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Prerequisites

Before integrating the TaxWisp Platform Independent App with your ecommerce store or application, ensure that you meet the following business, regulatory, and technical prerequisites.

1. Business & Regulatory Prerequisites​

Operating in the United States​

TaxWisp is currently available for merchants conducting business within the United States. Ensure that your store is legally registered in the US and adheres to federal and state sales tax compliance regulations.

Understanding Sales Tax Exemption & Nexus​

Familiarize yourself with sales tax exemption regulations across jurisdictions where you conduct business:

  • Sales Tax Nexus: A merchant is only permitted to collect or exempt sales taxes in states where they maintain a physical or economic sales tax presence (nexus).
  • Exemption Categories: Understand which buyer categories qualify for exemptions in your industry (e.g., wholesale/resale, government bodies, non-profit/charitable institutions, educational institutions).
  • For an overview of state sales tax rules, refer to Sales Taxes in the United States.

Certificate Validation Process​

Have a compliance procedure in place for inspecting and approving tax exemption certificates. Buyers will upload digital certificates (e.g., Form ST-120, Uniform Sales & Use Tax Certificate) through TaxWisp. Your team should know which forms are legally valid in each state before approving or rejecting exemption requests.

Customer Awareness & Communication​

Prepare customer-facing communication informing your B2B buyers and tax-exempt organizations how to submit their documentation:

  • Clearly communicate that sales tax exemption is available during account registration or checkout.
  • Inform buyers of the required documents needed (e.g., state tax registration number, scanned certificate) so they have them ready.

2. Technical & Development Prerequisites​

Secure Backend Server​

All TaxWisp Integration APIs require an API Key passed via the X-TaxWisp-Api-Key header. Because this key provides full administrative access, your architecture must include a backend application server (e.g., Node.js, Python, PHP, Java, Go, Ruby) to initiate customer sessions and fetch exemption records. Client-only or static sites without a backend server cannot safely store API secrets.

HTTPS / TLS Encryption​

All communications between your storefront, backend server, and TaxWisp Cloud must occur over encrypted HTTPS connections. Plain HTTP requests are rejected by TaxWisp.

Active TaxWisp Merchant Account​

You must have an active TaxWisp account with access to the Merchant Dashboard. If you do not have an account, sign up at TaxWisp or contact your TaxWisp account representative.

To take advantage of TaxWisp's automated tax exemption analytics and audit reporting, your platform should be prepared to expose a paginated GET /orders endpoint that TaxWisp can securely query.

Next Steps​

Once you meet these prerequisites, proceed to the Integration & Configuration Guide to obtain your API credentials and begin implementation.