CPA_Practice_Advisor_November_2020 - 13

SALES & USE TAX SYSTEMS: REVIEW
Avalara Returns for Small Business
Designed for small businesses that are looking to
simplify the entire returns process, Avalara Returns
for Small Business tackles the
STRENGTHS:
* Designed specifically for
entire sales tax returns process
small businesses
from form preparation and filing,
* Easy-to-use
to sales tax remittance.
* All-in-one platform
Made to automate sales tax
POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS:
* Does not do tax calculations functions, users only need to condirectly (but integrates to
nect sales data to Avalara Returns,
do so)
* Best when used with
add state tax registration details,
AvaTax
and start filing. A cloud-based
application, business owners can easily manage all
of their sales data from a central dashboard, with
Avalara Returns easily connecting to popular online

sales platforms including Shopify, Amazon, Etsy, and
Walmart. Avalara Returns does not provide sales tax
calculations, but instead works with other applications, including Avalara's AvaTax, to calculate the
appropriate sales tax for all transactions.
Avalara Returns for Small Business is a good
option for small businesses that use multiple selling
platforms, with integration available for multiple
applications such as Amazon, Shopify, 3dcart, WooCommerce, X-Cart, BigCommerce, and Etsy. The
product also integrates with various third-party
accounting applications including QuickBooks, Xero,
Sage, Microsoft Dynamics, as well as payment applications such as Stripe, and PayPal, though integration is

CFS Sales Tax Preparer for NY and CA
CFS Tax Software Inc. offers sales tax software for
accounting firms that need to calculate, print, and
file sales tax returns for clients in
STRENGTHS:
* Good support options
California and/or New York. CFS
* Affordably priced
Tax Software has been described
* Creation

of a complete
packet for clients
as the first application that offers
POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS:
electronic filing of California sales
*O
nly available for California
tax returns, including the ability
and New York
* Outdated user interface
to pay taxes electronically. In
*N
o cloud accessibility
addition to the sales tax preparer
applications, CFS offers payroll, W2/1099 form processing, and TaxTools for robust tax management.
CFS contains an outdated user interface that is
fairly similar in both the California Sales Tax Preparer

eFileSalesTax.com
eFileSalesTax.com is a web-based application that
offers complete sales tax filing for four states: California, Colorado, Florida, and Illinois.
STRENGTHS:
*O
nline application
Best suited for small to mid-sized
* R ates updated automatically
businesses and firms that need to
* E -filing supported for all
states
file sales tax returns for any or all
POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS:
of these four states, eFileSalesTax.
*O
ffers sales tax processing
for only four states (CA, FL, com offers easy online access,
IL, CO)
working with PC, Mac, and Linux
* C olorado tax system is very
operating systems.
limited
Firms or businesses will need
to register online prior to using the application. There
is no cost to register and a fee is not required until
a return is filed. Once registered, users can access

www.avalara.com

www.eFileSalesTax.com
and file taxes for any of the four states included in
the application, with eFileSalesTax.com supporting
all state sales tax filing requirements, including any
additional taxes that may be required.
Since eFileSalesTax is an online application, it
always provides the most recent tax information.
eFileSalesTax.com offers QuickBooks users the ability to import customer and sales data, with support
personnel available to help with importing data from
other applications as well. All tax rates are automatically included in the application, with users entering
only sales and deduction information. All taxes due
are automatically calculated by eFileSalesTax.com
Pricing for California and Illinois are the same,

Read the full review for
this product online at:

www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/
21162615

limited to AvaTax users. Although some manual data
entry may be necessary, the majority of data can be
imported using connectors or imported as a CSV file.
Avalara Returns for Small Business is a new option
designed for small businesses that wish to automate
the entire sales tax process from form creation to
remittance. Avalara Returns for Small Business runs
$249 for an annual subscription, with a $25 per return
cost added.

www.taxtools.com

and the New York Sales Tax Preparer applications,
and electronic filing is only available in the California
application. Even though it's outdated, the interface
offers easy system navigation, with users able to click
on one of the tabs at the top of the screen to add, edit,
or delete a client, view or print a client list, and access
a client folder from the main screen. A module library
is displayed at the bottom of the screen, offering a list
of forms accessible in the application.
One of the more useful features in the CA and
NY Sales Tax Preparer applications is the ability to
create a completed packet for each client, with the
packet including a cover letter, a client invoice, and
copies of all completed sales tax returns. The packet

2020 OVERALL RATING

2020 OVERALL RATING
Read the full review for
this product online at:

www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/
21162425

is saved in the client folder for future reference. All
returns prepared can also be saved as a PDF in the
application, providing users with the ability to print
and mail forms if necessary.
CFS regularly updates its products, with releases
done each quarter. Designed as an after-the-fact tax
preparation application, CFS does not offer integration with any online selling platforms or third-party
accounting applications.

2020 OVERALL RATING

4.25

Read the full review for
this product online at:

www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/
21162000

with 1 filing running $7.95; 4 filings running $29.95;
and 12 filings running $89.95. An unlimited filing
option is also available for California for $229 per
year, and for Illinois which runs $189 annually. Florida
pricing is structured differently, with a $39 fee for a
single company, while accounting firms that need to
file for multiple companies will need to use the Pro
version of the application, which starts at $129 per
year. Those interested in Colorado filing will need to
contact efileSalesTax.com for pricing information.

NOVEMBER 2020 ■

www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com

http://www.avalara.com http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/21162615 http://www.taxtools.com http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/21162425 http://www.eFileSalesTax.com http://www.eFileSalesTax.com http://www.eFileSalesTax.com http://www.eFileSalesTax.com http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/21162000 http://www.eFileSalesTax.com http://www.eFileSalesTax.com http://www.efileSalesTax.com http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com

CPA_Practice_Advisor_November_2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CPA_Practice_Advisor_November_2020