the frustration, back-and-forth, credit or rebill issues, and order delays involved with inaccurate certificates.
  • Providing an overall better purchasing experience helps increase customer retention, improving your bottom line.

Reduce the risk of compliance errors

Keeping track of exemption certificates is crucial for compliance with tax regulations.

Reduce the risk of compliance errors

Keeping track of exemption certificates is crucial for compliance with tax regulations.
  • Collecting and maintaining valid exemption certificates helps reduce the risk of penalties, fines, and customer service issues.
  • ECM Essentials connects with AvaTax to calculate sales tax only when exemption data or a certificate image is on file.

 

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ECM product comparison

Features

Exemption Certificate Management Essentials

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Exemption Certificate Management Pro

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Exemption Certificate Management Premium

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SOC 2 Type 1 and 2 compliance

API and integrations available

Customer exemptions and certificate storage

Natural Language Search

Basic report creation

Automated document validation with OCR

Certificate collection campaign management

Enhanced state tax ID number validation

Integrated tax laws and exemption rules content

Ecommerce module

Exemption matrix

Certificate storage

Single sign-on

Custom data fields, attachments, and comments

Advanced search and reporting

Advanced workflow features and customization

Customized exempt regions and reasons

Retail module

Custom user roles

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions

With ECM Essentials, if a customer purchase is identified as an exempt sale, AvaTax will not omit tax unless exemption data or a certificate image is on file, providing more control and calculation accuracy.

Our certificate creation wizard (CertExpress) increases the accuracy of incoming certificates by asking simple questions to help customers choose the right form, for the right reasons, and the right location.

The tool also guides customers through filling out the form fields. If the form is not filled out correctly, the certificate will not be submitted.

If you receive exemption certificates outside of the portal, simply upload them into ECM Essentials. State-specific expiration dates are preset so you’ll know when to request renewals from your customers.

With ECM Essentials, you have a database of digital certificates, either submitted through CertExpress or added by your team. You can attach certificates to your customers’ accounts, allowing for easy lookup, access, and retrieval.

With ECM Essentials, you can easily run a report and view the status of certificate expiration, making it easier to identify when to request new certificates. From within ECM Essentials, you can send an email directly to your customer to request a new one.

Resources

Product

Exemption Certificate Management Pro

ECM Pro is built to dramatically improve compliance efficiency, management, and audit preparedness.
Learn more
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Avalara Image

Product

Exemption Certificate Management Pro

ECM Pro is built to dramatically improve compliance efficiency, management, and audit preparedness.

Product

Exemption Certificate Management Premium

Advanced features and customizable options make ECM Premium ideal for businesses with complex needs and high exemption volume.
Learn more
Avalara Image
Avalara Image

Product

Exemption Certificate Management Premium

Advanced features and customizable options make ECM Premium ideal for businesses with complex needs and high exemption volume.

Product

Vendor Exemption Management

Create and send certificates to vendors at scale to avoid unnecessary delays or paying taxes you don’t owe.
Learn more
Avalara Image
Avalara Image

Product

Vendor Exemption Management

Create and send certificates to vendors at scale to avoid unnecessary delays or paying taxes you don’t owe.
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