CivilGEO engineers worry-free tax automation with Avalara

Founded in 2010, CivilGEO develops advanced engineering and environmental modeling software for civil engineers worldwide. Engineering consultants, public utilities, government agencies, and educational institutions rely on CivilGEO software to automate their engineering workflow and double their productivity.

CivilGEO relied on its accounting firm, RSM, to manage sales tax in its home state of Wisconsin. As CivilGEO’s growth began to accelerate in recent years, economic nexus thresholds in other states became a concern. 

“We had already crossed the threshold in a couple of states,” says Chris Maeder, the company’s engineering director, “so I reached out to RSM and asked, ‘When do we need to start worrying about sales tax in other states?’ And they said, ‘Well, you should start worrying about it right away.’”

RSM was keenly aware of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc. and its potential impact on clients like CivilGEO. The accounting firm offered to implement Avalara’s software to automate the sales tax compliance process. 

“We looked at a couple of different solutions,” Chris remembers, “but Avalara quickly emerged as the obvious choice. It’s easy to learn and use, it integrates seamlessly with QuickBooks, and RSM offered to install it for us.” 

The integration with QuickBooks was a key factor in Chris’s decision. It enables CivilGEO to calculate rates, prepare returns, manage exemption certificates, and more from the accounting software the company is already using. Avalara University, a web-based training program, helped CivilGEO get up to speed. “It didn’t take us more than a week or two to become very comfortable using it,” Chris says. “Avalara pretty much runs itself.”