Sales tax in PortaPro is controlled by one switch, and rates are always looked up automatically per service address. There is no per-state rate table to maintain and no tax "mode" to choose.
The master switch
Go to Settings → Finance → Tax & Compliance and use the Charge sales tax by default toggle:
When ON, every new quote & invoice gets sales tax automatically. Operators can still toggle per document.
| Setting | What happens |
|---|---|
| ON | New quotes, invoices, and automatic billing-cycle invoices calculate sales tax from the service location address |
| OFF | No tax is calculated anywhere, including on line items whose Taxable box is checked |
The same page holds your Business Identity (legal business name, EIN) and the Business Address (for tax filings) used on filings and the Schedule C export.
Note: an older Tax Configuration card (Disabled / Flat Rate / Automatic by ZIP) used to live under Settings → General. It was retired because those options stopped driving tax once PortaPro moved to jurisdiction-based lookup for everyone. If you remember picking a "tax method" or typing a flat rate, that was the retired card.
How rates are determined
When the master switch is on, PortaPro resolves the rate from the service location address on the document:
If a lookup fails
Billing is never blocked. PortaPro uses the most recent cached rate for that location; if there is none, it applies 0% and records that a fallback was used, so you can review the document and verify the service address. There is no configurable flat fallback rate; that belonged to the retired card.
Customer tax exemptions
Some customers are tax-exempt: government agencies, school districts, non-profits, or resellers holding certificates. Two per-customer controls, both on the customer's Edit view:
| Control | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Tax exempt flag | Full exemption, with fields for the exemption reason, certificate number, certificate upload, and an expiration date |
| Tax Rate Override | Set to 0 for the same effect, or to a non-zero value to pin that customer to a fixed rate |
Customer-level exemptions take priority over the company-wide switch, so an exempt customer is never taxed even when your organization charges tax by default.
Rate cards and the Service Plan
Every recurring rate-card line carries its own Taxable checkbox in the Service Plan editor, so a site can mix a taxable rental with a non-taxable service.
New units default to match your settings. When you add a unit to a Service Plan, the Taxable box starts checked or unchecked to match your master switch, and starts unchecked for tax-exempt customers regardless of the switch. Additional rows follow the first row's setting so a site's plan stays consistent.
To audit tax flags across every customer at once, open Financials → Rate Cards. The Taxable and Non-taxable filter checkboxes carry live counts; check one, select the rows, and use the bulk editor's Set taxable field to correct them in a single pass.
How tax appears on documents
Quotes and invoices show the calculated tax with jurisdiction context when it was resolved:
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Subtotal | $1,500.00 |
| Tax (7.75% – Beverly Hills, CA) | $116.25 |
| Total | $1,616.25 |
Generated PDFs include the stored rate the same way. Tax is calculated on the taxable portion of the document: items, services, consumables, delivery fees, and any surcharge rows marked taxable.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How often are tax rates updated?
Rates are cached for 30 days per location. After that, the next lookup fetches fresh data.
Q: Can I override tax on one document?
Yes, operators can toggle tax on an individual quote or invoice while authoring it. For a customer who should never be taxed, use the customer-level exemption instead so it applies automatically every time.
Q: What happens to existing documents if I flip the switch?
Existing quotes and invoices keep the tax snapshot taken when they were created. Only new documents follow the new setting.
Q: Is the automatic lookup included in my plan?
Yes, at no additional cost. API usage is managed by PortaPro.
Troubleshooting
Tax shows 0% when it shouldn't
Check three things, in order:
A rate-card line shows Taxable but no tax is billed
The master switch is off. The per-line Taxable flag only takes effect when your organization charges tax at all. It marks a line as taxable *if* tax applies; it does not turn tax on. Use Financials → Rate Cards → Taxable to find and clear stray flags.