What Federation of Tax Administrators does

The Federation of Tax Administrators (FTA) is a private, non-profit membership organization founded in 1937 and headquartered at 444 North Capitol St. NW, Suite 348, Washington, DC. It serves as the principal national body dedicated exclusively to improving U.S. state tax administration, with membership spanning all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Philadelphia, and New York City — a closed buyer set of 54 tax collection agencies. FTA does not develop or sell commercial technology products; instead it operates as a knowledge-sharing, training, and standards body, maintaining XML schemas for electronic filing in tobacco and motor fuels tax, ACH banking conventions (TXP/TPP codes developed in partnership with Nacha), and uniformity guidelines adopted across jurisdictions.

The organization's product set centers on member services: a members-only FTA Community portal, the Tax Breaks LIVE podcast, the FTA Leaderboard video series, the Grow with FTA webinar series, four regional association networks (NESTOA, SEATA, MSATA, WSATA), and uniformity programs for Motor Fuels, Tobacco, and Alcohol tax administration. It also runs a multi-tier awards program recognizing leadership and innovation in tax administration.

FTA's revenue model rests on two streams: recurring membership dues from government tax agencies and professional services revenue from conference and training fees. Emerging sponsorship and marketing partnership opportunities represent a third, smaller commercial channel. The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees drawn from member agencies and operates with a small staff of 11–50 employees under a 2022–2027 Strategic Plan.

Name

Federation of Tax Administrators

Legal name

Federation of Tax Administrators

Website

https://taxadmin.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Federation of Tax Administrators is a 1937-founded, Washington, DC-based non-profit membership organization providing training, standards, and knowledge-sharing services to all 50 U.S. state tax agencies plus DC, Philadelphia, and New York City.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

State Tax Administration Professional Services

NAICS

Public Administration (92)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Revenue Systems, E-Filing & Digital Tax Administration (BPAIADAO)

Keywords

• State tax administration
• Tax administration research
• Intergovernmental coordination
• Tax uniformity standards
• Professional development training

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: FTA operates as a membership organization serving state tax authorities. Membership is limited to government tax agencies (50 states, DC, Philadelphia, NYC). The organization provides member-exclusive publications, resources, and community access.
2. Conference and Training Fees: FTA generates revenue through registration fees for annual conferences, regional meetings, training classes, and webinars. Events include the Annual Meeting, Technology Conference, Motor Fuel Tax Section Training, Tobacco Tax Section training, and the Grow with FTA webinar series.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Federation of Tax Administrators (FTA) is a non-profit membership organization that serves as the principal national association for state tax administration. It provides tax-related research, information exchange, training, and intergovernmental and interstate coordination services to the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Philadelphia, and New York City. FTA develops uniformity standards, XML schemas for electronic tax filing (tobacco and motor fuels), and ACH banking conventions (TXP/TPP codes), and delivers member services through conferences, training programs, awards, publications, and a members-only community platform.

Product overview

The Federation of Tax Administrators is a professional association serving as a resource and coordination body for state tax administrators across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Philadelphia, and New York City. Rather than a commercial software product, FTA provides a suite of member services including the FTA Community portal for exclusive content, the Tax Breaks LIVE podcast series, uniformity programs for motor fuels and tobacco tax administration, an awards program recognizing excellence in tax administration, video content libraries, conferences and training events, and comprehensive information resources including state tax form directories, sales tax holiday tracking, and technical resources like TXP/TPP codes for ACH payments. These offerings work together to advance the quality and uniformity of state tax administration across jurisdictions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FTA Community Portal A members-only online platform (community.taxadmin.org) that provides exclusive publications, resources, award information, discussion forums, and collaboration tools for employees of member state tax agencies.
• Motor Fuels Tax Section Uniformity Program A uniformity initiative operating under an 11-Point Plan with working groups focused on combating fuel tax evasion through standardized reporting, definitions, and electronic reporting systems across states.
• Tobacco Tax Section Uniformity Program A uniformity program advancing standards for cigarette and tobacco product tax administration, including electronic filing guides, XML schemas, and PACT Act compliance reporting.
• Alcohol Tax Section Uniformity Program Alcohol Tax Section uniformity initiative supporting standards and collaboration for alcohol tax administration across member state agencies.
• FTA Awards Program Annual awards program recognizing excellence in state tax administration, including the Harley T. Duncan Award for Leadership and Service, Award for Innovation and Excellence in Tax Administration, Charlie Mills Lifetime Achievement Award, and Robert Beck Lifetime Achievement Award.
• FTA Conferences and Training Organization and coordination of annual conferences, regional meetings, and training sessions including the FTA Annual Meeting, Technology Conference and Expo, Motor Fuel Tax Section Training, Tobacco Tax Section training, and the Grow with FTA webinar series.
• Tax Breaks LIVE Podcast FTA's podcast series featuring interviews with state tax administration leaders, thought leaders, and industry experts discussing technology, compliance, and best practices in state tax administration.
• TXP and TPP Codes Resource Tax Payment (TXP) and Third Party Payment (TPP) codes used with ACH payments, maintained in partnership with Nacha to provide standardized format definitions and implementation guidelines for electronic tax remittance via the ACH Network.
• State Tax Forms Directory A consolidated directory providing links to current-year tax forms for all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Philadelphia, and New York City.
• Research and Tax Rates Publications Research publications and tax rate information for use by state tax administrators and policy makers.

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NachacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFTA partners with Nacha (the organization governing the ACH Network) to develop and maintain the TXP (Tax Payment) and TPP (Third Party Tax Payments) banking conventions used for electronic tax payments via ACH. These standards enable businesses to remit tax payments with remittance details in a single transaction.
• Multistate Tax CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFTA collaborates with the Multistate Tax Commission on matters of mutual interest to state tax administration, including joint content and cross-promotion of tax administration topics.
• State Tax Agencies (Industry Partners)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFTA's Motor Fuels Tax Section operates under an 11-Point Plan emphasizing 'Government and Industry working together to maximize compliance, minimize administrative burden, provide education, and foster collaboration.' The section includes industry representatives on uniformity subcommittees.
• Tobacco Industry PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFTA's Tobacco Tax Section includes industry representatives (e.g., Core-Mark) on uniformity subcommittees for Compliance, Communication and Legislation, and Cannabis initiatives, working toward shared standards.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO): Membership organization for state budget officers focused on fiscal policy, budgeting processes, and revenue forecasting. Closely parallel structure (non-profit, state agency members, research and convening).
• National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT): Membership association for senior state financial officers including revenue commissioners. Highly comparable in structure (non-profit, dues-funded, state membership) and adjacent in subject matter to FTA.
• Multistate Tax Commission: An intergovernmental body that, like FTA, coordinates U.S. state tax policy and administration. It overlaps directly with FTA on uniformity and interstate tax issues and is referenced in FTA's own partnership list.
• National Association of State Revenue Administrators (NASRA): Association of state revenue commissioners historically associated with state tax coordination. Most direct functional peer to FTA in terms of membership roster and policy focus.
• Federation of State Tax Assessors: Smaller counterpart membership organization for state and local property tax assessors. Comparable role to FTA but focused on property rather than state tax administration broadly.

Broad incumbents

• National Governors Association (NGA): Bipartisan association of U.S. governors offering policy resources, training, and convenings. A larger-scale analogue of FTA's state-government membership and convening model.
• American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA): Membership organization for U.S. and Canadian motor vehicle and driver-licensing agencies. Parallel model of state-agency membership, standards development, and regional convening — though in a different policy domain.
• Council of State Governments (CSG): Multi-branch membership organization for state government officials across all policy domains. Operates the same member-driven, dues-and-conference-funded model as FTA at broader scope.
• Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA): Long-established association serving state and local government finance officials with training, best practices, and awards. Comparable membership-association model and government-finance mission.
• National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL): Bipartisan organization serving state legislators and staff with research, training, and convening. Comparable non-profit membership model serving state-level officials nationwide.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/federation-of-tax-administrators
• Facebookfacebook.com/181167455242411

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Federation of Tax Administrators