Sales and Use Tax CoCounsel
ONESOURCE Sales and Use Tax CoCounsel is a new capability within OSU designed to automate the compliance process.
Overview
ONESOURCE Sales and Use Tax CoCounsel (OSU CoCounsel) is an intelligent automation layer that runs in parallel with the customer's data upload process. It uses agents, smart rules, and human in the loop (HITL) historical patterns to:
- Detect and resolve common data and configuration issues in real time
- Reduce manual review and rework
- Streamlines customer's compliance workflow from data import through filing
OSU CoCounsel supports all standard OSU data upload methods:
- File import from OSU web UI (Balance Import)
- D2C (Determination to Compliance) tax merge
- APIs
For D2C customers, OSU CoCounsel can operate in a fully automated mode, using scheduled upload jobs configured in Compliance.
Merge direct
The core of OSU CoCounsel is a fully guided, automated data flow called
Merge Direct
. This option bundles multiple steps into a single process:- Compute
- Prepayments
- Transfer
- Tax return summaries
Merge Direct can be used regardless of the customer's upstream data source (manual balance import, D2C merge, or APIs) and is designed to:
- Reduce manual intervention
- Accelerate close and filing timelines
- Minimize breaks between data import and tax return readiness
Agentic actions and smart rules
Once a data upload is initiated, OSU CoCounsel is automatically triggered in the background. It deploys:
- Agents– task-specific, AI-driven workflows that analyze the customer's data and take proposed actions
- Smart Rules– deterministic rules that look for common patterns and configuration gaps
Examples:
- Detecting new or missing entities or locations and proposing automatic configuration in OSU
- Identifying unreported taxes based on historical reporting patterns, suspending the balance, or reclassifying activity to the correct jurisdiction when prior period behavior supports that decision
- Detecting tax credits and suspending them to subsequent periods and applying the carried forward credits in the future when there are enough tax payable balances
These actions are recorded as tasks and surfaced to customers for review where needed.
Human in the Loop
OSU CoCounsel is designed around a
Human in the loop
model. The system:- Proposes actions based on historical patterns and rules
- Explains the reasoning behind those actions
- Grants customers full control to approve, undo, or override any AI-driven decision
Over time, customer feedback improves future decisions, making OSU CoCounsel more accurate and efficient.