> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.symmetry.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Prerequisites

> What you need before your first Payroll Point lookup: credentials for Portal or the API, account configuration, and the global settings that change what comes back.

Before you run your first lookup with [Portal](/prp/getting-started/portal-quickstart) or the [API](/prp/getting-started/api-quickstart), make sure the following are in place.

## Your credentials

Payroll Point uses a different credential for each surface.

| Surface    | Credential          | How it's used                                                                                        |
| ---------- | ------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Portal** | Authorization token | Entered on the Portal landing page to log in                                                         |
| **API**    | API key             | Exchanged at `/authentication/login` for a JWT access token, sent as a Bearer token on every request |

To request either, contact your Symmetry Client Success representative or reach out through the [Client Support Center](https://support.symmetry.com).

<Warning>
  **Staging and production credentials are separate.** A staging token or key will not work against production, and the reverse is also true. Always build and test against staging first.
</Warning>

| Environment | Portal                                      | API                                |
| ----------- | ------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| Production  | `https://payrollpoint.symmetry.com`         | `https://api.symmetry.com`         |
| Staging     | `https://payrollpoint-staging.symmetry.com` | `https://api-staging.symmetry.com` |

## Account configuration

Before any lookup will work, Symmetry configures your organization's profile to enable the surfaces and products your account is licensed for. This happens once, during onboarding, and is not something you set yourself. The settings you can change are covered in [Review your organization-level settings](#review-your-organization-level-settings).

If your credentials work but lookups return nothing, contact your Client Success representative to confirm your account setup is finished.

## Review your organization-level settings

Payroll Point applies organization-level settings to every lookup. Some only change what Portal displays. Others change the data both Portal and the API return, so they're worth checking before your first lookup regardless of which surface you use.

| Setting                              | Portal | API         | Effect                                                                                   |
| ------------------------------------ | ------ | ----------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Payer**                            | Yes    | No          | Filters results to employer taxes, employee taxes, or all                                |
| **Authority**                        | Yes    | No          | Filters results to state, local, or all                                                  |
| **Tax withholding**                  | Yes    | No          | Shows or hides taxes subject to courtesy withholding                                     |
| **Use address suggestions**          | Yes    | Per request | Portal applies it org-wide; the API takes `useAddressSuggestion` on each call            |
| **Split Pennsylvania EITs and LSTs** | Yes    | Yes         | Separates the municipal and school district portions of Pennsylvania earned income taxes |

Settings apply to every user in your organization, not just you. To change them, go to the **Settings** tab in Portal. See [Portal access and global settings](/prp/portal/global-settings) for the full list.

<Info>
  If results don't look the way you expect on your first lookup, these settings are the first thing to check. A Payer filter set to `employer` returns half the taxes you were expecting, and nothing about the response says why.
</Info>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Quickstart: Look up taxes in Portal" icon="rocket" href="/prp/getting-started/portal-quickstart">
    Log in and run your first Maps or Batch lookup.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Quickstart: Call the Payroll Point API" icon="rocket" href="/prp/getting-started/api-quickstart">
    Authenticate and make your first `/prp/v1/taxes` call.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>