Taxes, Shipping & Payment Methods is three related pieces of setup: sales tax rules, shipping methods and rates, and payment methods you accept. They drive what shows on every quote, order, invoice, and POS transaction.

How to get there #

Menu: Admin → Settings
Direct URL pattern: https://yourdomain.com/?bizRt=bizuno/admin/settings

The Settings screen has multiple tabs; this article covers the three most commonly tweaked.

Sales Tax #

Tax Authorities #

A Tax Authority is a taxing jurisdiction — a state, county, city, or special district. Each authority has a name, a rate, and a GL account (Sales Tax Payable).

1. Settings → Tax → Tax Authorities.
2. Click New.
3. Enter:
   • Name: “Colorado State”, “Anywhere County”, “Anywhere City”.
   • Rate: the percentage (e.g., 2.9 for CO state).
   • GL Account: typically 2200 Sales Tax Payable.
   • Filing Frequency: monthly / quarterly / annually.
4. Save.

Tax Groups #

A Tax Group bundles authorities together — e.g., “Anywhere Combined” = State 2.9% + County 1% + City 3.5% = 7.4%. Assign the group to a customer or default it by ship-to zip.

Destination-based vs. origin-based #

• Origin-based: tax based on where your shop is. Simpler. Common in smaller states.
• Destination-based: tax based on where the customer is. Required in many states. Needs accurate customer addresses.

Bizuno supports both via tax group assignment. For e-commerce, use destination; for walk-in retail, origin is standard.

Tax-exempt customers #

On the customer record, the Tax Exempt flag with a Resale Cert / Exemption Number overrides tax to zero. Keep the physical resale certificate on file as audit backup.

Tax-exempt items #

Certain inventory items (services in some states, specific goods in others) are non-taxable. On the item record, set Tax Class: Non-Taxable.Important: Tax rules are local, they change, and getting them wrong costs penalties plus interest. If you have meaningful tax exposure — multiple states, online sales, wholesale — use a tax-automation service (Avalara, TaxJar, Taxcloud) integrated with Bizuno. Bizuno’s built-in tax tables are fine for single-jurisdiction shops but will drift behind reality.

Shipping methods #

Methods #

A shipping method is a named shipping option that appears on sales documents.

1. Settings → Shipping → Methods.
2. Click New.
3. Enter:
   • Name: “UPS Ground”, “Local Delivery”, “In-Store Pickup”.
   • Calculation: Flat / By Weight / By Zone / Real-Time (carrier API).
   • Default Cost (for Flat).
   • GL Account – Revenue (Freight Out).
4. Save.

Rate tables (weight / zone) #

For weight- or zone-based, set up a rate table: ranges of weight or destination zip, with price for each tier. Zones are often named (Zone 1 = local, Zone 2 = in-state, Zone 3 = multi-state).

Real-time carrier rates #

If integrated (see Integrations article), rates come from UPS, USPS, FedEx APIs based on package weight/dimensions/destination. Requires carrier accounts and API keys.

Freight In vs. Freight Out #

• Freight In — what you pay vendors to ship to you. Goes on bills; posts to COGS (or a separate Freight In account).
• Freight Out — what you charge customers to ship. Goes on invoices; posts to a Revenue or Revenue-contra account.

Payment methods #

Methods you accept #

1. Settings → Payments → Methods.
2. Click New for each:
   • Name: Cash, Check, Visa/MC, Amex, ACH, PayPal, Store Credit.
   • Type: Cash, Check, Credit Card, ACH, Digital Wallet, Credit.
   • Deposit-to Account: bank or undeposited funds.
   • Merchant Fee Account (for credit cards): 7020 Merchant Fees.
   • Processor: None / Stripe / Square / PayPal / etc. (see Integrations).
3. Save.

Processor integration vs. manual #

• Manual: the method is just a label; you record payments manually. Good for cash and check.
• Integrated: Bizuno charges the card through a processor (Stripe, Authorize.Net, Square). Requires API credentials from your processor account.

Currency per payment method #

Some shops add a USD-ACH method and a CAD-ACH method separately, each deposit-to a different bank account. Use additional methods when it clarifies accounting.

Customer payment terms #

Under Settings → Payments → Terms, define terms like “Due on Receipt”, “Net 15”, “Net 30”, “2% 10 Net 30”. Assign default terms to customers; the due date is calculated automatically on invoices.

Vendor payment terms #

Same mechanic, on the Vendor side: terms used when you receive bills. Bizuno calculates due dates and early-pay discount windows.

Tips for Ridgeline Cycles #

• Put all your rate setup through one review cycle each year at tax filing time. Rates change; shipping costs change.
• Don’t create dozens of payment methods. One per actual deposit destination is enough. “Visa” and “Mastercard” deposit to the same merchant account — use one method, call it “Credit Card”.
• If you run any wholesale / out-of-state sales, consult with your CPA on nexus and economic thresholds before turning on e-commerce. The tax complexity is real.
• Store resale/exemption certs in Bizuno as attachments on the customer record. An auditor will ask.

Where to go next #

• Integrations — set up Stripe / Square / Avalara / shipping carriers.
• Customer Manager (Category 2) — tax groups and terms are assigned there.
• Banking Reports (Category 5) — Bank Balances and Deposit Detail verify payment methods post correctly.