Common Tax Setups

At checkout, Final uses the address of the Station’s parent Outlet to determine which tax rates apply. Each product is assigned to one tax class, and that class determines which tax rules are applied when the product is sold at an Outlet. 

Below are three common tax setups and how you can configure them in Manage:

1. GST on All Products, with Additional Rate for Certain Products

Use case:

You want to charge a base GST on all products, but certain categories (for example, alcohol or luxury goods) also have an extra tax applied.

How to set up:

1. In Manage → Settings → Taxes, create a Standard tax class with your GST rate.

   • Example: GST = 5%.
     Apply it to all products by default.

2. Create a second tax class for products with the extra tax.

   • Example: GST + 10% surcharge.

   • In this tax class, add both the 5% GST rate and the 10% surcharge rate.

3. Assign products that need the additional rate to this second tax class.

Result:

Most products will only have GST applied, but selected products will automatically have both GST and the extra rate applied at checkout.

2. Same Products, Different Rates per Outlet

Use case:

You sell the same products across multiple provinces, but each province has its own tax rate.

How to set up:

1. In Manage → Settings → Taxes, keep all products under the same Standard tax class.

2. Create multiple tax rules within this class, each tied to the Outlet’s province address.

   • Example: Ontario Outlet = 13% HST, Alberta Outlet = 5% GST.

3. Make sure each Outlet has the correct business address saved in Manage → Outlets so the system knows which tax rule to apply.

Result:

Products don’t need separate tax classes. The correct tax rate is applied automatically based on the Outlet where the sale occurs.

3. Multiple VAT Classes: Standard, Reduced, Zero

Use case:

You operate in a region with VAT rules requiring multiple rates — some products are taxed at the standard rate, some at a reduced rate, and others are exempt/zero-rated.

How to set up:

1. In Manage → Settings → Taxes, create three separate tax classes:

   • Standard VAT (e.g. 20%)

   • Reduced VAT (e.g. 5%)

   • Zero / Exempt (0%)

2. Assign each product to the appropriate tax class depending on its category.

Result:

When sales are processed, each product is taxed according to its class. Standard items apply full VAT, essentials apply reduced VAT, and exempt items remain untaxed.

Key Points to Remember

• Outlet address matters — the tax rules for an Outlet are based on its location, not on the customer.

• Products use tax classes — you decide which tax class a product belongs to, and the system applies the matching rules.

• Multiple rates can stack — if a class has more than one tax line, all apply together (e.g. GST + surcharge).