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.

Enter Default Tax Rate

Learn how to enter the default tax rate which is automatically applied to all taxable inventory items.

From BackOffice Taxes Page

1. In BackOffice, click 'Settings' and select 'Taxes'.

   

2. Click the default tax rate indicated by the checkmark.

   If the default tax is set to a tax group, skip the steps in this section and edit the tax group to change which rates are contained in it.

   

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3. Enter the tax rate details, then click 'Update'.

   All taxable items will be taxed at this percentage unless manually assigned to a tax rate or tax group.

   

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   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.

4. 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

1. 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’.

   

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   • 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’.
   iOS ShopKeep Register App

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   Android ShopKeep Register App

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2. Select an existing item or create a new one.

   

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3. In Pricing, click the ‘Select Tax’ or 'Tax Rate' drop-down and select 'Add New' to create a new tax rate.

   Or select an existing tax rate or tax group from the drop-down to assign to the item.

   

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4. 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.

   

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5. Select a save option to finish editing the item.

   

6. 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.

1. 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.

1. Click 'Add New' and select ‘Tax Rate’.

   Don’t see ‘Tax Rate’? Skip to step 2 after clicking ‘Add New’.

   

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2. Enter the tax rate details, then click 'Save'.

   

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   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.

3. Follow the steps to assign items to the tax rate.

Edit and Delete Tax Rates

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.

1. Select an existing tax rate.

   

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2. To edit the tax rate, make changes and click 'Update'.

   

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3. 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.
   

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4. 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.

1. 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.

1. Click 'Add New' and select 'Tax Group'.

   Don’t see ‘Tax Group’? Stay tuned as we roll out this feature for everyone.

   

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2. Enter a 'Name' for the tax group.

   

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3. Select one or more tax rates to assign to the group.

   

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4. (Optional) To make this tax group the default tax, check the box under ‘Set as Default’.

   

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5. Click ‘Save’.
6. Follow the steps to assign items to the tax group.

Edit and Delete Tax Groups

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.

1. Select an existing tax group.

   

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2. To edit the tax group, make changes and click 'Update'.

   

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3. 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.

   

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4. 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.

1. In BackOffice or the ShopKeep Register app, open paper receipt settings.
2. Select ‘Display each tax rate charged individually’.

   View an example of how receipts appear after enabling this setting here.

   

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3. Click ‘Save’.
4. 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.

1. In BackOffice, click 'Settings' and select 'Taxes'.

   

2. Select an existing tax rate or tax group to make the default tax.

   

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3. Check the 'Yes' box under 'Set as Default', then click 'Update'.

   

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4. 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 tax groups? Update items one at a time from the Item List.

1. 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’.

   

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   • 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’.
   iOS ShopKeep Register App

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   Android ShopKeep Register App

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2. Search for and click on an item.

   

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3. Select a tax from the ‘Select Tax’ or 'Tax Rate' dropdown.

   

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4. Select a save option to finish editing the item.
5. (Optional) Repeat steps 2 - 4 for each additional inventory item.
6. 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.

1. Follow the steps here to start a new 'Update Items' job in Bulk Management.
2. 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.

   

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3. Save the prepared spreadsheet and upload it into Bulk Management.
4. 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.