Consumer use tax rarely gets the spotlight, but it’s one of the fastest ways for audit risk to quietly pile up.

In this episode of Beyond Death & Taxes, Matt and Clay break down one of the most overlooked areas of tax compliance: consumer use tax. Using insights from Avalara’s Consumer Use Tax Explained webinar, they walk through where use tax commonly hides, why it’s so often missed, and how small gaps can quickly turn into major audit exposure.

From vendor errors and software subscriptions to inventory used internally, this episode highlights why manual tracking falls short and how automation can help finance teams reduce risk before auditors come knocking.

Key Takeaways

• Why consumer use tax creates outsized audit risk, even for well-run finance teams.
• Where use tax issues most often hide, including vendor undercharges and internal use.
• How multi-state operations complicate compliance and increase exposure.
• Why spreadsheets don’t scale and what automation changes.

If use tax feels like an afterthought, this episode explains why it shouldn’t be — and how to get ahead of it.

Related Links

1. Check out the full webinar: Consumer use tax explained: What it is and how to manage it
2. Explore more articles, reports, and up-to-date insights on all things compliance Avalara Resource Center