TaxCloud vs Tax Rates?

[sewingzfun]

I am using Cherry Zen, V1.3.9h and just installed TaxCloud. How do I fill in Admin/Locations/Taxes/Tax Rates? Since Washington has many tax rates and taxes are based on where the product is shipping to (not from my store location), do I leave everything blank and TaxCloud becomes the default?

Thank you,
Lynn
machineembroideryandmore.com/zen

[Taxcloud]

Hi Lynn,

Thanks for the question. TaxCloud needs a tax identification code (TIC) assigned to each product. To do this we use the Tax Class functionality of Zen Cart.

For example if you were selling clothing you would create a tax class with the title of "20010" with the description of "clothing". You would then assign this tax class to your products.

TaxCloud then computes the correct tax rate based on the product selected and the delivery address.

Please let me know if you have any more questions about this.

[sewingzfun]

Thank you for the response. I am selling two types of products - downloadable machine embroidery designs and various craft items that could be just about anything that I sew. Do I use TIC 000000? I did try inserting "000000" as the Tax Class title with a description of "Craft items" and it did not work.

[Taxcloud]

We don't have specific TIC codes for the items you mentioned so "00000" would work. The only exception would be clothing for sale which would have a TIC ID of 20010.

If you intend to use the generic code "00000" you don't really have to do anything. That value will be assigned by default if you don't assign something different.

I'm not sure what is happening that is causing you to not be able to create a tax class. I would recommend trying it first with a non-zero value to see if that is the problem. It may be easier to just not create a tax class for "00000".

[ZoftheAshes]

Hi I recently installed TaxCloud in my store using the latest version of zen cart and apparently I made a major goof. While uploading TaxCloud files to my admin folder I also mistakenly uploaded the rest of the TaxCloud files (in the includes folder) to admin/includes and now I am unable to enter the admin section of the website Is there anything I can do?

[Taxcloud]

Hello,

The best thing to do would be to pull out the files you added to the admin/includes directory one by one. You should be able to figure out which files to delete based on the modified date of the files and by looking at the TaxCloud files from the module. There aren't that many files but you will have to take your time and be careful.

You may also have to reinstall some Zen Cart files that may have been overwritten. After you pull out the TaxCloud files you can re-upload the admin/includes files from the Zen Cart installation and you should be good to go.

[ZoftheAshes]

Hi I recently installed TaxCloud in my store using the latest version of zen cart and apparently I made a major goof. While uploading TaxCloud files to my admin folder I also mistakenly uploaded the rest of the TaxCloud files (in the includes folder) to admin/includes and now I am unable to enter the admin section of the website Is there anything I can do?

Just re-installed admin folder and renamed to match the name I had before, now I get a "System Setup Required" message when attempting to log in. Message reads as follows:

You are seeing this page for one or more reasons:

1. This is your first time using Zen Cart™ and you haven't yet completed the normal Installation procedure.
If this is the case for you, you will need to upload the "zc_install" folder using your FTP program, and then run zc_install/index.php via your browser (or reload this page to see a link to it).

2. Your /includes/configure.php and/or /admin/includes/configure.php file contains invalid path information and/or invalid database-connection information.
If you recently edited your configure.php files for any reason, or maybe moved your site to a different folder or different server, then you'll need to review and update all your settings to the correct values for your server.
See the Online FAQ and Tutorials area on the Zen Cart™ website for assistance.
Please anyone, any help would be greatly appreciated as I'm just getting into zencart and the site I'm about to offer should be going live any day now. www.jcstar.com/catalog

[Taxcloud]

You can re-configure you admin site by modifying the config.php file at admin/includes/configure.php. Otherwise you may need to run the installer again.

[ZoftheAshes]

Figured it out!!! Whew now I am able to access Admin and am trying to configure Tax Cloud. I've registered at the website and am now at admin/ location/taxes /TaxCloud Tax Lookups (I hope this is the same as "TaxCloud Settings" as the readme.txt suggests for this is the only option I have). Now what? Sorry, I just really need someone to hold my hand through this configuring part.

[Taxcloud]

I'm glad you got it figured out! All you really need to do now is to set up your merchant account settings under "TaxCloud Tax Lookups".

You will need your API login ID and key from TaxCloud, your USPS ID and your store address. You just need to enter the first line of the address for your store and the 5 digit zip code.

After that you will just need to create tax classes for each category of products in your store. A complete list of tax class IDs can be found at: http://taxcloud.net/tic/

Once you have the appropriate tax classes set up you can assign them to your products in the product maintenance section. You should then be all set up to calculate tax rates.