We are having the same issue. Shopify gave us the same answer, and Avalara was trying run a detail audit. However, it was random so it’s hard for them to find the orders with that issue. Please let us know if you do find a solution. I will do so as well. Thank you!
Topic summary
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Problem: Shopify Plus–Avalara (AvaTax) integration intermittently returns $0 sales tax on clearly taxable orders since ~Oct–Nov 2022, seen more often with Shop Pay accelerated checkout. The behavior is random; identical orders in the same state/day may tax correctly.
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Impact: Avalara still remits tax to states, so merchants pay out-of-pocket for uncollected tax.
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Investigation: Shopify acknowledges an issue but says Avalara returns $0 at calculation time. Analysis indicates Shopify sometimes sends a blank/“temporary” customer ID to Avalara before a numeric ID is assigned.
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Contributing configuration: Avalara had an exemption rule for missing/“temporary” customer IDs; when triggered, AvaTax returned $0. Adjusting/removing that exemption reduced or resolved misses for the reporter. Shopify has not fixed the underlying ID timing.
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Other observations: One merchant suspects failures mainly for Canadian provinces on orders under ~$40 USD, potentially tied to Canada’s ~$40 CAD de minimis and a USD/CAD mix-up; unconfirmed. Others still experience random failures; one notes Avalara cannot connect to their account.
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Status/next steps: No definitive platform fix. Recommended: review Avalara exemptions (avoid “temporary”/blank ID rules), audit Shopify-collected vs AvaTax “should-have” tax, and continue escalation with Shopify/Avalara support.