EXCEL Import to Create and Update Sales Tax Items (Release Fall 2025)
You can create Sales Tax Items through EXCEL import. You can also import updates to existing Sales Tax Items through EXCEL import. Both of these functions can be done on a single spreadsheet import.
Step 1 - Export the Sales Tax Items list
The first step to creating or updating Sales Tax Items through EXCEL import in RIMSS is to export your existing list from the system.
a. Navigate to Company > Sales Tax > Sales Tax Items
b. Right-click on the column header and add the remaining columns in no particular order.
e. Your grid should look like this after adding the additional columns:
d. Click on Print and export the grid to XLSX format.
e. Your spreadsheet should display the same column headers as the one below, only without the colored shading.
*The orange shaded columns are the fields you added from column chooser in step b.
**If you want to update any Item Names or add any new sales tax items, manually add a new column on the right side of the spreadsheet named "New Item Name". I noted this additional field in yellow below.
f. You can now update the fields in your grid.
- System ID column:
- If populated with an ID, the system will UPDATE the Sales tax item.
- If blank, the system will look up the Sales Tax Item name.
- If the Sales Tax Item Name is found, the system will UPDATE the Sales Tax Item.
- If the Sales Tax Item Name is NOT found, the system will CREATE the Sales Tax Item.
- Next Rate column:
- If you update the Next Rate, be certain to also update the Next As Of Date for the Sales Tax Item to be the effective date of the Sales Tax. You can make these updates early and use this date to tell the system when to implement the new rate.
- Sales Tax Agency column:
- If you want to update the Sales Tax Agency, you will need to input the name of the Sales Tax Supplier into the "Sales Tax Agency" column. The system will look up Suppliers that are marked as "Sales Tax Agency" and populate the record with the matching name.
- New Item Name column:
- If you are renaming or adding a new Sales Tax Item, you can add the new name in this column. When editing or adding a new Sales Tax Item, be sure to update the Next As Of Date column with the start date of the new rate. This date can be past, present, or future. If you do not add the Next As of Date, this will create issues with your sales tax setup and you could potentially double-tax customers.
- If you are not editing all rows in the spreadsheet, you can leave the unchanged data or delete the column as is your preference. The system will not update any data that is unchanged.
- Columns Last Modified By and Last Modified Date will be ignored by the import. You can exclude these columns if you prefer.
- Once all updates you want to make are complete, you will save and close the spreadsheet.
Note: Rates should be input to EXCEL as a percentage. A Sales Tax Rate of 5 percent would have the value "0.05" but would be displayed as "5.0000%"
Example Spreadsheet as exported:
Example Spreadsheet after entering updated information to import (changes highlighted in yellow):
Step 2: Import the spreadsheet and update the Sales Tax Items
a. Navigate to Company > Sales Tax > Sales Tax Items
b. This will open the Sales Tax Items list. Click on the "Import" option at the top left of the screen.
c. The system will open the pop-up below. Click on the button to "Select File to Import".
d. Navigate to the saved spreadsheet, select the file, and Click "Open" to load the spreadsheet into the popup.
e. The workbook will now be notated under the "File Name" field at the top of the pop-up. You will want to click on the dropdown for "Sheet Name" to select the correct worksheet within your workbook. Once you have selected the correct worksheet, click on "Import" to load the data in the pop-up.
f. Once the data is loaded into your popup, you can review the information to ensure it is the correct information to update your Sales Tax Items. I have highlighted in yellow the changes that I made to the exported spreadsheet. Those changes are reflected correctly, so I am ready to click on "Transfer Data to Document".
Once the system writes the updates, the pop-up will close and you will return to the Sales Tax Items list. At this point, you need to close and reopen RIMSS to load the new Sales Tax item information. Below is the Sales Tax Item list that now reflects the new updates, including the newly added item.
