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VAT rates

Define the VAT rates you charge, set a default, and apply rates to products.

A VAT rate is a named tax rate you charge, like "Standard 20%". You define your rates here once, then pick a rate on each product and modifier option. Leaving a product's VAT field empty means no VAT is applied.

This page is the how — managing the list of rates and assigning them. For the which — what rate to put on hot food, cold takeaway, alcohol and so on — see Which VAT rate applies (UK hospitality).

Open VAT rates

From the sidebar, open Items → VAT. You see your active rates and, separately, any archived ones. Most UK merchants start with a single "Standard 20%" rate marked as default.

Add a VAT rate

  1. 1

    Click Add VAT rate

    A small form opens.

  2. 2

    Name it

    Use a name you'll recognise on the product editor, like "Standard 20%" or "Reduced 5%".

  3. 3

    Enter the rate

    Type the percentage — a number between 0 and 100.

  4. 4

    Set as default (optional)

    Tick Set as default rate for new products if this is the rate most of your products use. New products then pick it automatically.

  5. 5

    Save

    The rate is added and available to choose on any product.

The default rate

Only one rate can be the default at a time. When you mark a rate as default, the previous default is cleared automatically. New products you create are given the default rate so you don't have to set it each time — you can still change it per product.

Assigning a rate to a product

On the product editor, the VAT section lets you pick one of your rates, or choose No VAT for zero-rated items. You can also create a new rate inline from there. See Create a product.

A product's VAT rate is global. Whatever rate you pick applies identically on the till, on QR ordering and on click-and-collect — there is no per-channel rate. If you genuinely need a different rate on different channels (for example an eat-in rate versus a takeaway rate), the way to do it today is to create separate products, one per rate, each available on the right channel.

Note

"No VAT" is not the same as the VAT-registered toggle in company details. Choosing No VAT / 0% on a product is how you zero-rate that item's tax. The account-level VAT registered toggle (under Account) only controls what shows on receipts — turning it off does not stop VAT being calculated from each item's rate. See Company details.

Changing or removing a rate

  • Editing a rate updates the name or percentage. Products using that rate pick up the new percentage. Your past order history is unaffected.
  • Archiving takes a rate out of use without deleting it; Restore it later. If you archive the current default, the default flag is cleared so you can mark another rate as default.

Note

This page is only about the rates you charge at the point of sale. It does not file or submit VAT for you.

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