Here are some common reasons why a Tax Rule (and thus Tax) may not get allocated to an order in Browntape:

  1. Pincode is missing for a Warehouse
    • Reason: When the Warehouse Pincode is missing, it is impossible for Browntape to decide the tax type (Inter-state vs Intra-state).
    • Solution: Check and update the Pincodes of all the Warehouses created in Browntape. Then go to Order Details page and click on "Assign Tax Rule" for the particular order/orders. If there are a lot of orders for which tax is to be assigned due to the same Warehouse Pincode error, then request the Support team to assign Tax Rules to orders from a particular date.
  2. Order is fetched as 'Cancelled' from the marketplace without Address details.

    • Reason: Again, this happens since we don't have the destination pincode in these cases.

    • Solution: No Solution Required. Most likely you anyway don't require tax calculation for such orders since they neither need to be shipped nor do they need to go into your accounting books. 
  3. Order is in 'On Hold' State.

    • Reason: Shipping details (destination pincode) not available when the order is still on hold.

    • Solution: When the order status changes to a confirmed status, then the tax rule will get allocated automatically.
  4. Order was fetched as 'On Hold' without Address details and then got updated to Return status directly.

    • Reason: Amazon provides the Shipping details only for confirmed FBA Orders. Once the Orders are Shipped, the status gets updated in Browntape and also the Shipping details. If the order gets cancelled by the Customer soon after it has been Shipped, the Status of the Order gets updated to Courier Return. In this case the Shipping details are not available for the Order since it directly moves from On Hold to Return initiated status.

    • Solution: This is a very rare case. In such cases, the Shipping address details will have to be looked up on Amazon Seller Central and manually edited in the Order Shipping Address field on the Order Details page in Browntape. Then click on "Assign Tax Rule" for the Order. 
  5. Order was fetched earlier into Browntape from marketplace and the Warehouse Pincode was added/updated after that in Browntape.

    • Reason: When the Warehouse Pincode is missing, it is impossible for Browntape to decide the tax type (Inter-state vs intra-state). Hence when the order was fetched in Browntape, if the Warehouse Pincode is missing, then Tax will not be assigned to the order.

    • Solution: After updating the Warehouse Pincode, go to Order Details page and click on "Assign Tax Rule" for the particular order/orders. If there are a lot of orders for which tax is to be assigned due to the same Warehouse Pincode error, then request the Support team to assign Tax Rules to orders from a particular date.
  6. Order has unmapped SKU

    • Reason: When the SKU is not mapped, Browntape cannot decipher which warehouse to allocate the order to and thus the source Pincode is not identifiable, which makes it impossible to decide the tax type (Inter-state vs intra-state).

    • Solution: Map the unmapped Order SKUs to Browntape Master SKUs either by creating an alias or by creating a new Product. Make sure that the mapped Browntape SKU has a Tax rule defined. Then, go to Order Details page and click on "Assign Tax Rule" for the particular order/orders. If there are a lot of orders for which tax is to be assigned due to the same error, then request the Support team to assign Tax Rules to orders from a particular date.
  7. Tax rule was created after the orders were fetched into Browntape from marketplace.

    1. Reason: This happens mostly during Account Setup if the historical orders are fetched first and the Tax Rule is defined at a later date.

    2. Solution: Define a Tax Rule for the respective Product Family effective from 15-11-2017. Then request the Support team to assign Tax Rules to orders from a particular date.

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Working Mechanism of Effective Date in Tax ConfigurationIntroduction: 

    The Effective Date in tax configuration plays a crucial role in determining the tax rate assigned to orders. It ensures that the     correct tax rule is applied based on the time of order placement. Understanding its working mechanism is vital for accurate     tax allocation.

# Basic Principles:

  • Priority of Effective Dates: The system prioritizes the most recent Effective date when assigning tax rates. This ensures that the latest tax rule mappings take precedence.
  • Order Placement Dependency: Tax is allocated based on the Effective date of the tax rule mapping applicable at the time of order placement. It provides a historical context for accurate taxation.
  • Sequence of Tax Rule Mapping: The order of tax rule mappings matters. The system evaluates mappings chronologically, considering the Effective date to determine the applicable tax rate.

Example Scenario:Let's consider a scenario to illustrate the working of Effective Date

  • Default Tax Rule: A default tax rule with a 12% tax rate and an Effective date of 2022-01-01 is initially applied to all orders.

  • Affected Orders: Several orders for the month of September are affected due to this default rule.

  • Client Action: To rectify the issue, the client creates a new tax rule mapping for the product family "tshirts5%" with an initial Effective date of 2023-10-05. However, since this date is after the order placement, the tax is not assigned.

  • Adjustment: The client then modifies the Effective date of the "tshirt5%" tax rule mapping to 2023-09-11 (prior to the order placement date).

  • Reassignment: After adjusting the Effective date, the client successfully reassigns the correct tax for the affected orders

  • Default Rule Disablement: To allow the system to consider new mappings, the default tax rule with the 12% rate is disabled once the new rule is created with effective date mentioned above.

  • Finalization: Correct tax rates are reassigned for all affected orders, ensuring accurate taxation based on the updated tax rule mapping with the appropriate Effective date.