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County Tax Configuration Documentation

Menu Location: Payments > Taxes > County Tax

Access Level: Administrator and above

Last Updated: 2026-03-01

Overview

The County Tax page manages sales tax rates at the county level. Configure counties with tax rates that automatically apply to all cities within that county.

Primary Functions:

  • Create counties with tax rates
  • Edit county tax rates
  • Assign cities to counties
  • View all configured county taxes
  • Delete county tax configurations
  • Automatically apply tax based on county assignment

Page Layout

Header Section

  • Page Title: County Tax configuration
  • Add New Button: Create new county tax entry

Main Content Table

List of all configured counties with their tax rates

Table Columns:

  • County Name
  • Tax Rate (percentage)
  • State
  • Number of Cities Assigned
  • Actions (Edit/Delete)

County Tax Fields

Required Fields

County Name:

  • Full county name
  • Example: "Kent County" or "Los Angeles County"
  • Include "County" in name for clarity

Tax Rate:

  • Percentage as decimal number
  • Example: 0.75 for 0.75% county tax
  • Do not include % symbol

Optional Fields

State:

  • Two-letter state abbreviation
  • Helps organize counties by state
  • Example: MI, CA, TX

Notes:

  • Internal notes about county
  • Tax change history
  • Special considerations

Managing County Taxes

Adding a New County

Steps:

  1. Click "Add New" button
  2. Enter county name with "County" suffix
  3. Enter tax rate as decimal
  4. Enter state abbreviation
  5. Add any notes
  6. Click "Save"
  7. Assign cities to this county in City Tax page

Example:

  • County Name: Oakland County
  • Rate: 0.25
  • State: MI
  • Notes: 0.25% county tax effective 2024

Editing a County Tax

Steps:

  1. Find county in table
  2. Click "Edit" icon
  3. Modify rate or details
  4. Click "Save"
  5. Changes apply to all cities in county

Important: Rate changes affect ALL cities assigned to this county.

Deleting a County

Warning: Cannot delete county with cities assigned to it.

Steps:

  1. First, reassign or remove all cities from county
  2. Click "Delete" icon on county
  3. Confirm deletion
  4. County removed from system

County Tax Assignment

How Counties Work with Cities

Relationship:

  • Cities are assigned to counties in City Tax page
  • County tax automatically adds to city tax
  • Customer's total tax = State + County + City + Zip + Product

Example:

  • Customer in: Grand Rapids, Kent County, MI
  • State Tax: 6%
  • County Tax: 0.25% (Kent County)
  • City Tax: 1.5% (Grand Rapids)
  • Total Tax: 7.75%

Assigning Cities to Counties

Process:

  1. Go to City Tax configuration page
  2. Create or edit a city
  3. Select county from dropdown
  4. Save city
  5. County tax now applies to that city

Bulk Assignment:

  • Counties can have many cities
  • Update county rate to change tax for all cities at once
  • Useful for county-wide rate changes

Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: Add New County Tax

Goal: Configure county when county enacts sales tax

Steps:

  1. Research county tax rate
  2. Verify effective date
  3. Go to County Tax page
  4. Click "Add New"
  5. Enter "Oakland County"
  6. Enter rate: 0.5
  7. Enter state: MI
  8. Click "Save"
  9. Go to City Tax page
  10. Assign cities in Oakland County to this county
  11. Test with sample order

Use Case 2: County-Wide Rate Change

Goal: Update tax rate for all cities in county

Steps:

  1. Receive notice of county rate change
  2. Note effective date
  3. On effective date, go to County Tax page
  4. Find county in table
  5. Click "Edit"
  6. Update rate to new value
  7. Click "Save"
  8. All cities in county automatically use new rate
  9. Notify accounting team

Advantage: Update once, applies to all cities

Use Case 3: Reorganize Tax Structure

Goal: Move cities between counties or set up counties

Steps:

  1. List all counties in service area
  2. Create each county in County Tax page
  3. Research each county's tax rate
  4. Add counties with rates
  5. Go to City Tax page
  6. Edit each city to assign correct county
  7. Test orders in various cities
  8. Verify correct combined tax rates

Use Case 4: Remove County Tax

Goal: County eliminates sales tax

Steps:

  1. Receive official notice of elimination
  2. Note effective date
  3. On effective date, edit county
  4. Set rate to 0.00 (or delete after reassigning cities)
  5. Save changes
  6. Verify orders no longer include county tax
  7. Update Tax Reports expectations

Use Case 5: Audit County Assignments

Goal: Verify all cities assigned to correct counties

Steps:

  1. Export list of all cities and their counties
  2. Compare against authoritative county map
  3. Note any misassignments
  4. Edit city entries to correct county
  5. Verify tax calculations after corrections
  6. Document audit results

Troubleshooting

County Tax Not Applying

Symptoms:

  • City tax applies
  • County tax missing from order
  • County exists in configuration

Check:

  1. Verify city is assigned to county (City Tax page)
  2. Confirm county has non-zero rate
  3. Check if city is in correct state
  4. Verify county configuration is saved
  5. Test with different cities in same county

Common Causes:

  • City not assigned to any county
  • City assigned to wrong county
  • County rate set to 0
  • Configuration not saved

Wrong County Tax Amount

Symptoms:

  • County tax appears
  • Amount is incorrect

Investigation:

  1. Check county tax rate in configuration
  2. Verify city is assigned to correct county
  3. Review order calculations
  4. Confirm rate format (0.75 not 75)
  5. Check for recent rate changes

Solutions:

  • Correct county rate
  • Reassign city to correct county
  • Verify decimal format

Cannot Delete County

Symptoms:

  • Delete button disabled or errors
  • County won't remove

Explanation: Counties with cities assigned cannot be deleted. This prevents breaking tax calculations.

Solution:

  1. Go to City Tax page
  2. Find all cities assigned to this county
  3. Either delete cities or reassign to different county
  4. Return to County Tax page
  5. Now delete button works
  • City Tax - Assign cities to counties
  • State Tax - State-level tax configuration
  • Zip Code Tax - Zip-level tax configuration
  • Tax Reports - View collected county taxes

Typical Workflow:

  1. Create counties in County Tax page
  2. Assign cities to counties in City Tax page
  3. Taxes auto-calculate based on customer address
  4. Review Tax Reports for breakdown

Permissions & Access

Required Access Level: Administrator or higher

Access Level Capabilities:

  • Administrator: Add, edit, delete counties
  • Kiva Admin: All features + bulk operations

Best Practices

Configuration

  1. Create all counties before assigning cities
  2. Use consistent naming (always include "County")
  3. Document tax rate sources
  4. Keep state abbreviations consistent
  5. Add notes for rate change history

Rate Management

  1. Subscribe to county tax change notifications
  2. Update rates on exact effective dates
  3. Test after changes
  4. Communicate changes to accounting
  5. Keep records of rate change notices

Organization

  • Group counties by state
  • Verify assignments annually
  • Remove obsolete counties
  • Audit rates against official sources
  • Maintain historical rate documentation

Efficiency

  • Use county tax for region-wide updates
  • Assign similar cities to same county
  • Leverage county structure for bulk changes
  • Document county boundaries clearly

Quick Reference Card

Task Action/Location
Add new county Click "Add New", enter details, save
Edit county rate Find county, click "Edit", update
Delete county Unassign all cities first, then delete
Search counties Use table search box
Assign city to county Go to City Tax page, edit city
View cities in county City Tax page, filter by county
Update all cities in county Edit county rate (applies to all)

FAQs

Do I need to create a county for every city?

Only if that county has a county-level sales tax. Many counties don't have their own tax. Research each county's tax requirements.

What's the advantage of using counties vs. just cities?

Efficiency. If 20 cities in a county all have the same 0.5% county tax, you configure it once at the county level. Rate changes update all 20 cities at once.

Can a city be in multiple counties?

No, each city can only be assigned to one county. If a city spans county lines, assign it to the county where the majority of deliveries occur, or consult with tax advisor.

What if county and city have overlapping boundaries?

This is normal. County tax applies to the entire county. City tax applies only within city limits. A customer in the city pays both; a customer outside city limits pays only county tax.

How do I know which cities are assigned to a county?

Go to the City Tax page and filter or search by the county name. All cities showing that county assignment are included.

Can I set different county rates for different zip codes?

No, county tax is uniform across the entire county. For zip-specific rates, use the Zip Code Tax configuration.

End of Documentation

For additional help, contact your system administrator or Kiva Logic support.