Tax compliance can be a tricky and time-consuming task, especially for manufacturing businesses operating across multiple jurisdictions. Most companies in the industry have an ERP system in place that helps streamline operations and internal processes, but these solutions don't always come with robust tax compliance features. To keep your business growing and avoid common tax pitfalls, here are a few options for handling tax compliance within your ERP system:

Option 1: Manual tax compliance management

The most basic approach is manually managing tax compliance within your ERP system. You can do this, but it requires your team to stay on top of constantly changing tax rates, rules, and regulations. This process typically involves uploading rate tables, keeping track of exemption certificates, and ensuring accuracy across various jurisdictions. As you might guess, manual tax management is labor-intensive and prone to human error. In fact, businesses often find themselves spending an average of 147 hours per month on sales tax compliance alone.

Pros:

• Consolidated technology (ERP system handles both operational business processes and tax management)

Cons:

• Increased error in calculating rates or filing returns
• Difficult to manage exemption certificates and update tax tables
• Increased likelihood of audits and penalties

Option 2: Native ERP tax compliance modules

Some ERP systems offer built-in tax modules to automate part of the process. This is a good option, especially for smaller companies. The built-in modules can typically calculate sales tax, manage exemption certificates, and track returns.

However, these native ERP modules usually lack the advanced features required for full tax automation. For example, ERP systems typically rely on ZIP codes for tax rate calculations, which can lead to inaccurate results due to boundary complexities. While native modules reduce some manual work, they often require significant customization to handle complex tax scenarios, making them less scalable if you have a growing business.

Pros:

• Simplifies tax calculations for basic scenarios
• Reduces manual input
• Integrates with existing ERP processes

Cons:

• Still requires frequent manual updates and customizations
• Difficult to scale up with growth

Option 3: Third-party tax automation solutions

The most efficient and scalable approach is to integrate third-party tax automation solutions, like Avalara AvaTax, into your ERP system. These solutions handle it all—real-time tax calculations, exemption certificate management, and automated returns filing across multiple jurisdictions. AvaTax, for example, is designed to integrate seamlessly with ERP systems like Infor CloudSuite, automatically applying the latest tax rates and rules for over 13,000 tax jurisdictions. It even provides address validation down to the rooftop, ensuring accurate tax determination.

Pros:

• Real-time tax rate calculations
• Automates exemption certificate tracking and renewals
• Reduces audit risks by ensuring full compliance with up-to-date tax rules

Cons:

• Adds another solution to your tech stack
• Requires some time investment to ensure internal teams are trained on the system

Option 4: Outsourcing tax compliance

If your business wants to completely offload the burden of tax compliance, outsourcing to a managed service provider is another option. Services like Avalara Managed Returns handle everything from calculating tax liabilities to filing returns and making payments on your behalf.

Think of this as a white-glove, hands-off approach to your taxes. Yes, outsourcing can be more expensive upfront, but it allows businesses to focus on core operations without worrying about tax compliance. This may be the right choice for your manufacturing company, depending on your goals and priorities.

Pros:

• Offloads all tax compliance responsibilities
• Guarantees accurate tax filings across jurisdictions
• Ideal for businesses with complex tax scenarios or limited internal resources

Cons:

• Increased upfront investment

Choose wisely

There are various ways to handle tax compliance in your ERP system, and the best approach depends on your business size, complexity, and budget. But there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that getting your taxes right is important! So, choose from the above options wisely.

Integrating a third-party solution like Avalara or outsourcing to a managed service provider ensures that your tax compliance is automated, accurate, and scalable, freeing up your team to focus on driving revenue.

For more detailed insights on ERP tax compliance, visit Avalara's Whitepaper.