Case Study: Catching Clouds achieves streamlined sales tax filing and reduced compliance risk with Avalara Managed Returns

Catching Clouds - Customer Case Study

Catching Clouds, founded in 2011 by Scott and Patti Scharf and now part of Acuity, is a virtual ecommerce advisory firm that provides sales tax management, bookkeeping, payroll and other cloud accounting services for clients with $1M–$50M in revenue. After the 2018 Wayfair decision expanded state sales tax obligations, Catching Clouds struggled to keep up with thousands of varying jurisdiction rules and filing requirements, creating time-consuming processes, error risk, and compliance exposure.

They adopted Avalara Managed Returns for Accountants to automate importing tax data, detect nexus thresholds, and prepare, file, and remit sales tax returns on clients’ behalf. Avalara handles most reporting while Catching Clouds retains oversight via a management dashboard, which reduced manual work and compliance risk, met increased returns demand, and freed staff to focus on higher‑value advisory services.

Catching Clouds

Scott Scharf

CTO and Ecommerce Practice Lead