If a customer holds a valid tax exemption certificate, you can mark them as tax exempt in BigCommerce so that sales tax is not charged at checkout. How you do this depends on whether your store is using Basic Tax or an Automatic Tax Provider.
If You're Using Basic Tax
With Basic Tax, exemptions are managed using Customer Groups. You create a group for exempt customers, then configure your tax classes to exclude that group from tax.
💡 Note: The Customer Groups feature is only available on select BigCommerce plans.
Step 1: Create a Tax Exempt Customer Group
Go to Customers › Customer Groups in your BigCommerce admin panel.
Click "Create Customer Group".
Give the group a clear name (e.g. Tax Exempt Customers).
Click "Save".
Step 2: Assign the Customer to the Group
Go to Customers › View.
Find the customer and click their name to open their profile.
Under Customer Group, select your exempt group from the dropdown.
Click "Save".
Step 3: Configure Your Tax Class to Exclude the Group
Go to Settings › Tax.
Click Edit next to the relevant tax class.
Under Customer Groups, deselect your exempt group so tax does not apply.
Click "Save".
If You're Using an Automatic Tax Provider
With an automatic tax provider, exemptions are applied at the customer level using the Tax Exempt Code field. This signals to your tax provider that the customer should not be charged sales tax.
Adding a New Exempt Customer
Go to Customers › View and click "Add Customer".
Fill in the customer's details as normal.
Locate the Tax Exempt Code field.
Enter the appropriate exemption code (see reference below).
Click "Save".
Updating an Existing Customer
Go to Customers › View.
Find the customer and click Edit next to their name.
Locate the Tax Exempt Code field.
Enter the appropriate exemption code (see reference below).
Click "Save".
📋 Tax Exempt Code Reference
The code you enter depends on the exemption type. Check with your tax provider for the full list of supported values - common codes are:
Code | Exemption Type |
| Wholesale / Resale |
| Government |
| Other |
⚠️ Important: If the code you enter isn't recognised by your tax provider, the transaction may be assigned an exemption reason of "Other". Check with your provider to confirm which codes they support.
💡 Remember: Marking a customer as tax exempt in BigCommerce does not validate their exemption certificate — you'll need to hold a valid, up-to-date certificate on file separately before applying an exemption.