The two-sentence reality
Tavvi charges whatever tax rate you tell it to, on every sale, automatically, receipts, online orders, reports all use it. What Tavvi can't do is know your rate or file your taxes: the rate is yours to set and the filing is yours (or your accountant's) to do.
Find your real rate
Your rate is usually state + county + city stacked. "Georgia is 4%" is true and useless, Atlanta rings up at 8.9% once local taxes stack. Two reliable ways:
- Your state's Department of Revenue site, rate lookup by address.
- The receipt of any established shop on your street, the rate printed there is the rate for that location.
Set it
On the business side, open Settings.
In your store's operations section, find Tax Rate and enter the percentage.
Ring a quick practice sale and glance at the tax line, right rate, done. That's the whole feature.
If Tavvi shows a Tax rate required nudge, that's the app noticing your rate is zero in a state that has sales tax. And if you're in one of the no-sales-tax states, you'll see Tax-free state, no sales tax required instead, leave it at zero, you're done.
What people get wrong
- Setting the state rate only. The county and city stack on top. Look up the combined rate for your address, not your state.
- "I'll add tax later." Every untaxed sale until "later" is tax you owe out of your own pocket at filing time. Set it before your first real sale.
- Baking tax into prices and also charging tax. Pick one. Most US retail charges tax on top; if you want round "tax-included" pricing, keep the rate set and lower the item price so the total lands where you want.
If something's off
- Receipts show no tax. The rate is zero. Set it in Tax Rate.
- You changed the rate but an old order kept the old tax. Correct: orders keep the tax that was true when they were placed. New rate applies to new sales.
- Some of your items shouldn't be taxed. Rules differ by state and product. Confirm with your state's revenue site first, then set your catalog up to match.