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Invoices & Payments

Tax Rates

Elijah Johnson · Published · Updated · 4 min read
When TaxJar integration is enabled, you can auto-populate county/ZIP rates for your business’s home state instead of entering every jurisdiction manually. Tax rates control sales tax applied to estimates and invoices based on location rules you define. ServiceFlow supports a default rate, state-level rates, and ZIP-specific rates stored in business settings.
Tax selection on estimates typically follows customer service address or line-level rules configured in your estimate workflow. Set a default tax rate applied when no more specific rate matches. ZIP) - Define rate type : default, state. Go to Settings to Tax Rates. At the top, set Default Tax Rate (percentage, e.g. Save, this rate applies when no ZIP or state override matches. Click Add Tax Rate (or equivalent add action). Choose Type : state, zip, or default override as applicable. Enter Location label, State, optional City and ZIP, and Rate percentage. Add an optional Description for internal reference. The rate appears in the table and is available on new estimates/invoices. Find the rate in the table. Use Edit to change percentage or location fields, or Delete to remove. Confirm deletion, existing historical documents keep the tax that was applied at creation time. /settings/tax-rates step 5 is 1. Set the default rate.

Overview

Tax rates control sales tax applied to estimates and invoices based on location rules you define. ServiceFlow supports a default rate, state-level rates, and ZIP-specific rates stored in business settings. When TaxJar integration is enabled, you can auto-populate county/ZIP rates for your business’s home state instead of entering every jurisdiction manually.
Tax selection on estimates typically follows customer service address or line-level rules configured in your estimate workflow.

How to access

SurfacePath
Tax rate adminSettings → Tax Rates (/settings/tax-rates)
TaxJar integration (optional)Settings → Integrations → TaxJar

How do you set a default tax rate applied when no more specific rate matches?

Set a default tax rate applied when no more specific rate matches.
  • Set a default tax rate applied when no more specific rate matches
  • Add, edit, and delete location-based rates (state, city, ZIP)
  • Define rate type: default, state, or zip
  • Auto-populate rates from TaxJar for counties in your business state (when TaxJar is configured)
  • View all configured rates in a sortable table with location and percentage
  • Persist rates in business settings used by estimate and invoice builders

Prerequisites

For manual tax setup:
  • Administrator or user with business settings permission
  • Know your applicable state and local sales tax percentages
For TaxJar auto-populate:
Setup path: Settings → Integrations → TaxJar (/settings/integrations)
  1. TaxJar account with API key
  2. TaxJar enabled in integrations with valid API key saved
  3. Business state set on your business profile (used to determine which counties to fetch)

Step-by-step

1. Set the default rate

  1. Go to Settings → Tax Rates.
  2. At the top, set Default Tax Rate (percentage, e.g. 8.25 for 8.25%).
  3. Save — this rate applies when no ZIP or state override matches.

2. Add a manual tax rate

  1. Click Add Tax Rate (or equivalent add action).
  2. Choose Type: state, zip, or default override as applicable.
  3. Enter Location label, State, optional City and ZIP, and Rate percentage.
  4. Add an optional Description for internal reference.
  5. Save. The rate appears in the table and is available on new estimates/invoices.

3. Edit or delete a rate

  1. Find the rate in the table.
  2. Use Edit to change percentage or location fields, or Delete to remove.
  3. Confirm deletion — existing historical documents keep the tax that was applied at creation time.

4. Auto-populate from TaxJar (optional)

  1. Ensure TaxJar is connected under Settings → Integrations.
  2. Confirm your business state is set correctly in business profile settings.
  3. On Settings → Tax Rates, click Auto-populate from TaxJar (or similar action).
  4. If rates already exist, confirm Replace Existing Tax Rates when prompted.
  5. Wait for the fetch to complete — ServiceFlow queries TaxJar per county/ZIP in your state and saves ZIP-type rates.

5. Verify on an estimate

  1. Create a test estimate for a customer in a taxed jurisdiction.
  2. Confirm the expected rate appears on the estimate total.
  3. Adjust customer address or rate rules if the wrong rate applies.

Current limitations

  • Tax logic is US-oriented in auto-populate (state/county/ZIP lists); international VAT may need manual rates
  • TaxJar auto-populate replaces existing rates when confirmed — back up custom rates first
  • ServiceFlow does not file tax returns — rates are for document calculation only
  • Complex multi-jurisdiction rules (district overlays) may require multiple ZIP rows or manual review
  • Estimate line tax-exempt items depend on price book and estimate settings outside this page

Roadmap

  • Real-time TaxJar rate lookup at estimate creation time (beyond bulk populate)
  • Canadian GST/PST templates
  • Tax category mapping to QuickBooks tax codes when syncing

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