Packtally docs
Getting started with Packtally
Set up Packtally: install, agree to the terms, pick the data year and see where you owe. A map of every Packtally screen, from packaging to filing.
In short: Install Packtally, agree to who is responsible for your reports, pick the data year, and Packtally reads that year's Shopify orders in the background. Home then shows every state's status and the product law checks. Add your packaging next, and the reports fill in as you go.
Set up in five steps
- Install Packtally and approve the permissions. Packtally only reads orders, products and locations. It never changes your store.
- Agree to the terms. The welcome page lists five short points about who is responsible for your reports. Type your full name and check the box; Packtally records it with the date. If the terms change, you agree again before the app opens.
- Pick the data year. Reports filed in 2027 cover packaging shipped in 2026, so 2026 is the default. Enter your company's global gross revenue now if you know it, or later on Set up.
- Let it read your orders. Shopify exports the year's orders in the background and Home fills in by itself. After that, new orders are counted as they come in and the whole year is read again once a day.
- Follow "Do next" on Home. It walks you through company facts, packaging, product packaging, shipping and categories, then sends you to Reports and File.
Want to look around first? Check Load sample data on the welcome page, or load it later from Set up, Company. Sample data is Ember & Pine, a made-up candle and merch brand with a year of orders, packaging, rules and categories. It's kept apart from your own data, never goes into a filing made from your orders, and you remove it in one click.
Where everything is
| Screen | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Home | Each state's status, product law to-dos, days to the deadline, estimated fees, how ready you are to file, and what to do next |
| Set up, Company | Legal name, revenue, brands, employees, California sales, registrations, who packs at each location, email alerts, linked stores, language and sample data |
| Set up, Producer | Who owns each brand you sell, associated companies, and how Amazon and wholesale are treated |
| Set up, Packaging library | Every box, mailer, jar, lid, label, tissue and tape you ship, with material, weight and where the weight came from |
| Set up, Product packaging | What ships with each product, set per product or for a whole tag, type or vendor, plus bundles and starter templates |
| Set up, Shipping | Shipping kits, the rules that pick a kit for each shipment, and a check of any single order |
| Set up, Real boxes | The box each order actually shipped in, from ShipStation or a 3PL file |
| Set up, Other sales | Amazon, wholesale, retail and marketplace units, typed in or uploaded, including Amazon's shipments report |
| Set up, Product categories | Your product types sorted into categories, PFAS and Prop 65 answers, and the Prop 65 warning block |
| Set up, Import | Upload your packaging list and product packaging from a spreadsheet |
| Set up, Documents | Supplier certificates and spec sheets next to each packaging item, and links your suppliers fill in |
| Reports | Pounds by state and category, the checks, fee estimates, ways to lower fees and the files |
| File | Register, sign and lock, enter it in the portal, track the answer and invoices, plus your archive, paperwork and read-only links |
| Bonuses and Forecast | Colorado and Oregon fee bonuses, the fee forecast and budget, accruals for your books and California's plastic reduction tracker |
| Compliance and Outside the US | 14 product and packaging law checks, and packaging rules in the countries you ship to |
| Deadlines | Every date that applies to you, with a calendar file |
| Plans | Your plan, the plan Packtally recommends for you, and the trial |
| Help | State guides, common questions and a form that reaches a person |
Languages
Packtally's screens come in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese (Brazil) and Chinese (Simplified). By default it follows your Shopify admin's language; change it in Set up, Company, Language. Legal terms, exported files and law summaries stay in English, the language CAA and the states use. If a translation and the English differ, the English controls.
What Packtally doesn't do
Packtally prepares your numbers, files and paperwork. It isn't legal, tax or compliance advice, and it doesn't register, file or pay for you. Only your company's authorized representative can submit and sign off in CAA's portal or with a state.
All Packtally docs
- DocsGetting started with PacktallyInstall, agree to the terms, pick a data year, and find your way around every Packtally screen.
- DocsWhere you owe, exemptions and who the producer isThe five state statuses, the exemption lines, company facts, who packs, and producer answers for each brand.
- DocsThe packaging libraryEvery packaging item with its material, weight and proof, plus estimates, starter templates, import and the purchase check.
- DocsProduct packaging, bundles and shipping kitsSet packaging once per product or group, count bundles once, build shipping kits and rules, and check any order.
- DocsOrders, real boxes and sales outside ShopifyWhich Shopify orders count, real boxes from ShipStation or a 3PL, Amazon and other channels, and linked stores.
- DocsReports, checks and filing filesPounds by state and category, the blocking checks, fee estimates, ways to lower fees, and the files.
- DocsFiling each stateRegister, sign and lock, enter it in the portal, track the answer and invoices, plus the archive, paperwork and read-only links.
- DocsFees, bonuses, forecast and accrualsFee estimates and the flat fee, Colorado and Oregon bonuses, the budget, accruals for your books and California's plastic tracker.
- DocsCompliance checks, product categories and Prop 65The 14 product and packaging law checks, product categories, the Prop 65 warning block and packaging rules abroad.
- DocsSuppliers and documentsEncrypted supplier documents by packaging item, links your suppliers fill in, and a ready-to-send request letter.
- DocsDeadlines, alerts and helpEvery date that applies to you with a calendar file, the six email alerts, and how to reach a person.
- DocsPlans and billingWhat each plan includes, the founding offer, how the 14-day trial works and why filing plans are yearly.
- DocsData, privacy and uninstallingWhat Packtally reads and keeps, what it never stores, and what happens to your records when you uninstall.