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Software vendor

Avalara

Avalara, owned by Vista Equity-advised funds since 2022, sells tax calculation, returns and exemption certificate software with Aviator AI agents.

1 offering in the directory Last verified

Function

Ownership
Private equity

Became a wholly owned subsidiary of an entity formed by affiliates of funds advised by Vista Equity Partners on October 19, 2022 (Form 8-K); no later change was examined.

SourceAvalara, Inc. Current Report on Form 8-K filed October 19, 2022 (completion of merger)
Headquarters
United States
SourceSEC EDGAR submissions index for Avalara, Vertex, Zuora and Thomson Reuters
SEC reporting
No
SourceSEC EDGAR submissions index for Avalara, Vertex, Zuora and Thomson Reuters
Audit firm
No
Website
avalara.com
SourceAvalara home page
Subprocessor list
legal.avalara.com
SourceAvalara Legal Center: Avalara Service Terms and Conditions (Version 7.1) and Subprocessors (Version 11.0)
Contract terms
legal.avalara.com
SourceAvalara Legal Center: Avalara Service Terms and Conditions (Version 7.1) and Subprocessors (Version 11.0)

Offering · Software

Avalara tax compliance (AvaTax, Returns, Exemption Certificate Management) with Aviator AI agents

Directory recordLast verified Compare with othersBuild questions for this vendor

Avalara's products for tax teams include AvaTax, AvaTax for Accounts Payable, Avalara Returns, Exemption Certificate Management and Avalara Tax Research, and Avalara says its products serve businesses of all sizes. SourcesAvalara Aviator (agent hub product page)Avalara pricing page

Aviator, which Avalara calls its agent hub, adds an orchestrator agent and specialized agents for transactions, returns, research and certificates. SourceAvalara Aviator (agent hub product page)

Avalara says generative AI handles orchestration, document extraction and statutory synthesis on top of its deterministic tax engine, and that return submissions, rule overrides and exemption approvals require explicit human sign-off. SourceAvalara Aviator (agent hub product page)

Where it fits

CoE analysis Indirect tax determination and returns filing alongside the ERP and billing systems, for tax and accounts payable teams that own sales and use tax.

CoE analysis Avalara describes the Returns agent both as filing automatically and as needing sign-off for submissions, so a buyer should confirm which steps run without approval in its own account.

What it does

Offering type
Software
SourceAvalara Aviator (agent hub product page)
Workflow areas
  • Tax
  • Accounts payable
SourceAvalara Aviator (agent hub product page)
Customer size
  • Small business
  • Mid-market
  • Enterprise
SourceAvalara pricing page

AI

Kind of AI
  • Built into the platform
  • Agents and automated actions
  • Established machine learning and rules
SourcesAvalara Aviator (agent hub product page)Avalara home page
Suggests or acts
Suggests and acts
SourceAvalara Aviator (agent hub product page)
Availability
Not stated

The Aviator FAQ says Aviator works today with five Avalara products and comes standard for new customers, but that existing customers get access at renewal following General Availability, which the page does not date (recorded as a D-143 conflict).

Models named
Not stated

Control

Who controls it
Vendor

Vendor here means Avalara changes the AI functionality and publishes material changes in release notes, notifications or documentation (Service Terms, C-3917). Customers can set up and configure Avi's connections (C-3906), but the customer role that does so is not named, so no customer role is recorded.

SourceAvalara Legal Center: Avalara Service Terms and Conditions (Version 7.1) and Subprocessors (Version 11.0)

Commercial

Pricing model
Usage-based
SourceAvalara pricing page
Public price
USD 699

Tax Calculation and Returns Compliance Package, "Pricing starts at $699"

SourceAvalara pricing page

Evidence

Independent outcomes
None found in the sources read.
Sources read
  • Vendor-stated 15
  • Independent market evidence None read
  • Independently verified outcomes None read
  • Pricing 3
  • Known limitations 1
Coverage
Directory record
Last verified

Security and control

Single sign-on
Not covered in this record
User provisioning
Not covered in this record
Role-based access
Not covered in this record
Administrator controls for AI
Not covered in this record
Audit logs
Not covered in this record
Certifications
Not covered in this record
Data retention
Not covered in this record
Data residency
Not covered in this record
Training on customer data
Not covered in this record

AI features

As the vendor or firm describes them. Notes in small print record what the sources leave open.

  1. Avi (orchestrator agent)

    Assigns work to lead agents, flags risks and keeps humans in control of critical approvals; can be set up to interact with business applications.

    Kind
    Agents and automated actions
    Suggests or acts
    Suggests and acts
    Who controls it
    Not stated
    Availability
    Not stated

    Control: Not stated in the sources read. Avalara describes setting up and configuring Avi's connections to business applications but does not name the role that does so.

    SourceAvalara Aviator (agent hub product page)

  2. Transactions agent

    Automates tax calculations, explains line-item determinations and verifies transaction data in real time, on Avalara's deterministic tax engine.

    Kind
    Agents and automated actions, Established machine learning and rules
    Suggests or acts
    Acts
    Who controls it
    Not stated
    Availability
    Not stated

    Control: Not stated in the sources read.

    SourceAvalara Aviator (agent hub product page)

  3. Returns agent

    Prepares, reconciles and files tax returns automatically across thousands of jurisdictions; the FAQ says return submissions require explicit human sign-off.

    Kind
    Agents and automated actions
    Suggests or acts
    Suggests and acts
    Who controls it
    Not stated
    Availability
    Not stated

    Control: Not stated in the sources read.

    SourceAvalara Aviator (agent hub product page)

  4. Research agent

    Named as one of Aviator's specialized agents; Avalara Tax Research is listed as Aviator-ready.

    Kind
    Agents and automated actions
    Suggests or acts
    Suggests
    Who controls it
    Not stated
    Availability
    Not stated

    Control: Not stated in the sources read.

    SourceAvalara Aviator (agent hub product page)

  5. Certificates agent

    Verifies exemption certificates, tax IDs and registration status in real time; exemption approvals require human sign-off.

    Kind
    Agents and automated actions
    Suggests or acts
    Suggests
    Who controls it
    Not stated
    Availability
    Not stated

    Control: Not stated in the sources read.

    SourceAvalara Aviator (agent hub product page)

  6. AI item classification and e-invoicing agents

    Assigns tax codes, HS codes and product classifications using AI trained on a catalog of over 3 billion items; AI agents create, validate and map e-invoice data to country mandates.

    Kind
    Built into the platform, Established machine learning and rules
    Suggests or acts
    Not stated
    Who controls it
    Not stated
    Availability
    Not stated

    Control: Not stated in the sources read.

    SourceAvalara home page

Unclear or conflicting statements

Where the sources are unclear or disagree, both statements are shown with their links.

Aviator availability for existing customers

Statement A

FAQ: Aviator works today with AvaTax, AvaTax for Accounts Payable, Returns, Exemption Certificate Management and Tax Research.

avalara.com/us/en/products/aviator.html
FAQ: Which products are Aviator-ready?

Statement B

FAQ: existing customers are automatically granted access at their next AvaTax or Returns renewal following General Availability.

avalara.com/us/en/products/aviator.html
FAQ: How long does it take to get set up?

The page does not date General Availability; whether Aviator is generally available on the check date is unclear.

Unresolved · Both statements are published as found; CoE draws no inference about which governs.

Whether the Returns agent files without human approval

Statement A

Agent card: the Returns agent prepares, reconciles and files tax returns automatically across thousands of jurisdictions.

avalara.com/us/en/products/aviator.html
The agent hub (agent cards)

Statement B

FAQ: return submissions and other high-liability actions require explicit human sign-off.

avalara.com/us/en/products/aviator.html
FAQ: Does Aviator facilitate payments, file returns, or make other autonomous decisions without human oversight?

Unclear rather than contradictory: automatic preparation may precede a signed-off submission; the page does not say where the approval sits.

Unresolved · Both statements are published as found; CoE draws no inference about which governs.

Accuracy figures

Statement A

Aviator page: 6.6M+ tax returns filed in 2025 with 99.95% accuracy.

avalara.com/us/en/products/aviator.html
Scale and proof

Statement B

Home page: 99.999% accuracy, without saying what is measured.

avalara.com/us/en/index.html
Avalara powers millions of businesses worldwide

Different or unstated bases; neither page gives a method.

Unresolved · Both statements are published as found; CoE draws no inference about which governs.

Questions to ask

For this offering

  • Is Aviator generally available in our account today, or will it switch on at our next renewal, and can we keep it off or limit which agents run?
  • Which Aviator steps run without approval, in particular return preparation, reconciliation and filing, and where in the product is the sign-off for submissions enforced and logged?
  • Which AI models sit behind ALFA, which providers process our transaction data, and why does the subprocessor list name no AI provider?
  • Do the Service Terms' AI provisions (no training on Customer Data or Output, notice of material changes) apply to our current agreement, or only from our renewal on or after January 1, 2027?
  • If we connect our own AI agents through Avalara's APIs or MCP servers, how do we allocate responsibility for their errors, given the Customer Agents clause?
  • Does Aviator change our price, transaction counts or volume tiers, and what do the starting prices on Avalara's pricing page cover, and for what term?

From the diligence question set

  1. DQ-04 Which AI features are in the modules and edition we license, or would license, and is each generally available, in preview or beta, a paid add-on, or limited by edition or region?
  2. DQ-05 Which AI features are switched on by default, which does an administrator have to enable, and can each be switched off on its own?
  3. DQ-06 Does each feature suggest or act? Can it create, post, approve or change records, and where is that limit enforced?
  4. DQ-07 Who can change each feature's configuration, prompts, thresholds, data connections or model: your company, our administrators or individual users? Can we restrict and log those changes?
  5. DQ-16 Is our data, including inputs, outputs, documents and corrections, used to train or improve any model, yours or a third party's? Is that off by default, and is the commitment in the contract?
  6. DQ-19 How are the AI features priced: included in the subscription, sold as an add-on or higher tier, or metered by use? What is the billing unit?

Build questions for this vendor