Onboarding

Guide: Avalara Managed Returns API (EMEA)

Understand the end-to-end process to onboard VAT clients with the Avalara Managed Returns API, from creating client accounts to generating and retrieving return drafts.

A partner (Firm or marketplace) uses the Avalara Managed Returns API to onboard VAT clients, configure registrations and obligations, upload and validate data, generate drafts, and prepare filings.

The onboarding process includes the following steps:

1. Create client account and Company:

   • The partner operates as a Firm and creates a Client Account for each merchant.
   • A default Company is created under the Client Account to represent the legal entity for VAT filings.

2. Configure VAT registrations and filing setup:

   • For each Company, VAT registrations are established for relevant jurisdictions (for example, GB).
   • Filing configuration includes selecting regions and forms, and submitting a filing calendar that defines obligation types, frequencies, and effective dates.

3. Import transaction data:

   During onboarding and ongoing operations, transaction data is imported (for example, using VatUploadData) to support VAT return preparation across the configured Return periods.

4. Validate and review data:

   • Data ingestion runs validations and aggregations.
   • Invoice-level results are available using data preparation APIs (for example, VatDataPrepResults) so partners can surface detailed issues in their own UI before draft generation.

5. Generate and monitor return drafts:

   For each Return period, partners initiate draft generation (for example, VatStartDraftGeneration) and monitor progress (for example, VatDraftGenerationStatus) until all artifacts are ready.

6. Retrieve drafts and proceed to filing:

   Generated draft files (JSON e-filing payloads, PDF summaries, CSV reconciliation files) are retrieved (for example, VatReturnDrafts) and used for review, approval, and downstream filing and reconciliation workflows.