Set default taxes and fees
Set the doc fee, other fees, sales tax rate, and issuing state that pre-fill every new deal — and override them per deal.
Set your standard fees and tax rate once. Every new deal pre-fills them, so you don't re-type the same doc fee on each sale. You can still change any number on the deal itself.
Only an Owner or Manager can change these — they affect the money on every new deal. Salespeople see the pre-filled values on a new deal and can override them there, but the Save defaults action on this page is rejected for them.
Set your defaults
The page has two cards: Title issuing state at the top and Fees & tax below it.
- Go to Settings → Deal defaults.
- In the Title issuing state card, pick a Default issuing state if you want to force one. Leave it on — Auto (primary location) — to inherit your main location's state automatically. (If you have no location with a state set, the dropdown shows No state available instead — add a location first.)
- In the Fees & tax card, enter your Default doc fee (e.g.
199.00). - Enter Default other fees if you charge a flat extra (leave blank or
0if you don't). - Enter your Sales tax rate (%) — the combined state + local rate (e.g.
7.5). It's applied to a new deal's selling price. - Turn on Trade-in reduces taxable amount if your state gives a trade-in tax credit (see the FAQ).
- Click Save defaults.
What each setting does
- Default issuing state — the state your deals are titled in. It drives which state's documents and fees apply. Leave it on — Auto (primary location) — to inherit your main location's state automatically. Your only choices are states you have a location in.
- Default doc fee — the dealer documentation fee that pre-fills the Doc fee (optional) field on a new deal.
- Default other fees — any flat additional fee; pre-fills the Other fees (optional) field.
- Sales tax rate (%) — used to auto-calculate the tax on a new deal from the selling price. Accepts up to three decimals (e.g.
6.875). - Trade-in reduces taxable amount — when on, a trade-in allowance is subtracted from the selling price before tax is calculated.
How the defaults pre-fill a deal
- Start a new deal at Deals → New deal.
- The Doc fee (optional) and Other fees (optional) fields are already filled with your defaults (a default of 0 shows the placeholder instead, so the field starts empty).
- As you type the Selling price, the Tax (optional) field auto-fills using your saved rate — but only if your Sales tax rate is set above 0%. You'll see a hint like "Auto at 7.5%" (it adds "(less trade)" when your defaults credit trade-ins).
- Change any of these numbers on the deal if this sale is different. Editing one field doesn't change your saved defaults.
The defaults are applied only when you create a new deal. Changing your defaults here does not rewrite tax or fees on deals you already started — those numbers are set at create time and there's no separate edit screen for them.
Once you type in the Tax (optional) field on a deal, it stops auto-updating. After that, changing the selling price or trade-in won't recalculate tax for you — fix the tax amount by hand. To get auto-tax back, start over on a fresh New deal form (a new form recalculates from your defaults).
A doc fee or other fee set to 0 shows the field's placeholder instead of 0.00 on a new deal. That's normal — a 0 default means "no pre-fill," so the field starts empty and you can leave it blank.
FAQ
Should I turn on "Trade-in reduces taxable amount"?
Turn it on if your state grants a trade-in tax credit — most states do. The known exceptions are CA, VA, HI, and DC, where the buyer pays tax on the full selling price regardless of a trade. When it's on, the trade allowance is subtracted from the price before tax; when it's off, tax is figured on the full price. Either way, the full trade allowance still reduces what the buyer owes.
Why is the issuing state locked or empty?
You can only pick states where you have a location set up. If the dropdown says No state available, add a location with a state under Settings → Locations first. Florida is supported today; more states are added over time.
Do these defaults change taxes on deals I already created?
No. They pre-fill new deals at the moment you create them. Existing deals keep whatever fees and tax they were saved with.
Can a salesperson change the defaults?
No. Setting the defaults is Owner or Manager only. A salesperson still sees the pre-filled doc fee, other fees, and auto-tax on a new deal and can override them on that deal, but the Save defaults action here is rejected for them.
The pre-filled tax looks wrong on a deal.
Check the Sales tax rate (%) here and the Trade-in reduces taxable amount toggle. The auto-tax is taxable amount × rate, where the taxable amount is the selling price (minus the trade allowance when the credit toggle is on). Also remember: if someone already typed in the Tax (optional) field on that deal, it stopped auto-calculating; and if your rate is 0%, tax doesn't auto-fill at all.