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SALES & USE TAX Reviews For Your Firm CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business – CCH CorpSystem Sales Tax SaaS PRO 2012 OVERALL RATING BEST FIT Firms or managers overseeing the transaction tax needs and compliance of multiple businesses and who want rates integrated live into the business' accounting systems. T e system is also suited to those with increasingly com- plex reporting requirements in many locations. STRENGTHS • Rates, rules, and calculations are integrated in real time with sales transactions • Compliance and remit ance with full transparency back to calculations • Approval processes with routing and electronic sign-off • Alerts and reminders of due dates and tasks • Multi-entity management with PRO version • Comprehensive coverage and updates for jurisdictions throughout U.S. and Canada POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS • Does not off er direct e-fi ling/payment to state taxation agencies CCH purchased SpeedTax in 2011, and has since merged its off erings with CCH's existing sales tax products onto a single platform. CorpSystem Sales Tax SaaS is available in three versions: CORE, PLUS and PRO, with the last being designed specifically for accounting or tax professionals man- aging the sales and use tax compliance of multiple client entities. T e CORE system provides the automated and integrated sales tax rate system, while the PLUS system adds additional functionality, most signifi cantly auto- mated return filing and remittance, which is handled as an outsourced ser- vice by CCH. BASIC SYSTEM FUNCTIONS Initial setup of CorpSystem Sales Tax SaaS requires confi guring the web-based tax calculation system (CORE) to work with the business' accounting, sales or ERP application. T e SaaS application provides instant rate lookup while transactions or estimates are being processed, with the tax engine verifying address, taxability and rates based on, nexus, specifi c geographic information and ZIP Code data. Because implemen- tation can be somewhat technical, CCH staff aid in this setup. For most day-to-day purposes, users aren't required to have much interaction with the system. T e soſt ware works in the background to automatically search for and calculate the appropriate rates for a transaction, then inserts the tax liability into the transaction. T is works for both locally-installed or SaaS sales and accounting applications, as well as e-commerce systems. T e CORE tax engine is designed to be used by a single business entity with any number of locations and subsidiary units. The system's reporting engine provides web-based dashboards available for management, as well as reports on exemptions, transactions and other information. For sales and use tax return fi ling, users can add the PLUS suite, which includes automatically populated print-ready forms. Organizations can also opt to have the fi ling of all returns and remittances for all jurisdictions managed by CCH staff , thus relieving the business of the headaches associated with keeping up with hundreds or more fi ling deadlines and jurisdictional rules. The PRO version allows an accounting fi rm to have a single login to oversee the sales tax processes of mul- tiple client businesses. Customization is available in all of the versions and modules. Firms can set user-level access to specific features, configure the approval process, and task and fi ling deadline alerts that can be sent via email. COMPLIANCE CAPABILITIES T e CORE calculation engine includes constantly updated rates for more than 14,000 U.S. and Canadian sales taxing jurisdictions, as well as special taxability rules and date-based rules for items that 10 April 2012 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com are treated diff erently in various states, plus sales tax holiday information and maximum taxes. T e system includes a is the key benefit to entities using CorpSystem Sales Tax SaaS, because it enables them to have sales tax rates calendar of taxation due dates and rules, such as requirements for zero-sum reporting. The CorpSystem Sales Tax PLUS version off ers comprehensive forms and instructions for all states and local jurisdictions. T e system automatically prepopulates forms with necessary transactional data pulled from the accounting system, and generates appropriate GL transactions, but it does not off er built-in direct e-fi ling to taxing entities, though does support remit ance through SST. However, users can choose to outsource the fi ling and remit ance processes to CCH's U.S.-based profes- sional staff . Accountants using the PRO version also have full oversight into all reporting and fi ling functions for all of their clients using the system. CorpSystem Sales Tax SaaS off ers real-time tax reports and can be set to offer multi-user approval routines. Management reporting options including summary and detail reports on transactions going back up to seven years, including drill-down to totals, locations, products and line items. Additional features found in the PRO version include a fi rm-brandable portal that gives access to each business client's taxability tables, nexus management, executive reporting dashboards and management reporting. T e CORE tax engine component is web-based with all rates and rules updated and maintained by CCH. INTEGRATION/IMPORT/EXPORT Direct integration into the sales and accounting system used by the business instantly applied as users or online customers enter transactional data. T e system can be synced to all common business accounting, sales, e-commerce and ERP systems, including Quick- Books, Microsoſt Dynamics GP, Net- Suite, Sage ERP MAS 90/200 and Accpac, and Intuit. Reports and returns can be saved to formats including Microsoſt Excel, Microsoſt Word and PDF. HELP/SUPPORT As a web-based utility that interfaces with a business' accounting system, all of the support features within the man- agement consoles of CorpSystem Sales Tax SaaS and the PRO version are web-based. T e program does not have a traditional help utility, but the extensive online support center includes FAQs, a sales tax calculator, webinars, sales tax resources, an interactive state sales tax map and other additional tools. Live and web-based support is included in pricing. SUMMARY & PRICING CCH's CorpSystem Sales Tax SaaS off ers integrated, real-time tax rates updated by CCH and feed directly into transactions and estimates. The additional return preparation and management resources in the PLUS version increases the value of the overall suite, and allows businesses and firms to automate all filing and remit ance functions. T e PRO version, with its single login and access to reporting, management and filing information for all client businesses, is a great resource for fi rms with multiple CONTINUED NEXT PAGE