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Tax Settings
Manage tax settings to ensure the correct tax amount is charged at the register for every item. Enter the default tax rate to be applied to all taxable items, add other rates to override the default tax for specific items, set up tax groups to apply multiple rates to items, and assign items to tax rates and tax groups individually or in bulk.
IMPORTANT: Sales tax figures in reporting are estimates based on how you have configured your tax rates and tax groups. For official filings, always verify your current local rates, then manually calculate tax using net taxable and non-taxable revenues. Be aware that tax laws can change at any time and you should contact a tax professional for specific tax advice regarding your business.
Name | Name of the tax rate as it appears in BackOffice reporting (e.g. “Prepared Food Tax”). Rate | Percentage of tax charged for this tax rate (e.g. 7%, 8.875%, etc.). Receipt Name | Name that appears on receipts when the ‘Display tax rates on receipts’ setting is enabled and multiple tax rates are charged on a transaction. If left blank, this will default to ‘Tax’. Don’t see this field? Stay tuned as we roll out this feature for everyone. Set as Default | When checked, the tax rate becomes the default tax applied to all items not assigned to a tax rate or group.
In the ShopKeep Register app, get updates on the iOS or Android register to sync the changes made to the register.
From the Item Creation Page
Visit the 'Item List' in BackOffice or from the ShopKeep Register app (employees with relevant BackOffice permissions only).
In BackOffice, click ‘Items’ and select ‘Item List’.
In the iOS ShopKeep Register app, tap ‘Manage Items’ on the Main Menu. For the Android ShopKeep Register app, tap ‘Setup’ on the register menu, then select ‘Manage Items’.
Enter a ‘Name’ and ‘Rate’ for the new tax rate. To set the new tax rate as the default tax, check the box under ‘Make Default’ and click ‘Save’.
The new default tax rate will be applied to all taxable inventory items not assigned to a tax rate or tax group. Leave the box under ‘Make Default’ unchecked and click ‘Save’ to create a new non-default tax rate that will be applied to this item and to any others assigned to it.
If accessing the Item List from BackOffice, get updates on the iOS or Android register to sync the changes to the register.
If you receive an error while getting updates, visit our troubleshooting guide for help.
Manage Tax Rates
After entering the default tax rate, you can add additional rates for each individual tax you charge and edit or remove existing tax rates. Tax rates can be applied individually to inventory items or added to tax groups* in order to apply more than one rate to specific items.
*Tax groups are available to select merchants using the latest compatible versions of the ShopKeep Register for iOS and Android. Stay tuned as we roll out this feature for everyone. For help updating the app, visit our Introduction to the iPad and Introduction to Android articles.
To view the amount of tax collected at the register for each tax rate, visit the Sales by Tax Rate report. Learn how to run this report here.
In BackOffice, click 'Settings' and select 'Taxes'.
Add Tax Rates
Set up a separate tax rate for each different tax the business charges. Additional tax rates are used to override the default tax for items assigned to them or added to tax groups for applying multiple rates to specific items.
Employees with the relevant BackOffice permissions can also create and apply tax rates from the Manage Items section of the ShopKeep Register app. Learn more about employee permissions here or follow these steps to create tax rates at the register.
Click 'Add New' and select ‘Tax Rate’.
Don’t see ‘Tax Rate’? Skip to step 2 after clicking ‘Add New’.
Name | Name of the tax rate as it appears in BackOffice reporting (e.g. “Prepared Food Tax”). Rate | Percentage of tax charged for this tax rate (e.g. 7%, 8.875%, etc.). Receipt Name | Name that appears on receipts when the ‘Display tax rates on receipts’ setting is enabled and multiple tax rates are charged on a transaction. If left blank, this will default to ‘Tax’. Don’t see this field? Stay tuned as we roll out this feature for everyone. Set as Default | When checked, the tax rate becomes the default tax applied to all items not assigned to a tax rate or group.
Edit a tax rate to change its name, percentage, receipt name, or to make it the default tax. If a tax rate is no longer needed, delete it to remove it from use.
To edit the tax rate, make changes and click 'Update'.
Changing the name of a tax rate will also update it in some historical reporting. To learn more, visit the article for a specific report from our BackOffice support page.
To delete the tax rate, click 'Delete', then ‘Delete’ again to confirm.
The default tax cannot be deleted. If a non-default tax rate is assigned to items, deleting it will automatically reassign those items to the default tax. If a tax rate is assigned to a tax group, deleting the rate will automatically remove it from that tax group.
Get updates on the iOS or Android register to sync the changes to the register.
If you receive an error while getting updates, visit our troubleshooting guide for help.
Manage Tax Groups
Tax groups allow a business to apply more than one tax rate to individual items. After adding tax rates, set up a tax group to combine multiple rates into a single grouping that can be applied to items.
Tax groups are available to select merchants using the latest compatible versions of the ShopKeep Register for iOS and Android. Stay tuned as we roll out this feature for everyone. For help updating the app, visit our Introduction to the iPad and Introduction to Android articles.
Tax groups do not appear on reporting or customer receipts. To view the amount of tax collected for each tax rate, run the Sales by Tax Rate report.
In BackOffice, click ‘Settings’ and select ‘Taxes’.
Add Tax Groups
Set up a separate tax group for each combination of tax rates that needs to be applied to inventory items. Tax groups can override the default tax for items assigned to them, allowing multiple tax rates to be applied to specific items.
Click 'Add New' and select 'Tax Group'.
Don’t see ‘Tax Group’? Stay tuned as we roll out this feature for everyone.
Edit a tax group to change its name, add or remove tax rates from it, or make it the default tax. If a tax group is no longer needed, delete it to remove it from use.
To edit the tax group, make changes and click 'Update'.
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To delete the tax group, click 'Delete', then ‘Delete’ again to confirm.
The default tax cannot be deleted. If a non-default tax group is assigned to items, deleting it will automatically reassign those items to the default tax.
Get updates on the iOS or Android register to sync the changes to the register.
If you receive an error while getting updates, visit our troubleshooting guide for help.
Display Tax Rates on Receipts
Enable this optional receipt setting to list individual tax rates on customer receipts for transactions where more than one rate is charged. This setting is disabled by default, with receipts showing only a single ‘Total Tax’ line.
This feature is available to select merchants using the latest compatible versions of the ShopKeep Register for iOS and Android. Stay tuned as we roll out this feature for everyone. For help updating the app, visit our Introduction to the iPad and Introduction to Android articles.
If updating receipt settings in BackOffice, get updates on the iOS or Android register to sync the changes to the register.
Change the Default Tax
After adding tax rates and/or tax groups, you can change which rate or group is set as the default tax. The default tax is automatically applied to all taxable inventory items not already assigned to a tax rate or group.
In BackOffice, click 'Settings' and select 'Taxes'.
Select an existing tax rate or tax group to make the default tax.
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Check the 'Yes' box under 'Set as Default', then click 'Update'.
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Get updates on the iOS or Android register to sync the changes to the register.
If you receive an error while getting updates, visit our troubleshooting guide for help.
Assign Items to Taxes
Items that require a tax rate or group different from the default tax must be manually assigned to the relevant rate or group. Assign items from the Item List if there are only a few to manage or use Bulk Management for larger quantities of items.
Employees with the relevant BackOffice permissions can also assign items to tax rates and groups from the Manage Items section of the ShopKeep Register app. Learn more about employee permissions here or follow these steps to assign items to taxes at the register.
From the Item List
Only have a few items to assign to tax rates or groups? Update items one by one from the Item List (as shown below), or visit our Bulk Edit article to learn how to update several items from the Item List at the same time.
Visit the 'Item List' in BackOffice or from the ShopKeep Register app (employees with BackOffice permissions only).
In BackOffice, click ‘Items’ and select ‘Item List’.
In the iOS ShopKeep Register app, tap ‘Manage Items’ on the Main Menu. For the Android ShopKeep Register app, tap ‘Setup’ on the register menu, then select ‘Manage Items’.
Select a tax from the ‘Select Tax’ or 'Tax Rate' dropdown.
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Select a save option to finish editing the item.
(Optional) Repeat steps 2 - 4 for each additional inventory item.
If accessing the Item List from BackOffice, get updates on the iOS or Android register to sync the changes to the register.
If you receive an error while getting updates, visit our troubleshooting guide for help.
Using Bulk Management
If you have many items to assign to tax rates or tax groups, using Bulk Management is more efficient. Bulk Management allows for updating multiple items at once using a spreadsheet.
Follow the steps here to start a new 'Update Items' job in Bulk Management.
After exporting your inventory, enter the tax name and percentage (if needed) in the spreadsheet's 'Tax Group or Rate' column.
Don’t see ‘Tax Group or Rate’? Enter tax information in the ‘Tax Rate’ column.
Enter [rate/group name] @ [rate percentage] (e.g. Food tax @ 9%). Use the ‘Name’ of the tax rate or group, not the ‘Receipt Name’. For tax groups, enter the sum total of all tax rates in the group.
Do not remove the ‘Taxable’ column from the spreadsheet. This column must be mapped during the import for the Bulk Management job to be successful.