Avalara launches Avi for Tax Research — AI assistant for smarter tax research

Managing global tax and trade compliance is becoming increasingly complex, with constant regulatory changes, jurisdiction-specific requirements, and growing documentation demands. To help businesses keep up, Avalara is embedding AI directly into the Avalara Tax Research platform — part of its broader shift toward becoming an AI-first organization.

This enhancement enables tax and trade professionals to access smarter insights, automate manual tasks, and focus on higher-value work. With the addition of an AI-powered assistant and expanded cross-border compliance libraries, Avalara Tax Research now delivers content faster, supports more informed decision-making, and offers a seamless research experience.

Avi for Tax Research is a conversational, AI-powered agent embedded directly within Avalara Tax Research. Designed to streamline research, it helps users quickly find highly accurate answers with less manual effort.

Trained on trusted Avalara compliance content libraries, the assistant understands complex tax language and delivers instant, contextual responses to queries. Whether you’re preparing for a U.S. sales tax audit or trying to interpret new indirect tax regulations, Avi for Tax Research provides clear, relevant answers with citations in seconds. Learn how to navigate the assistant and make the most of its key features in this short self-guided demo.

Here’s how Avi works in practice.

Bill, a tax manager at Microsoft, needs to know if delivering custom software on a thumb drive triggers tax consequences in Arizona. Instead of manually searching through tax codes and articles, he asks Avi:

“Can you tell whether custom software sold in Arizona for $10,000 is taxable when it’s delivered on a thumb drive of nominal value ($5)?”

Avi responds with a clear explanation: “Because the thumb drive is of minimal value compared to the software, the transaction is exempt in Arizona.” Avi also includes links to supporting citations within Avalara Tax Research, which Bill can reference, save, or share.

Since Avi retains context, Bill continues his research without restating the scenario — this time he asks if the same transaction would be taxable in Tennessee. Avi confirms that it would be taxable and again provides trusted citations to support the answer. This kind of context-aware, citation-supported guidance helps businesses make faster, more confident decisions with less manual effort.

Getting started with Avi for Tax Research is easy — whether you’re already using Avalara Tax Research or exploring it for the first time.

For existing Avalara Tax Research users,
Avi for Tax Research is available now for subscribers. There’s no additional setup required — simply start asking your tax and trade compliance research questions and get instant, AI-powered answers based on trusted Avalara content.

If you’re not using Avalara Tax Research, you can explore how it simplifies research, reduces manual effort, and delivers fast, reliable insights. Start your free trial today and experience a smarter way to manage tax and trade compliance research with Avi for Tax Research.

The growing complexities of compliance and constantly changing regulations make tax and trade compliance research exhausting and time-consuming. Avi for Tax Research is built to change that. Instead of spending hours or days digging through different unreliable links, you can get highly accurate, concise answers to your toughest questions in seconds. The AI-powered assistant streamlines your workflow, reduces risk, and helps you navigate the burden of tax compliance with ease.

1. Can I get detailed tax information about a specific product or service from Avi for Tax Research?
Yes. You can ask the assistant product- or service-specific questions regarding taxability, exemptions, or applicable rates and receive tailored responses based on Avalara tax content. This helps speed up decision-making on pricing, invoicing, and compliance.

2. Does Avi for Tax Research provide up-to-date tax rules for both U.S. and global businesses?
Yes. The assistant is continuously updated with the latest U.S. and international tax and compliance content maintained by the Avalara tax research team. This helps ensure users have access to accurate, current information across jurisdictions

3. Do I need to enable a separate feature setup to use Avi for Tax Research?
No, your existing Avalara Tax Research sign-in credentials give you access to this feature automatically — no additional setup is required.