Overview
Every office location within the system must have an assigned tax area to ensure accurate tax calculations for products included in cases. Tax areas define the applicable tax rate and jurisdiction for products sold from each specific office location.
Purpose of Tax Areas
Tax areas serve a critical function in the billing system by:
Calculating Tax Amounts: The system uses the assigned tax area to automatically calculate the appropriate tax amount for products on each case
Ensuring Compliance: Tax areas help maintain compliance with local and state tax regulations
Tax Area Requirements by Location
United States Tax Requirements
Tax area creation and assignment depends on the legal tax requirements for the state where your office is located:
California Offices:
Tax areas with applicable tax rates are required for all California office locations
California state law mandates tax collection on the products and services offered by dental laboratories
Failure to assign a proper tax area will result in non-compliance with state tax regulations
All Other US States:
Tax area assignment is optional based on local tax requirements
Review your state and local tax obligations to determine if tax collection is required
Consult with tax professionals if uncertain about your obligations
Creating Tax Areas
If the office's state requires to collect taxes on products:
Create a tax area with the appropriate tax rate for your jurisdiction
Configure the tax rate to match local, state, and any applicable municipal tax requirements
Assign this tax area to the corresponding office location
Verify that the tax calculations are working correctly for test cases
If the office's state does not require to collect taxes:
Create a tax area with a 0% tax rate
Assign this zero-rate tax area to your office location
This ensures the system can process cases without applying tax charges
Note
Even when tax collection is not required, you must still assign a tax area to each office. Creating a 0% tax area satisfies this system requirement while ensuring no tax is charged.
