# Setting Up State Alcohol Fees
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**You are here:** Phase 2 of 3 — Configure
You'll need about 10 to 15 minutes for this step. You'll set the fee amount per state for each state where you ship wine.
Next: [Configuring Your Shipping Profile](/docs/compliance/getting-started/configuring-your-shipping-profile.md)
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## Setting Up State Alcohol Fees
State alcohol fees are charges imposed by individual states on the sale of alcohol. CrushSuite lets you configure these fees so they're calculated automatically and displayed as a separate line item at checkout.
***
### What Are State Alcohol Fees?
Each state may impose specific taxes or fees on alcohol sales beyond standard sales tax. These fees vary by state and are typically calculated based on volume. CrushSuite represents these as a "State Alcohol Fee" (or whatever title you choose) that appears in the customer's cart alongside their wine purchases.
{% hint style="info" %}
**Before You Start:** Have this ready before you begin:
* **A display title** for the fee. Most wineries use something like "State Alcohol Fee" or "State Compliance Fee." This is what customers will see at checkout.
* **A product image** for the fee line item. The default is fine if you don't have a custom one ready. You can change it later.
* **Your per-state fee amounts**, if you already have them. If you don't, we provide recommended defaults you can use as a starting point.
You can't save the fee configuration without a title and product image, so have both ready before you start.
{% endhint %}
***
### How Bottle Size Affects the Fee
Fees are calculated using the **750ml bottle as the base unit**. Larger or smaller bottles are scaled proportionally:
| Bottle Size | Fee Multiplier | Example (if fee = $0.50/unit) |
| ----------- | -------------- | ----------------------------- |
| 375ml | 0.5× | $0.25 |
| 750ml | 1× | $0.50 |
| 1.5L | 2× | $1.00 |
**At checkout, customers see the fee as a separate line item.** For example, a customer buying three 750ml bottles would see "State Alcohol Fee × 3" in their cart. A customer buying one 1.5L bottle would see "State Alcohol Fee × 2" (since a 1.5L bottle equals two 750ml units).
***
### How to Configure State Alcohol Fees
1. Open the **CrushSuite app** in your Shopify Admin.
2. Navigate to **Compliance** in the sidebar.
3. Click **Manage State Compliance Fee**.
4. **Set the display title** — enter the name customers will see at checkout (e.g., "State Alcohol Fee" or "State Compliance Fee").
5. **Select a product image** — this image appears next to the fee line item in the cart. You can upload a custom image or use the default.
6. **Enable fees by state** — check the box in the Alcohol Fee column for each state where you want to charge a compliance fee.
7. **Set the fee amount per state** — adjust the recommended fee per gallon for each enabled state. Tooltip information provides guidance on appropriate fee levels per bottle size.
8. Click **Save** at the top of the page.
{% hint style="warning" %}
**You must set a title and product image before saving.** The save will fail without both of these fields completed.
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***
### How Fees Appear at Checkout
When a customer adds wine to their cart, the state alcohol fee is calculated automatically based on:
* The **customer's shipping state** (determines which fee rate applies)
* The **quantity and size** of bottles in the cart (determines the number of fee units)
The fee appears as a separate product line item in the Shopify cart — not as a tax. This is by design: state alcohol fees are distinct from standard sales tax and need to be displayed separately for compliance.
***
### Example Calculations
**Customer in State A (fee: $0.50 per 750ml equivalent):**
| Cart Contents | Fee Units | Fee Total |
| --------------------------- | --------- | --------- |
| 3 × 750ml bottles | 3 | $1.50 |
| 1 × 1.5L bottle | 2 | $1.00 |
| 2 × 375ml bottles | 1 | $0.50 |
| Mixed: 2 × 750ml + 1 × 1.5L | 4 | $2.00 |
***
### Common Mistakes
**Forgetting to save after enabling fees by state.** The toggles for each state don't save automatically. After you enable fees for the states you ship to, click Save at the top of the page. We've seen clients walk through the entire configuration, leave the page, and later discover nothing was saved.
**Charging fees in states you don't ship to.** Only enable alcohol fees for states where shipping is also enabled. A customer will never actually be charged the fee for a state you don't ship to (because they can't check out), but keeping the two lists aligned avoids confusion later.
**Setting fee amounts too low because they look small.** The per-bottle fees are meant to cover state compliance costs. Our recommended defaults are calibrated based on what works across our client base. If you're setting a custom amount, make sure you've accounted for the compliance costs you actually incur.
**Not testing what the fee looks like at checkout.** Always place a test order after configuring fees. Confirm the line item appears with the correct amount and wording. The Go-Live Checklist covers this step by step.
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