How to Override a Tax Description

Some jurisdictions require specific verbiage on client facing documents. In jurisdictions requiring specific verbiage, CereTax uses the tax description provided by the jurisdiction. In jurisdictions where there are no specific verbiage requirements, CereTax uses standard industry descriptions.

There may be instances where you would like to override a tax description based on your preference or business requirements. Be sure to consult with your Trusted Tax Advisor before overriding a tax description.

To override a tax description within CereTax, follow the steps below.

‍Create the Rule Type

1. Once logged into CereTax, navigate to Rules >Manage Rule Types

2. Select the Profile that this Rule Type is for. If there is only one Profile, this should already be displayed as the default.

3. Click + Rule Type

4. Enter the Rule Type Name

5. Select the Rule Level. For this type of configuration, the Rule Level will be Tax

6. Click Create Rule Type

If there are multiple Profiles within your CereTax account and this Rule Type is needed for each Profile, complete these steps for each Profile. 

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Set the Criteria and Action Elements

1. Click the Edit icon next to the newly created Rule Type 

2. Set the Criteria element as Tax Type by dragging the taxType field to the Criteria Element Table

In some cases, you may need taxTypeClass in replacement of or in addition to taxType. If you are unsure, please reach out to CereTax Support to discuss your requirements.

• If the tax you are looking to disable is state-specific, you will also need to add geocode.state as an additional criteria element.

3. Set the Action element as taxable by dragging the description field to the Action Element Table

4. Click Save Elements

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Create the Rule

1. Navigate to Rules > Manage Rules

2. Select the Profile that this Rule Type is for. Ifthere is only one Profile, this should already be displayed as the default.

3. Click Set-up New Rule

4. Fill out the following fields on the Create Rule form:

• ‍Rule Name: Enter a name for your rule, ex. “Tax Description Override - CST”
• Description: If desired, enter a description for this rule. This field has a maximum value of 200 characters.‍
• Start Effective Date: Enter the start date this rule is in effect for, ex. 01/01/2025‍
• End Effective Date: Enter the end date for this rule, ex. 12/31/2099‍
• Rule Type: Select the Rule Type that was created in the previous step‍
• Status: Select Active

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Add the Criteria Elements

1. Click + Add criteria

2. Fill out the following fields on the Add Criteria form:

• ‍Criteria Element: select “taxType” from the drop-down‍
• Operator: select “equals” from the drop-down
• Select Value and select the tax type you want to override the description of.

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Add the Action Elements

1. Click + Add action

2. Fill out the following fields on the Add Action form:

• ‍Action Element: select “description” from the drop-down
• Select Value and enter desired description name in this field

3. Click Add Action

4. Once returned to the Create Rule screen, click Create Rule.