Avalara actions

The Avalara block calculates sales tax with AvaTax, reads a tax document back, and voids one a re-bill replaced. For the plain-language overview, see Avalara.

When to use it

Put an Avalara step before the step that charges or invoices the customer, so the charged amount includes tax. Use getTransaction to reuse a document an earlier attempt already created, and voidTransaction when an invoice is replaced.

Connection

Actions

The action id is avalara.<action>. All three are in the Studio Action list.

Fields

Output

createTransaction returns transactionId, code, status, documentType, taxDate, currencyCode, totalAmount, totalTax, totalTaxCalculated, grandTotal, lineCount, linesTruncated, lines (up to 500, each with up to 32 jurisdiction details), summaryCount, summaryTruncated, summary (up to 100 rows) and messages.

• grandTotal is in currency units (270.63 means $270.63). To charge it through a payment step that takes cents, write {{steps.<id>.grandTotal | multiply: 100}}.
• Numeric line fields are null when AvaTax omits them, never 0. The step fails if AvaTax omits totalTax.

getTransaction returns { found: false, code, documentType } when there is no document, or found: true with transactionId, code, status, documentType, customerCode, totalAmount, totalTax, date, exemptionNo and lines.

voidTransaction returns transactionId, code, status and documentType as AvaTax confirmed them.

Replays and retries

• Before creating, Loopfour asks AvaTax whether a document with the same company, type and code exists. If one does, the step fails with "Nothing was submitted". Matching creates are also serialized across workers.
• Keep documentCode stable for one invoice. Reusing the same code is what lets this check stop a duplicate; a new code for each attempt defeats it.
• If a create fails after it was sent (for example a rate limit), the step does not retry, because AvaTax may have stored the document. Check the document in Avalara, or call getTransaction, before you re-run.
• Keep the step's error handling on fail. With continue, a later payment step could run with no tax amount.
• When a re-bill replaces an invoice, void the old document with the same company code, document code and document type the create step used. Otherwise the old committed document stays in your filing.

Example

{
  "id": "calc_tax",
  "type": "action",
  "name": "Calculate sales tax",
  "action": "avalara.createTransaction",
  "config": {
    "operation": "createTransaction",
    "connection": "<avalara-connection-id>",
    "documentCode": "{{input.invoiceNumber}}",
    "documentType": "SalesInvoice",
    "documentDate": "2026-11-12",
    "customerCode": "{{input.customerId}}",
    "currencyCode": "USD",
    "shipFrom": { "line1": "1 Market St", "city": "Philadelphia", "region": "PA", "postalCode": "19103", "country": "US" },
    "shipTo": { "line1": "100 Main St", "city": "Seattle", "region": "WA", "postalCode": "98104", "country": "US" },
    "lines": [{ "number": "1", "amount": 250.0, "quantity": 2, "itemCode": "WIDGET", "taxCode": "P0000000" }],
    "commit": false
  }
}

A later Stripe step charges {{steps.calc_tax.grandTotal | multiply: 100}}.

Live catalog

GET /api/v1/blocks/avalara returns the fields and the three actions. See Block and action discovery.

Errors and limits

• An Avalara connection is required. Select an account on this step.
• Document discounts are not supported until Avalara discount totals are verified.
• Avalara already has a transaction for document code "…" and type "…". Nothing was submitted: use the existing document or a new code.
• An Avalara transaction already exists for document code "…": AvaTax itself rejected the duplicate.
• lines must total a negative amount on a ReturnInvoice; taxOverride.taxAmount must be zero or less on a ReturnInvoice.