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Taxes are calculated automatically at checkout based on where the customer’s order is being shipped. You define tax zones (geographic regions), set percentage rates for each zone, and Shopper handles the calculation for every order. Shopper supports both tax-inclusive pricing (VAT, common in Europe where tax is included in the displayed price) and tax-exclusive pricing (sales tax, common in the US where tax is added at checkout).

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Accessing Tax Settings

  1. Click on Settings in the sidebar
  2. Select Taxes from the settings menu
Tax settings page

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Creating a Tax Zone

A tax zone maps to a country (and optionally a province/state). To create one:
  1. Click the Add tax zone button
  2. Select the country
  3. Optionally enter a province/state code (e.g., “CA” for California)
  4. Choose whether prices include tax (tax-inclusive) or tax is added at checkout (tax-exclusive)
  5. Click Save
Create tax zone form

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Tax Zone Fields

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Tax-Inclusive vs Tax-Exclusive

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Adding Tax Rates

Each tax zone needs at least one tax rate. The default rate applies to all products in the zone unless a more specific override exists. To add a rate:
  1. Select a tax zone from the list
  2. Click Add rate
  3. Enter the rate name, code, and percentage
  4. Toggle Default if this is the zone’s primary rate
  5. Click Save
Add tax rate form

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Tax Rate Fields

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Multiple Rates per Zone

Some countries have different tax rates for different types of products. For example, France has: Create each rate in the same zone. The default rate applies to all products. Use rate overrides to assign non-default rates to specific products or categories.

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Rate Overrides

Overrides let you apply a non-default tax rate to specific products, product types, or categories. For example, you can set food products to use the 5.5% reduced rate instead of the default 20%.
Tax rate override form

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Override Types

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Best Practices

Start with Defaults

Set up one default rate per zone. Add overrides only when needed for specific product categories.

Know Your Rules

Tax rules vary by country. Consult your accountant or tax advisor for the correct rates.

Test Both Modes

Test checkout with both tax-inclusive (VAT) and tax-exclusive (sales tax) zones to verify prices display correctly.

Use Codes

Give each rate a clear code (e.g., “FR_VAT_20”) for easy identification in reports and invoices.
For developer details on tax calculation, custom tax providers, and the tax pipeline, see the Taxes documentation.