# VAT rates

### Defining VAT Rates

VAT rates are defined in the section Settings/VAT rates.

![](https://1500209443-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-Lr8LbRfBsbV0y6ZopMS%2F-MFFJ9SB6qYYoegFbzhA%2F-MFFMtYEpI3e_wO4UcDW%2FAnnotation%202020-08-21%20113503.png?alt=media\&token=fbe8a88c-7816-4e8d-95f4-b68718b607e1)

A VAT rate has a label, country code, and a value.

* The label is used for clarification purposes only- it is not visible in the shop.  You can use any phrase here, but we suggest you use the terminology used in your country to distinguish between the various VAT rates.
* The country code should be a two-character phrase following the ISO standard.
* The VAT rate itself is a number, if applicable with max 2 decimals.

There is one default VAT rate for a country. The first VAT rate you define for a country will automatically be set as the default. If you have more VAT rates defined for a country, you can change the default in the column “default for country”.

{% hint style="info" %}
If your assortment primarily consists of articles with a low rate, you should define this low rate as being the default. If you do that, new articles will automatically be assigned the low rate. You only have to explicitly specify the products with deviating vat rates.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
Changing existing VAT rates to another percentage will not change the VAT percentages that have already been applied to articles. This has to be changed manually via the export/import of article groups.
{% endhint %}

The VAT rates you specify are the standard rates for B2C transactions within a country. For cross-border B2B transactions, and B2C sales outside the EU, other rates might apply. These rates do not have to be defined here; the Shoxl shop will apply tax rules automatically.

### Applying VAT rates to Articles

You specify which VAT rate is applicable for an article at the article group level. The VAT rates section is shown at the [article group overview screen](../product-management/producten/producten-details).

![](https://1500209443-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-Lr8LbRfBsbV0y6ZopMS%2F-MFFOFDMZaRahV4ymIh_%2F-MFFS1HQT3oEXs35GUwS%2Fvat_rates_article_group.png?alt=media\&token=9c6d3d04-9f1b-4d70-b5cc-4602eaec2d53)

If you do not explicitly assign a VAT rate to a product, the default rate will be used in the shop. So it is not necessary (though allowed) to specify a VAT rate for each and every product, you can limit yourself to products with deviating VAT rates.

{% hint style="info" %}
All articles in an article group have the same VAT rate.&#x20;

The VAT rate will be applied as soon as a price for the article is set. If no VAT rate is defined/available at that time, the VAT rate will have to be specified manually (through the import/export of article groups).
{% endhint %}

### Importing VAT rates for Articles

VAT rates can be imported through the Article Group Import

For each country/region that is defined in the VAT settings section, a column is added to the article group export file. This column is named “VatRate”, with the country code appended (so e.g., VatRateNL).&#x20;

When importing VAT rates these should be specified as numeric values, with max 2 digits.&#x20;

If you leave a cell empty, the article group will get the default VAT for the country/region.&#x20;

If you specify a VAT rate (number) that has not yet been defined in the VAT settings section, a new VAT type will be added to that section with the label “Imported”.
