n8n Integration

Automate U.S. surplus lines tax calculations in your n8n workflows. Connect the Surplus Lines Tax API to hundreds of other apps without writing code.

Why Use n8n Integration?

• No Code Required — Build automations with a visual workflow builder
• 500+ Integrations — Connect to Google Sheets, Slack, Airtable, and more
• Self-Hosted or Cloud — Run on your infrastructure or use n8n Cloud
• Automatic Calculations — Calculate taxes whenever a policy is created
• Batch Processing — Process multiple policies in one workflow

Prerequisites

Before installing the n8n integration, ensure you have:

1. n8n Instance

   Either n8n Cloud or self-hosted n8n. Check your version:

   n8n --version

2. Community Nodes Enabled

   For self-hosted instances, enable community nodes in your environment:

   N8N_COMMUNITY_NODES_ENABLED=true

3. API Key

   Get your API key at app.surpluslinesapi.com. New accounts include 100 free queries.

How It Works

The n8n node connects your workflows to the Surplus Lines Tax API:

Installation

Option 1: Install via n8n UI (Recommended)

1. Open your n8n instance
2. Go to Settings → Community Nodes
3. Click Install
4. Enter package name: n8n-nodes-surplus-lines-undtec
5. Click Install and wait for confirmation

Option 2: Install via npm (Self-Hosted)

npm install n8n-nodes-surplus-lines-undtec

Then restart your n8n instance.

The package is available on npm at npmjs.com/package/n8n-nodes-surplus-lines-undtec

Configuration

Step 1: Create API Credentials

1. In n8n, go to Credentials → New
2. Search for "Surplus Lines API"
3. Enter your API key from app.surpluslinesapi.com
4. Click Save

Step 2: Add Node to Workflow

1. Create a new workflow or open an existing one
2. Click the + button to add a node
3. Search for "Surplus Lines API"
4. Select the node and choose your credentials
5. Configure the operation (Calculate Tax, Get Rates, or Get States)

Testing the Integration

Quick Test Workflow

1. Add a Manual Trigger node
2. Add the Surplus Lines API node
3. Configure:
   • Operation: Calculate Tax
   • State: Texas
   • Premium: 10000
4. Click Execute Node

Expected Result: You should see tax calculation with state tax ($485), stamping fee ($18), and grand total ($10,503).

Operation: Calculate Tax

Calculate surplus lines tax for any U.S. state and premium amount with detailed breakdowns.

Required Parameters

Additional Options

Example Output

[
  {
    "success": true,
    "state": "Texas",
    "state_code": "TX",
    "premium": 10000,
    "total_tax": 503,
    "total_due": 10503,
    "account": {
      "balance": "9.62",
      "free_queries_remaining": 99,
      "was_free_query": false
    }
  }
]

Operation: Get Rates

Retrieve current tax rates for all states or filter by a specific state.

Optional Parameters

Example Output

{
  "success": true,
  "request_id": "req-1770111587080-zv53yfmdb",
  "count": 53,
  "data": [
    {
      "state": "Alabama",
      "state_code": "AL",
      "tax_rate": "6%",
      "stamping_fee": null,
      "filing_fee": null,
      "service_fee": null,
      "surcharge": null,
      "regulatory_fee": null,
      "fire_marshal_tax": null,
      "slas_clearinghouse_fee": null,
      "flat_fee": null,
      "special_notes": null,
      "payment_frequency": "Annually",
      "legislative_source": "https://law.justia.com/codes/alabama/..."
    },
    {
      "state": "Texas",
      "state_code": "TX",
      "tax_rate": "4.85%",
      "stamping_fee": "0.04%",
      "filing_fee": null,
      "service_fee": null,
      "surcharge": null,
      "regulatory_fee": null,
      "fire_marshal_tax": null,
      "slas_clearinghouse_fee": null,
      "flat_fee": null,
      "special_notes": null,
      "payment_frequency": null,
      "legislative_source": "https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/..."
    }
    // ... remaining 51 states
  ],
  "account": {
    "balance": "9.62",
    "free_queries_remaining": 0,
    "was_free_query": false
  }
}

Operation: Get States

Get a list of all supported U.S. states and territories as 2-letter postal codes.

Parameters

None required.

Returns

Array of 2-letter postal codes for all 50 states plus District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands.

Example Output

[
  "AL",
  "AK",
  "AZ",
  ...
  "TX",
  ...
  "WY"
]

Operation: Get Historical Tax Rate

Look up tax rates that were in effect on a specific date. Perfect for policy audits, renewals, and historical compliance verification.

Parameters

Example Output

[
  {
    "success": true,
    "state": "Texas",
    "state_code": "TX",
    "query_date": "2024-01-02",
    "rate": {
      "tax_rate": "0.0485",
      "stamping_fee": "0.0004",
      "filing_fee": "0.0000",
      "service_fee": "0.0000",
      "surcharge": "0.0000",
      "regulatory_fee": "0.0000",
      "fire_marshal_tax": "0.0000",
      "slas_clearinghouse_fee": "0.0000",
      "flat_fee": "0.00",
      "effective_from": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
      "effective_to": null,
      "legislative_source": "https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/docs/IN/htm/IN.225.htm",
      "confidence": "unknown"
    },
    "account": {
      "balance": "0.00",
      "free_queries_remaining": 408,
      "was_free_query": true
    }
  }
]

Use Cases

• Policy Audits — Verify taxes were calculated correctly using rates in effect at policy inception
• Renewals — Compare current rates to prior year rates for renewal quotes
• Compliance — Document historical rate information for regulatory filings
• Retroactive Calculations — Calculate taxes for backdated policies

Workflow Examples

Common automation patterns using the Surplus Lines API node:

Troubleshooting

"Node not found" after installation

Restart your n8n instance after installing the community node package.

"Authentication failed" error

Your API key is invalid or expired. Verify your key at app.surpluslinesapi.com.

"Insufficient balance" error

Your account balance is depleted. Add funds at app.surpluslinesapi.com.

Node not appearing in node list

• Verify community nodes are enabled: N8N_COMMUNITY_NODES_ENABLED=true
• Check installation: npm list n8n-nodes-surplus-lines-undtec
• Restart n8n: pm2 restart n8n or restart Docker container

Getting Help

Contact us at support@undtec.com for assistance.

Pricing

n8n integration usage follows the same pricing as the REST API:

Get Your API Key View Full Documentation