Installation Guide

Get StickTax running on your BigCommerce store in under 15 minutes.

1 Install StickTax

~1 minute

1. Go to the BigCommerce App Marketplace and search for "StickTax".
2. Click Install. BigCommerce will ask you to authorize StickTax to access your store's product catalog and tax settings.
3. Click Confirm. StickTax will install and you'll see a confirmation screen.

2 Open StickTax

~30 seconds

After installation, open StickTax from your BigCommerce control panel:

1. Go to Apps → My Apps in your BigCommerce admin.
2. Click StickTax.
3. The StickTax dashboard loads inside your control panel.

3 Sync Your Catalog

~1-2 minutes

1. Go to the Products tab in StickTax.
2. Click Sync Catalog from BC.
3. StickTax pulls all your products and variants from BigCommerce — names, SKUs, prices, and variant labels.
4. StickTax automatically detects which variants are singles, boxes, and bundles based on your variant labels.

4 Set Up Profile Classes

~2 minutes

Profile classes tell StickTax how many sticks are in each box type. This is essential for accurate per-stick tax calculations on box variants.

1. Go to the Profile Classes tab.
2. Click Add to create a new class.
3. Enter a name (e.g. "Standard Box 20") and the number of cigars per box (e.g. 20).
4. Create classes for each box size you sell — common sizes are 10, 20, 24, and 25.

After creating classes, go back to the Products tab and assign the appropriate class to each box variant.

5 Configure Excise Tax Rules

~5-10 minutes

This is the core setup. You'll tell StickTax how each state taxes cigars.

1. Go to the Excise Tax Rules tab. All 50 states + DC are listed.
2. For each state where you ship cigars, configure:
   • Active: check the box to enable tax calculation for this state
   • Method: select the excise tax method the state uses
   • Per Stick: the dollar amount per stick (for per_stick and combo methods)
   • MSRP %: the percentage of MSRP (for pct_msrp, pct_msrp_capped, and combo methods)
   • Cap/Stick: the maximum tax per stick (for pct_msrp_capped and combo methods)
   • Applies To: whether the rule applies to all products, singles only, or boxes only
3. Click Save on each row after configuring.

Common Excise Tax Methods by State

Here are a few examples to help you get started. Always verify with your tax advisor:

• Indiana: pct_msrp_capped — 24% of MSRP, capped at $0.72 per stick
• Florida: pct_msrp — 21.25% of MSRP
• Pennsylvania: per_stick — $0.60 per stick
• New York: pct_msrp_capped — 75% of wholesale, capped at $0.50 per stick

6 Configure Sales Tax Rules

~2 minutes

1. Go to the Sales Tax tab.
2. For each state where you have sales tax nexus, check Active and enter the sales tax rate (e.g. 7 for 7%).
3. Click Save on each row.

7 Set MSRP Values

~5 minutes

For states that use MSRP-based excise tax methods, StickTax needs to know the MSRP for each product.

1. Go to the Products tab.
2. For each variant, enter the MSRP in the MSRP column.
3. If you don't set an MSRP, StickTax falls back to the BigCommerce retail price for that variant.

8 Test Your Setup

~2 minutes

1. Open your storefront in an incognito/private browser window.
2. Add a cigar product to your cart.
3. Proceed to checkout and enter a shipping address in a state where you've configured excise tax rules.
4. After entering the shipping address and selecting a shipping method, you should see the excise tax and/or sales tax lines appear in the order total.

You're All Set

StickTax is now calculating cigar excise tax and sales tax on every checkout. You can review all calculations in the Tax History tab and export CSV reports at any time.

Questions? Contact us at support@sticktax.com.