The quick answer
Add the customer’s US state tax registration first. Then create the exemption certificate for that customer, subsidiary, state, certificate number, validity period, and item scope. Save it and check the certificate row. A saved certificate confirms the recorded setup. Test a later sale separately to verify its tax calculation.
The screens use sample data. Person and operating-company names are fictional; use your own records and values.
Before you start
The customer must be active and have a saved US tax registration before a certificate can be created. SuiteTax, the native SuiteTax Engine, and the relevant US nexus must already be configured. You need access to edit the customer’s Tax Registrations and create US Exemption Certificates. Use the customer’s reviewed certificate for its actual state, dates, and covered items. This example uses Cedar Field Supply, Alder Ridge US, Texas, registration 78462931, and certificate TX-EX-9462. The certificate is valid from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. In a non-OneWorld account, the Subsidiary field may not appear; menu labels and date formats can also vary.
01. Check the customer registration
Open Cedar Field Supply from Lists > Relationships > Customers. On Financial > Tax Registrations, check whether a Texas registration already exists. Use a matching registration if present; do not create a duplicate. Here the registration is missing.
02. Add the Texas registration
Edit the customer. In Tax Registrations, choose United States and Texas, confirm the configured United States TX nexus, enter 78462931 in Tax Reg. Number, and add the row. Leave Address blank only if the registration is not limited to one address and your policy permits it. Save the customer. This number alone does not grant an exemption.
03. Enter certificate details and scope
Go to Setup > SuiteTax Engine > US Exemption Certificates and select New Certificate. Choose Cedar Field Supply, Alder Ridge US, and Texas. Enter TX-EX-9462, Valid From 10/01/2026, and Valid Until 09/30/2027. In Items, the blanket option covers all items within the certificate’s other conditions. Clear it only to assign specific items; this example restores blanket coverage before saving. A certificate with blanket coverage off and no selected items cannot be saved. Notes and Attachment remain blank in the demonstrated record.
04. Verify the saved certificate
Save and read the new certificate row. Confirm customer Cedar Field Supply, subsidiary Alder Ridge US, Texas, TX-EX-9462, Applied Items All, and both validity dates. Before relying on the exemption for a sale, test an order separately with the intended customer, date, addresses, nexus, and items. Do not manually mark the customer Exempt in place of creating the certificate. The saved row alone does not establish the transaction’s tax result.
Product reference: Creating Exemption Certificates.
Common questions
Does a customer registration number make the customer exempt?
No. The registration identifies a tax jurisdiction. The separate certificate records the exemption conditions, and the intended transaction still needs a tax preview.
What is the difference between blanket and item-specific coverage?
Blanket coverage applies to all items within the certificate’s other limits. For limited coverage, clear the blanket option and select the covered items.
Why can tax still appear after I save a certificate?
Check the certificate dates, customer, subsidiary, state, item scope, transaction addresses, nexus, and assigned tax engine. Review the order’s Tax Details rather than assuming the certificate failed.