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SpeedTax – SpeedTax Core, Plus and Pro

888-349-2441www.SpeedTax.com

From the August 2009 Review of Sales
& Use Tax Programs

SpeedTax
offers three sales and use tax-oriented programs, all of which are web-based
and provide support for various areas of tax calculations and compliance. The
primary tax calculation engine behind SpeedTax is the Core system, which integrates
with a business’ ERP, e-commerce and other financial systems to automate
the processes of looking up, calculating and applying sales taxes to a transaction.
It includes always up-to-date current and historical tax rate information for
all U.S. taxing jurisdictions, and calculates sales tax to the individual address
or “rooftop” level. The SpeedTax Plus system can work with the Core
program or as a stand-alone to provide period-end support, with automatic population
of returns for all jurisdictions and e-filing and remittance options, along
with due-date alerts and reporting.

SpeedTax also offers a Pro version of its system geared specifically for accounting
practices, providing the same general functions as Plus, but with a focus on
client management. This allows accountants to manage sales and use tax compliance
for multiple business entities through a firm-branded portal. Pricing for each
SpeedTax system is based on the volume of transactions, with Core starting at
about $795 for 1,200 transactions annually. The Plus compliance system starts
at $600 for 12 returns. The accountant-focused Pro version is priced depending
on estimated volume of returns.

NAVIGATION & DATA ENTRY:
Most of the day-to-day work associated with transaction taxes is managed transparently
by the SpeedTax Core system, which, through integration with most small and
mid-sized business accounting applications, instantly uses real-time address
validation and jurisdiction matches to find the correct tax rates and inserts
them into the transaction in progress. The system also includes a taxability
mapping function that allows businesses to identify products with special sales
tax treatments in various jurisdictions. Prebuilt integrations are available
for QuickBooks Pro, Premier and Enterprise; Sage MAS 90/200; NetSuite; Dynamics
GP; and Sage Accpac.

Management of the Core system is performed using customizable system dashboards
for reporting, analysis, nexus management, business setup and system options.
For management of returns, filing and payment processes, the Plus system’s
interface provides access to return generation and output functions, review
processes, search capabilities and executive reporting, along with access to
PDF-formatted historical returns.

Special tools further enhance the compliance system, including a calendar-based
alerts system that uses a color-coding method to note filing deadlines and other
issues, and e-mail reminders for each stage of preparation and review to keep
users on top of the various processes. SpeedTax also offers a filing and payment
service function, allowing businesses to hand off these aspects of the compliance
process to the vendor, who then files and pays liabilities on behalf of the
business.

The Pro system, designed for accounting firms, provides a management console
for working with multiple clients, including the ability to view across all
clients for filing deadlines, reminders, notes and other tasks. With much of
the grunt work taken out of the process of sales and use tax administration,
users are provided with higher-level analysis options, including customizable
reports that offer drilldown to transaction and line-item levels, management
of taxability, sourcing rules, exemptions, shipping locations, and nexus. The
system includes a portal for clients to log into for transmitting data, documents
and other files, with the ability for the firm to self-brand it. Customizable
client communications templates are also available.

FILING, ELECTRONIC COMPLIANCE & PAYMENT:
With the Plus system, pretty much all return preparation processes are automatically
performed, with returns and other forms prepared at any time with essentially
one click and available on-screen as an interactive PDF. Signature-ready forms
can then be printed or electronically submitted. SpeedTax can also manage the
process of creating, filing and paying all returns and liabilities as an outsourced
service. Managed electronic approval processes such as calendar alerts and email
reminders, help ensure that reviews and reconciliation are taken care of promptly.
Reporting options give detailed breakdowns of taxation for all jurisdictions.

RATE UPDATES:
All rate tables and taxability rules are hosted on SpeedTax servers and are
researched and updated by the vendor’s staff, which includes accounting,
tax and legal professionals (the company was founded by a CPA). Therefore, no
maintenance of tax tables is necessary for users.

HELP/TRAINING:
The online system provides ample built-in assistive features, including instructions
for forms and taxation guidance, while the company’s website offers additional
self-help functions, such as a knowledgebase and tips. The company’s online
Learning Center gives an array of useful articles about sales tax issues across
the United States, along with client surveys that can help businesses assess
nexus issues and the their compliance costs.

RELATIVE VALUE:
SpeedTax is one of the few vendors to offer an accountant-focused version of
its sales tax compliance system, providing these firms with a potential additional
revenue source for a service that was likely too cumbersome to manage for clients
using manual processes. The system’s automated rate lookup, calculation
and forms generation functions, plus its management workflow processes, greatly
ease the challenge of sales tax compliance for organizations with unpredictable
liabilities to tens, hundreds or thousands of taxing jurisdictions.

2009 OVERALL RATING: