Avalara software Reviews

“Avalara tax interpretation is easiest of the 4 tax software engines I use today

Pros

Avalara has crafted a logical and well-planned tax calculation solution that simplifies complex tax scenarios like surcharges and nested taxes in the telecommunications industry, which are unfamiliar to many traditional CPAs and accountants.

Cons

Avalara's implementations and customer support have consistently fallen short. Every time I've worked with Avalara, my team and I have ended up doing the majority of the work to implement, test, and go live. This has been an ongoing issue across multiple products we use. It's crucial that Avalara addresses this promptly.

“Avalara Review

Pros

The products are simple to navigate, and we've had favorable experiences with most of them.

Cons

When I need assistance, the customer service at Avalara often leaves much to be desired.

“Murphy's Review

Pros

Avalara has been instrumental in meeting the legal tax requirements for my small business ??.

Cons

I find Avalara to be an excellent source of tax information, and I have no complaints about it.

“My Avalara Review 2024

Pros

What stands out to me about Avalara's product is its intuitive design.

Cons

At the moment, I don't have any issues. The product works really well for me.

“Efficient and Reliable Tax Compliance Solution

Pros

What impressed me most about Avalara was its seamless integration with various platforms and its automation of tax calculations, which significantly cuts down on manual work and reduces errors in tax compliance.

Cons

What I found most challenging about Avalara was the complexity of the initial setup and configuration. It can be time-consuming and may require technical support to ensure everything integrates and functions correctly.

“Avalara Review

Pros

Easy to Use: The platform is intuitive and integrates smoothly with other systems. Comprehensive: It handles various tax tasks such as calculation, filing, and certificate management. Accurate: Avalara stays updated with tax laws to ensure precise tax calculations. Scalable: It suits businesses of all sizes.

Cons

Cost-wise, Avalara can be quite expensive, especially for small businesses. The initial setup and integration are complex and can take up a lot of time. Some users have reported that customer support isn't as responsive as expected. Additionally, frequent updates and changes sometimes disrupt workflows and necessitate further adjustments.

“Review of Avalara AvaTax and Returns

Pros

Avalara AvaTax and Returns are essential for us due to the volume of transactions and returns we handle. Moreover, Avalara stays ahead of tax regulation changes, relieving us of that burden.

Cons

I've found that Avalara's help desk isn't particularly helpful, especially when dealing with issues like incorrect tax calculations. Resolving these matters often involves lengthy back-and-forth exchanges via tickets.

“great product

Pros

AVA TAX simplifies multi-state sales tax calculations and generates tax reports. Sales tax rates are always up-to-date.

Cons

ECM Pro needs to integrate with the state tax ID lookup system.

“the worst customer service I've ever experienced, not an exaggeration

Pros

When it operates correctly for certain states, it's a pleasant experience.

Cons

It's frustrating not being able to speak to someone who truly understands how the software operates. Currently, I'm navigating through the system somewhat blindly, as the customer support line seems ill-prepared to handle technical queries. Their lack of knowledge about the system sometimes requires me to explain its functions to them.

“Good product but expensive, not trustworthy & not for international stores

Pros

Seems like a solid product (though primarily geared towards the US), offering a variety of services under one roof.

Cons

My experience with Avalara's sales representatives left much to be desired. They seemed more focused on making the sale rather than offering trustworthy advice. During the implementation process, we needed more guidance and would have appreciated personalized assistance, even if it meant paying for it. Clear communication about international system capabilities, especially for a Canadian corporation like ours, was lacking. Compatibility issues with Avalara also slowed down our system significantly, despite raising the concern with their tech team.

“Easy Auto Tax Calculatations that does the work for you!

Pros

I appreciate that Avalara keeps up with tax rate updates automatically, saving us the manual effort.

Cons

I have no complaints about Avalara. It fulfills our needs efficiently and effectively.

“Run Away, You are ON YOUR OWN

Pros

Their tax calculations appear reasonably precise.

Cons

I've encountered issues with Avalara's report filing being inaccurate and incomplete, and it's incredibly frustrating not being able to reach a human for assistance.

“The most terrible customer service ever

Pros

The sales pitch for Avalara made it sound incredibly user-friendly and easy to implement. The enthusiasm was convincing. However, after signing the contract, the support turned out to be extremely disappointing. It's surprising that this company remains in business.

Cons

Avalara charged me to register in 10 states, but later informed me that they couldn't complete the registration for 5 of those states. Despite multiple requests for a refund, they never reimbursed me. Their organizational disarray was evident from the frequent changes in my representative. During the first month, I had to file returns myself in each state, as Avalara didn't even notice the pending deadlines. This level of incompetence was disappointing, given the substantial fees I paid for their services.

“If everything is set up & you don't need any additional support, Avalara is great. Otherwise, look elsewhere

Pros

It is remarkably easy to navigate their website due to its user-friendly design and intuitive layout, making finding information and accessing various features a hassle-free experience. I also appreciate the dashboard alerts about approaching nexus thresholds. While our previous account manager was responsive and helpful, our new one unfortunately isn't.

Cons

Their email method is chaotic and confusing, starting new email threads with every response. This made it nearly impossible to keep track of multiple ongoing projects. Their website also experiences regular downtime, often with critical pages not functioning properly, which adds to the frustration. The hefty state registration fees are another drawback, considering we essentially provide all necessary filing information ourselves.

“Brutal customer service, no transparency on billing

Pros

Tax calculations are accurate, barring any API downtime.

Cons

I've been struggling to get a clear answer from Avalara's support team regarding a significant billing increase. Despite multiple attempts, including submitting a support case and making phone calls, I've received irrelevant responses or no response at all. The lack of communication and mismanagement of my case have been extremely frustrating.

“Using the DAVO Feature of Avalara

Pros

The company was founded on making a typically burdensome process as seamless as possible. I implemented Avalara years ago at another company and was thoroughly pleased with the service. DAVO integrates seamlessly into our restaurant POS systems, helping us manage sales tax liabilities separately from our operating accounts, which has been a significant improvement.

Cons

My past interactions with Avalara featured outstanding customer service. However, with their expansion into new business areas like DAVO, I fear they may have diverted focus from maintaining this level of customer care. I miss the personalized interaction that used to define their service.

“Ride on the Avawave

Pros

I value the ease of use, especially as a small business owner juggling multiple responsibilities.

Cons

I'm not a fan of Avalara's headquarters being located right next to my apartment in Seattle.

“Ease the burden of filing

Pros

It's convenient and stress-free. I no longer worry about filing taxes.

Cons

Contacting Avalara can be incredibly frustrating when changes occur, either through the state or otherwise.

“REVIEW OF DAVO

Pros

Takes away the headache of managing sales tax.

Cons

We haven't encountered any negative issues with the product.

“Big help in dealing with different state tax entities

Pros

Sales tax management has become increasingly complex, but Avalara has been invaluable in streamlining the process. Despite a few issues, it saves us a considerable amount of time and effort.

Cons

Setting up Avalara can be challenging, and when it doesn't work as expected, it disrupts document processing.

“Avalara is a No Brainer! Set Up NOW!

Pros

I like how accessible and easy it is to set up Avalara. Automating sales tax within our business has been effortless.

Cons

We've had a great experience with Avalara since integrating it into our business, with no issues whatsoever.

“Avalara - saves time and reduces headaches

Pros

They are experts in sales tax filings and are constantly enhancing their services.

Cons

So far, I haven't encountered any issues, and I hope it stays that way.

“Horrible Customer Service and Horrible Software

Pros

There are absolutely no advantages to dealing with this company!

Cons

Avalara's personnel seem incompetent, and their customer service is nonexistent. They mishandled our data by combining our account with another company's and have been unresponsive to our emails and calls. They overcharge and make it impossible to cancel accounts, continuing to charge fees despite requests to stop. It's been a frustrating experience overall.

“Absolute fraud of a service, costed us thousands in tax penalties

Pros

Nothing positive to say; there are much better options available.

Cons

Their customer service is terrible, and I wouldn't trust them to handle tax return filings.

“A company that looks good, but doesn't produce results.

Pros

They appear very professional from the outside and eager to make sales, but everything became problematic after signing up.

Cons

Avalara is too expensive, and getting adequate help is challenging. Despite nine months of troubleshooting with both Restrict Content Pro and Avalara, my connector never worked, and the issue remained unresolved despite high costs.

“best way to manage tax returns

Pros

My experience so far has been exceptionally positive, primarily due to the robust reporting feature that simplifies everything for me.

Cons

Nothing so far. The only thing needed is the ability to upload exempt certificates and templates to compete with others.

“Rate Information Can't be beat

Pros

The precision of rate accuracy, coupled with the pinpoint locator using latitude and longitude, enhances the efficiency of my operations.

Cons

Sometimes finding a specific question is challenging, but this is rare.

“Highly recommend

Pros

Avalara impresses with its intuitive interface, making it effortless to collect and remit accurate sales tax. The variety of detailed reports available on the platform ensures that I always stay compliant. I also greatly value the abundance of educational resources, such as webinars and articles, which have proven incredibly insightful.

Cons

The Support case Notice process could be better - cases close automatically after a response from Avalara support, making it hard to get follow-up questions answered once the case is closed.

“Avalara makes tax compliance easy

Pros

Once properly configured, Avalara operates seamlessly and automatically, streamlining my processes.

Cons

The integration was a bit tough given our business model.

“Review

Pros

I find the reporting capabilities of Avalara simple and easy to navigate.

Cons

The responses I receive to my tickets often lack depth and detail, making them feel overly simplistic and not particularly helpful in resolving more complex issues.

“Avalara ECM Pro user

Pros

While I appreciate all the features Avalara offers, I find the transaction recording and ECM management particularly beneficial for my needs.

Cons

There's nothing to update you on right now. As far as I've used it, I've done everything needed very easily.

“Overall Satisfaction

Pros

The comprehensive training materials, responsive support, straightforward report filing, and effective campaigns contribute significantly to my positive experience.

Cons

It's very difficult with language issues, and support sometimes struggles to understand what I'm referring to.

“Great software, but expensive and the support you don't receive from Avalara

Pros

Avalara's user-friendly interface and excellent reporting capabilities make it a pleasure to use!

Cons

When I inactivate a customer, the links or pending ones still go out. It should cancel the links if inactivated.

“Better than nothing, but many areas that need a lot of improvement

Pros

Once I grasped the coding requirements, Avalara reliably handles sales tax calculations and timely filing of returns.

Cons

There's a lack of support, with virtually no communication from key support staff who are critical for most tasks in Avalara. The software is not intuitive, figuring it out is a nightmare, and if you don't code everything properly, it can do as much harm as good. Person-to-person communication is extremely hard to get in sufficient quantities to be effective.

“Horrible Service- DO NOT USE

Pros

Unfortunately, my experience with this company has been disappointing, and I cannot find anything positive to say about them.

Cons

Everything, probably the customer service was the worst. They never answer emails and constantly drop the ball.

“Quick, Easy to Use Tool

Pros

Avalara serves as a comprehensive solution for all our business tax calculation and compliance needs, which is a huge advantage.

Cons

The service is costly, but there are many benefits to the program.

“Avalara is a nightmare

Pros

We found that Avalara was readily available in the hosting environment we were using at the time.

Cons

Their customer service is awful. They close claim tickets without working with you to fix the problem. When I do get a Zoom meeting, I never talk with the same person twice, so I have to start over. They blame other platforms I use as the source of my problem. Some of my issues have worsened due to the fixes their customer service reps implemented to fix other issues.

“Taxes Simplified

Pros

The ability to manage different product types without setting up separate tax groups has been a significant convenience for me.

Cons

I wish it was already integrated into the Wix platform.

“Expensive, consider all options

Pros

The ease of inputting data, submitting returns, and accessing finalized returns sets Avalara apart as exceptionally user-friendly.

Cons

Everything is a cost, and nothing is all-encompassing. From customer service to the number of transactions/returns, each one is a cost and it's not cheap.

“Love/Hate Avalara

Pros

One of the standout features of Avalara for me is their efficient management of our sales tax returns, which is often the most challenging aspect of running a business.

Cons

The Avalara team is terrible about following up with customers. Also, the account manager (CAM) changes very frequently without informing the customer.

“Avalara

Pros

Avalara has played a crucial role in ensuring our compliance with tax reporting requirements, which is essential for our operations.

Cons

There were too many steps to upload certificates, but that has been resolved with Avalara streamlining with Avatax. I don't like that it doesn't work well with our software; it's still a lot of manual manipulations. However, it's just our software.

“Avalara simplifies sales tax, but the QuickBooks Online integration is glitchy

Pros

Avalara simplifies the complex task of sales tax collection across multiple states, which is a significant relief.

Cons

The integration with QuickBooks Online is glitchy. It frequently gets errors and requires refreshing. Also, it would be nice if the integration didn't add a line item and instead put the sales tax next to the subtotal.

“Tax Accountant

Pros

The detailed reporting tools provided by Avalara, such as the Credit Carry Forward balance and liability worksheet, offer invaluable support, particularly in audit situations.

Cons

I don't have any issues with the software. It's the customer service that is lacking.

“Sales Tax Assistance

Pros

Being able to confidently file monthly returns, knowing they are accurate and compliant, is a testament to Avalara's reliability.

Cons

They don't update you when exempt certificates expire or contact you.

“Tax Accountant

Pros

Avalara's intuitive system not only simplifies processes but also minimizes the risk of human error, ensuring accuracy in all transactions.

Cons

Sometimes the response from customer service is slower than expected.

“Avalara Review

Pros

Avalara seamlessly integrates with our ERP system and provides all the necessary features we require to manage our tax obligations efficiently.

Cons

I find the pricing structure to be somewhat confusing, as it lacks clarity and can be difficult to understand.

“Easy to use software

Pros

Generating and printing reports for individual states is straightforward and hassle-free with Avalara.

Cons

Cases are closed too soon, requiring me to reopen them.

“It works well

Pros

Overall, Avalara's platform is intuitive and designed with the user in mind, ensuring a positive user experience.

Cons

It can be challenging to view the actual forms, though it's not overly problematic.

“Great Software

Pros

Our experience with Avalara's integration process was smooth and seamless, and their customer service has been consistently excellent.

Cons

The functionality and layout leave room for improvement, as they could be more intuitive and user-friendly.

“Pretty good tax solution

Pros

Avalara offers comprehensive coverage and integrates seamlessly with our ERP system, providing robust support for our business operations.

Cons

It's a bit complicated and exemption management could be improved.