Avalara MCP servers: what the nine servers do, what they can change, how to connect

Avalara hosts nine official remote MCP servers at mcp.avalara.com; several write live tax data and file-related records. OAuth 2.1 or bearer token. Verified 21 Oct 2026.

Official MCP servers · read & write (hosted, nine servers)

Hosting: Remote HTTP, hosted by Avalara: one endpoint per server, e.g. https://mcp.avalara.com/avatax; sandbox on mcp.sbx.avalara.com.
Auth: OAuth 2.1 browser sign-in for seven servers; Returns and Tax Registrations use a bearer token in an Authorization header.
Read / write: Read & write: 108 tools across nine servers, per Avalara's server pages; many create, approve, commit or delete live records.
Works with: Any OAuth 2.1 MCP client, per Avalara; setup given for Cursor, VS Code and Claude Code. No Claude directory connector or ChatGPT app.
Plan requirement: Avalara subscription entitled to each service you call; no separate MCP fee stated. Per Avalara's blog, the AvaTax 90-day free trial gives you an environment to build against. Avalara doesn't say whether registration, licence or FPOA orders carry their own fees.
Last changed: 2026-07-21 (E-Invoicing and Live Reporting server added to the MCP Registry)
Verification: Verified 21 Oct 2026 by theFinanceStack · confidence: high

What can an agent do with Avalara through MCP?

An agent can calculate tax and look up transactions, nexus, filings and tariff data. It can also change live records: create nexus, manage exemption certificates, approve filings, commit excise transactions and place registration orders.

Where it runs

Avalara splits its MCP offer into nine servers, each with its own endpoint and tool list.

Server	Tools
AvaTax	10
Returns	46
Exemption Certificate Management	21
Tax Registrations and Business Licenses	10
Tax Content	9
E-Invoicing and Live Reporting	5
Classification	4
Cross-Border	2
Dev Documentation	1

How writes behave

Avalara does not describe a draft or confirm step for any tool. Treat every create, update, import, approve, commit or delete tool as acting at once.

Tools with money or filing effects

Tool	What it does
`approve_filings_returns`	Marks reviewed returns ready for submission to the tax authority.
`funding_poa_returns`	Sends a funding power of attorney out for signature by email or a signing widget. Once signed, it is a power of attorney over funding, so treat this as the tool that can lead to authorising money.
`commit_transaction_excise`	Makes an excise transaction eligible for returns. After that it can be voided, and editing is no longer possible.
`create_license_filing_order`, `create_sales_tax_order`, `create_payroll_registration_order`, `create_unemployment_registration_order`	Ask Avalara to file or register on your behalf.
`create_license_guidance_order`	Also places an order. Avalara says it returns the licences required without filing them.

Can

Calculate tax, create transactions and nexus records; read companies and tax codes (AvaTax)
Read filing calendars, filings, liability reports and filing confirmations; approve or reject filings (Returns)
Create companies, client accounts (which come with new client credentials), firm-client links, VAT Returns clients and filing calendar requests; send a funding power of attorney for signature (Returns)
Create, adjust, commit, void and batch-process excise transactions, update their return data, and import business entities and locations, which can update existing records (Returns, excise)
Onboard MyLodgeTax partners; create, update and delete MyLodgeTax properties and revenue records (Returns, MyLodge)
Create and update exemption certificates and customers, replace certificate attachments, link or unlink customers, update customer custom fields, and email certificate requests to customers (ECM)
Read Transaction Tax Export configurations, jobs, runs and downloads; create and update notification records (Tax Content)
Place licence filing, sales tax, payroll and unemployment registration orders, plus licence guidance orders that return the licences required (Tax Registrations and Business Licenses)
Look up e-invoice status and errors, HS codes, tariffs and Avalara developer docs (E-Invoicing and Live Reporting, Classification, Cross-Border and Dev Documentation, all read-only)

Cannot

Call a service your account isn't entitled to; Avalara says a permission-denied error usually means this
Use Returns without choosing one business domain per request (us-returns, vat-returns, propertytax, mylodge or excise), per Avalara
Narrow access through per-tool OAuth scopes, which Avalara doesn't document; the servers' OAuth metadata lists one scope, avalara_mcp

What access does it get?

Each server acts with your Avalara account's access. Avalara doesn't document per-tool OAuth scopes and the OAuth servers' metadata lists one scope, avalara_mcp, so limit access through the Avalara user's own permissions and through which servers you add.

Where	Scopes and permissions (as documented)	Admin requirement
AvaTax, ECM, Tax Content, E-Invoicing and Live Reporting, Classification, Cross-Border, Dev Documentation (OAuth 2.1)	Not documented on Avalara's pages. The OAuth metadata lists scope avalara_mcp (Dev Documentation adds offline_access); you approve permissions at Avalara sign-in.	Avalara doesn't document who can authorise. Some tools need specific Avalara permissions, for example directory_search for trading partner search. Claude Team/Enterprise: an Owner adds custom connectors.
Returns (JWT bearer token)	No OAuth scopes. A JWT generated from your License Key goes in the Authorization header, never in the URL. The X-Returns-Tools header (or a tools query parameter; the header wins if both are set) picks one business domain, and only that domain's tools run. The domain choice filters tools only: anyone holding the JWT can switch domains.	Avalara doesn't document an admin step beyond holding the License Key.
Tax Registrations and Business Licenses (client-credentials token)	Not documented by the vendor. You request a client ID and secret from Avalara partner support and exchange them for a token at identity.avalara.com.	Avalara partner support issues the credentials.

How do I connect it?

Add the server's endpoint, for example https://mcp.avalara.com/avatax, to your MCP client and sign in to Avalara in the browser; Returns and Tax Registrations use a bearer token instead. Start with the sandbox endpoint.

Avalara has no Claude directory connector. Use Customize › Connectors › Add custom connector with the server URL, for example https://mcp.avalara.com/avatax.
Sign in to Avalara in the browser window and approve the requested permissions.
For Returns or Tax Registrations, add the Authorization header (and X-Returns-Tools for Returns) under Request headers, which Claude sends on every request.
Add one connector per server you need; use https://mcp.sbx.avalara.com/avatax to test against sandbox.

Avalara doesn't document Claude.ai custom connectors, so this path is untested by the vendor; its identity server does publish a dynamic client registration endpoint. Team/Enterprise: an Owner must add custom connectors, and per Anthropic a header token is shared by everyone who uses that connector.

What should a finance team watch for?

Write tools act on live Avalara data with no draft step, so test in sandbox and keep a person approving every create, approve, commit or order call.

approve_filings_returns, funding_poa_returns, commit_transaction_excise and the four filing and registration order tools have real-world effects: filings, funding authority and orders Avalara fulfils. Don't let an agent call them unattended. Avalara's MCP pages don't say whether these orders carry their own service fees; check with Avalara first.
request_certificate emails your customer. create_and_link_account_returns creates an Avalara client account and generates client credentials, which come back through the chat and its logs; move them to proper storage and rotate them if the transcript is shared.
Each server is rate limited (HTTP 429 on excess, per Avalara's blog); the server pages don't show the numbers.
get_liability_reports_returns and get_filing_attachments_returns return ZIP bytes, per Avalara, which a chat client may not open or summarise. The property tax trackers return results in pages, and Avalara says one call can come back empty while more records exist.
Returns and Tax Registrations tokens sit in plain text in the client config, which is often synced or shared. Don't commit it; use the client's secret storage where it has one.
Product descriptions and customer names are free text: an injected instruction there could push an agent to approve a filing or commit a transaction. Keep tool confirmation on.
Avalara's MCP pages don't state data retention or training terms; read Avalara's terms and your AI provider's terms.

How could finance teams and accounting firms use it?

The read tools fit tax questions and reporting. The write tools fit prepared actions that a person checks before they reach Avalara.

Inside a company

Ask for this month's transactions or nexus (AvaTax) or filing calendars (Returns) without opening AvaTax or Managed Returns.
List customers with expired or missing exemption certificates and draft the request list for a person to send.
Pull filings for a period so a person can review them before approval; liability reports arrive as ZIP files to open outside the chat.
Get tax code or HS code suggestions for new products for the tax owner to confirm.

At an accounting firm

Check a client's filing calendars, filing status and FPOA status ahead of a deadline.
Summarise failed e-invoices and their error analysis for a client call.
Gather the location and business details for a licence guidance order; a person places it (create_license_guidance_order) once the client agrees.
Check certificate coverage for a client's customers before an audit (list_certificates_for_customer).

Keep a person approving anything that changes Avalara, files with a tax authority or places an order.

Want Avalara connected to Claude for your team?

We configure scoped connections and a review step before anything changes your books. Fixed fee.

Book a 30-minute setup call

Change log

Date	Change	Source
2026-10-21	Observed on 21 Oct 2026: server pages list per-server endpoints; Returns and Tax Registrations use bearer tokens	developer.avalara.com/mcp-servers/returns/
2026-07-21	E-Invoicing and Live Reporting server published to the MCP Registry (com.avalara/elr)	registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0/servers?search=avalara
2026-06-11	AvaTax server published to the MCP Registry; six more by 25 Jun	registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0/servers?search=avalara
2026-05-27	Avalara MCP developer primer published	www.avalara.com/blog/en/north-america/2026/05/avalara-mcp-se
2025-10-06	Avalara announces MCP servers with its Avi Everywhere release	www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2025/10/06/avalara-enhances-compl

FAQ

Is this official?

Yes. Avalara documents the nine servers on developer.avalara.com and hosts them at mcp.avalara.com; eight are listed in the MCP Registry under com.avalara.

Is it free?

Avalara states no separate MCP fee. You need an active subscription with entitlement to each service you call. Per Avalara's blog, the AvaTax 90-day free trial gives you an environment to build against. Avalara doesn't say whether registration, licence or FPOA orders carry their own fees.

Does it change data in Avalara?

Yes. Tools can create nexus and certificates, approve filings, commit or void excise transactions, delete MyLodgeTax records and place licence and registration orders, four of which ask Avalara to file on your behalf. Avalara describes no draft step.

Is my data used to train models?

Avalara's MCP pages don't say. Check Avalara's terms and your AI provider's terms on training and retention before connecting.

Can my accountant use it on my behalf?

Avalara doesn't document delegated use. Returns has firm-client linkage tools for Managed Returns; confirm access with Avalara.

Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we'll email you when it's fixed.

Sources

Verified by theFinanceStack, 21 Oct 2026. Vendor list on the CFO Software Market Map courtesy of Jason Staats; AI connectivity data by theFinanceStack. Not tax, compliance or financial advice.