TaxJar

#Overview

TaxJar is the sales-tax engine CMS Max uses under the hood. Your store sends the cart and shipping destination to TaxJar; TaxJar returns the correct rate down to the city/county level. You don't maintain tax tables.

You have two options: use the free tier (shared CMS Max TaxJar account, up to 100 orders/month in the tax API) or connect your own TaxJar account for unlimited usage and advanced features like AutoFile.

Most stores should start on the free tier. Switch to your own account only if you exceed the limit or want TaxJar-specific features.

#What TaxJar handles for you

• Accurate sales tax rates down to city and county level — no manual tax tables to maintain
• Real-time calculations at checkout, with API response times under 75 milliseconds
• Tax applied based on the correct fulfillment location (shipping address, pickup location, or delivery address) — not the billing address
• Fallback to per-state average rates if TaxJar is temporarily unreachable, so customers always see a tax amount
• A record of each transaction in TaxJar for reporting purposes

#Configuring TaxJar

For the tax-collection setup that applies regardless of account type (tax locations, product tax codes), see the Sales Tax guide.

This page covers TaxJar plugin-specific settings.

1. Navigate to Settings > Plugins > TaxJar > Settings.
2. Choose your Account type:
   • Free Tier Account (up to 100 orders/month) — uses the CMS Max-provided TaxJar key; no setup.
   • Paid-tier option — enter your own TaxJar API key. Unlimited volume on your TaxJar plan.
3. Optionally toggle Charge Tax on Shipping (state-law dependent — see the linked states list on the form).
4. Optionally set a Default Product Tax Category (applies to all products that don't have their own tax code).
5. Click Save and Install.

#Free Tier vs Own Account

#How to switch from free to own

1. Sign up at taxjar.com and get an API key.
2. Navigate to Settings > Plugins > TaxJar > Settings.
3. Change Account Type to Own Account.
4. Paste the API key in API Key.
5. Click Save.

Existing orders stay in the CMS Max shared TaxJar account. New orders record against your account from the save point forward.

#AutoFile

AutoFile lets TaxJar automatically prepare and submit your sales-tax returns to each state you collect in. It requires the Own Account tier and an active AutoFile subscription on your TaxJar plan. See the AutoFile guide for full details.

#How Sales Tax is Calculated

Sales tax is always based on where your customer receives their goods — not their billing address. See How Sales Tax is Calculated for a full breakdown by fulfillment method.

#Troubleshooting

#"Your store is missing TaxJar" dashboard warning

You have tax locations configured but the TaxJar plugin isn't active. Install/activate it from Settings > Plugins.

#"Your store is setup to collect no tax on sales" dashboard warning

You have no tax locations configured. Add at least one in Settings > Plugins > TaxJar > Tax Locations — otherwise no tax will ever be collected, even for customers in your state.

#Tax looks wrong for a single order

Open the order in the admin and check the Tax Breakdown panel. It shows what TaxJar returned for each jurisdiction (state, county, city, special district). If those numbers look wrong, the destination address is probably the cause — verify city/ZIP match.

#Tax is $0 but I expected it

Three common causes:

1. Destination state isn't in your Tax Locations.
2. Destination is a non-taxing state (AK, DE, MT, NH, OR).
3. Product has a tax-exempt tax code overriding the default.

#TaxJar API outage

If TaxJar is unreachable, CMS Max falls back to a per-state average rate. Customers still see tax; once TaxJar is back up, new calculations use live rates again.