Set up taxes (VAT, moms, sales tax) — and fix products that charge the wrong tax

Rentalbuddy charges tax with fixed tax rates that you choose per product. You create the rates once for the account (for example VAT 25 % and VAT 12 %), then tick the right one on every product. Rentalbuddy does not work out tax for you from the customer's address; the rate on the product is what is charged.

Once Stripe is connected, Stripe is the home of your tax rates: they are created in your Stripe account, and Rentalbuddy reads them from there.

Where the tax settings are

Open Settings in the left menu, then the Taxes tab. The tab is shown to the Account owner and Account member roles; both can add and delete taxes. Booking staff and Account viewer don't see it. Taxes belong to the whole account, not to one location.

On the newer setup Guide that some new accounts get, the item Add a tax rate (under Get paid) is ticked once the account has at least one tax rate. It only appears when you take payments through Stripe.

The table lists every tax with these columns:

• Tax Type: the tax's name, for example "VAT", "Moms" or "Sales tax".
• Percentage (%).
• Exclusive/Inclusive: whether the tax is included in your prices (see below).
• Jurisdiction: the country, and the state or region where one applies.
• Description: an optional note; "—" when empty.
• Stripe (only when Stripe is connected): In Stripe, or a Not in Stripe warning chip ("This tax only exists in Rentalbuddy. Add it to Stripe to use it at checkout.").
• Products: how many products and events use the tax, so you can see what a delete would affect.
• Actions: Delete.

There is no edit button, on purpose (see "Change a tax" below).

Before Stripe is connected: start with the default taxes

Without a Stripe connection the page says "You need to connect Stripe to create and manage taxes." with a Connect with Stripe link. You can still prepare your taxes: they are kept in Rentalbuddy as placeholders until you connect.

If you have no taxes yet, the page shows No taxes yet: "Start with the default taxes (0, 6, 12, 25%), or use “Add tax” for your own rates. Once Stripe is connected you choose which of them to add to Stripe."

1. Answer Do your prices include tax?: Yes, tax is included or No, tax is added at checkout. The default is "included", except for the United States and Canada, where prices are normally quoted before tax.
2. Click Generate default taxes, or Add tax to create one rate yourself.

Check what the defaults created. Generate default taxes creates four rates, 0 %, 6 %, 12 % and 25 %, for whatever country your account is in. These are Sweden's VAT rates (named "Moms" for a Swedish account and "VAT" elsewhere). Outside Sweden, delete the rates your country doesn't have and add your own with Add tax. Pressing the button twice doesn't create duplicates ("Your account already has the default taxes.").

If the button is greyed out, your company country is missing: "Please set your company country in Account settings, or ensure your location has a country." The button is not offered once Stripe is connected; from then on taxes are created in Stripe.

The same first step is offered on the product page while the account has no taxes (see Put a tax on a product below).

After connecting Stripe: taxes are managed in Stripe

With Stripe connected, the page says: "Taxes are managed in Stripe. Rate, region and inclusive or exclusive cannot be changed after creation; add a new tax instead. Name and description can be edited in the Stripe Dashboard, then sync."

• Every time you open the Taxes tab it reads your Stripe account's tax rates. Sync from Stripe does the same on demand ("Successfully synced taxes from Stripe!").
• A tax rate you create in the Stripe Dashboard appears here after the sync, and can then be put on products.
• A sync never deletes anything in Rentalbuddy. If a rate is archived in Stripe, the tax stays in the list and turns Not in Stripe.
• When a placeholder you made earlier is the same tax as a rate already in Stripe (same country, region, percentage, inclusive or exclusive, and type), the sync links them instead of creating a second one, and your products keep their tax.

If the account has no taxes, the page says "Add a tax here, or create it in the Stripe Dashboard and sync." with an Add tax button.

Add a tax

Click Add tax on the Taxes tab. The same button is next to the Taxes field on every product. With Stripe connected, the dialog and its button are called Add tax in Stripe, and the rate is created in your Stripe account at once ("Tax added and created in Stripe."). Without Stripe it is a placeholder ("Tax added.").

The dialog asks for:

1. Country: your company country is filled in.
2. State/Province/Region: only for countries where Stripe needs one (for example the United States and Canada). Leave it at Entire country for a nationwide rate.
3. Type: Sales tax, VAT, GST, your country's own term where there is one (for example Moms, MVA, ALV, MwSt., TVA, Btw or IVA), or Other with a Name you type. The helper says: "Shown on Stripe receipts. Booking pages, confirmations and booking details show the country's term (VAT, Sales tax or Tax) and the rate instead."
4. Rate: 0 to 100 %, up to four decimals.
5. Include tax in price: Yes (inclusive) or No (exclusive). Defaults to inclusive, except in the United States and Canada.
6. Description: optional.

If the same tax already exists, the dialog says "This tax already exists as VAT 25%. Nothing new will be created." and the button stays off. Country, region, rate, inclusive or exclusive and type together make a tax; name and description do not.

Do your prices include tax? Inclusive and exclusive explained

Every tax is either inclusive or exclusive, and it decides what the customer pays:

• Inclusive (Yes (inclusive)): the price on the product already contains the tax. A product priced 100 costs the customer 100; the tax is part of it. This is the usual setup for consumer prices in Europe.
• Exclusive (No (exclusive)): the tax is added on top at checkout. A product priced 100 with 25 % exclusive tax costs the customer 125. This is the usual setup in the United States and Canada.

You cannot switch an existing tax between inclusive and exclusive, or change its rate or region: Stripe locks those once a rate exists. To change, add a new tax with the right settings, pick it on the products, then delete the old one.

Taxes not in Stripe: review them

A tax marked Not in Stripe exists only in Rentalbuddy: a placeholder from before you connected, or a rate that was archived in Stripe. Stripe can't charge it, so products using it are sold without that tax until you fix it. While any of your products use such a tax, the Taxes tab (and Settings in the menu) carries a mark; hover it to read "… tax rates used by your products are not in Stripe, so those products are charged without tax."

When the connected account has such taxes, the Taxes tab shows "4 taxes are not in Stripe yet. Add them to Stripe or delete them." with a Review button. The first time placeholders are found after you connect, the review opens on its own. The Stripe return page after connecting also links here with Review taxes.

In the Taxes not in Stripe dialog ("These taxes exist only in Rentalbuddy. What do you want to do with them?"):

1. Choose Add to Stripe ("Creates the selected taxes in your Stripe account. Products keep using them.") or Delete ("Removes the selected taxes. Products using them lose the tax.").
2. Tick the taxes, or use Select all. Each row says how many products use it, for example "Used by 3 products" or "Not used by any product".
3. When adding, Check the details before adding lets you correct Country, Include tax in price and Type for all ticked taxes at once. Keep as is leaves each tax's own value. This is your last chance to change them, since Stripe locks these afterwards.
4. Click Add 4 taxes to Stripe or Delete 4 taxes (the number follows your selection). For more than five taxes you get one more step that shows the number and asks Are you sure? ("Stripe cannot delete tax rates, only archive them.").

If a tax already exists in Stripe, it is not created twice: "1 tax already existed in Stripe and was linked to it." Products are moved over to the Stripe rate.

Delete a tax

Click Delete on the row. The confirmation tells you what happens, for example: "Delete this tax? 3 products use it and will lose their tax. The tax is removed here and archived in Stripe."

• Stripe never deletes tax rates; the rate is archived in your Stripe account.
• If products used the tax, the Tax deleted dialog lists them ("These products no longer have those taxes. Review them and add a tax if needed."), with a link to each product. Use those links: product tax warnings are switched off for now, so the Products list doesn't mark these products, and Show all products with tax issues in the same dialog only lists products that have other problems.
• Bookings already made keep showing the tax that was charged on them.
• Deleted by mistake? When products used the tax, click Undo in the Tax deleted dialog: the tax comes back, is reactivated in Stripe, and the products have their tax again ("1 tax restored. Products using it are whole again."). A tax that no product used is simply deleted ("Successfully deleted tax!"), with no dialog and no undo; add it again with Add tax if you need it.

Change a tax

Rate, country, region and inclusive or exclusive cannot be changed; add a new tax instead, move your products to it and delete the old one. The name and description can be changed in the Stripe Dashboard's tax rates; click Sync from Stripe afterwards and the new text appears here.

Put a tax on a product

Every product has a Taxes field in its pricing settings. Open the product, pick one or more taxes, and save. Each option reads like "VAT (25%) inclusive". Several taxes are combined, shown as "VAT (25%) + …".

• With Stripe connected, only taxes that are In Stripe are offered.
• Add tax next to the field opens the same dialog as on the Taxes tab, and selects the new tax on the product. It shows a New chip until you leave the page. The button is only there for roles that may change settings.
• The field is optional for now. A product can be saved with Taxes left empty, and then customers are charged no tax on it. Nothing asks you to confirm that, so check the field on every product you create.
• VAT-exempt products: pick a 0 % tax, so the product is taxed "on purpose" and it is clear to anyone reading the product later.
• If a product's tax was deleted, the field simply shows no tax. The product saves and customers are charged no tax on it until you pick another one.

No taxes on the account yet? Most accounts reach their first product before the Taxes tab, so the product page offers the same first step above the Taxes field, to roles that may change settings:

• Without Stripe, it says "No taxes yet. Start with the default taxes (0, 6, 12, 25%), or use “Add tax” for your own rates." Answer Do your prices include tax? (Yes, tax is included is preselected, or No, tax is added at checkout in the United States and Canada) and click Generate default taxes. The four rates are added to the account but none is selected: pick the one that fits the product. They are the same rates as on the Taxes tab, so check them if you are outside Sweden. The country is your account's, or the product location's when the account has none yet.
• With Stripe connected, it says "Add a tax here, or create it in the Stripe Dashboard and sync." Click Sync from Stripe to fetch the rates already in your Stripe account, or use Add tax.

Events use taxes in the same way (see the events guide). If you accepted Translate in the New language added dialog before 9 October 2026, check the taxes of that location's events: that translation could remove them. It no longer touches the tax.

Checking that your products charge the right tax

Rentalbuddy doesn't flag products with missing or wrong tax at the moment: tax warnings on products are switched off for now. The Products list, the product page and Home don't mark a product that charges no tax, uses a deleted tax, or uses a tax that is not in Stripe. Customers can book those products, and they are charged without that tax.

What is still flagged, only while you take payments through Stripe, is on the Taxes tab, which gets a mark (and so does Settings in the menu). Hover the mark for the reason:

• "No tax rates are set up, so bookings are charged without tax." The account has no tax rates at all.
• "… tax rates used by your products are not in Stripe, so those products are charged without tax." Fix it with Review on the Taxes tab (see above).

So check your products yourself, especially after you delete a tax, connect Stripe or create many products:

1. On the Taxes tab, the Products column shows how many products and events use each tax, which gives you a quick idea of whether every product has one.
2. Open each product you are unsure of and look at Taxes. Pick a tax that is In Stripe (or add one with Add tax) and save.
3. For a tax that is Not in Stripe, you can instead add it to Stripe from the Taxes tab's Review; the products then keep it.

How tax shows to your customers

• Booking window, at checkout: below the order, Subtotal, any discount (for example "Promo code SUMMER" or "Member discount (10%)"), a line per exclusive tax such as "VAT (25%)", and Total. Included tax is a note under the total, such as "Includes … VAT (25%)" with the amount. The word follows your account's country (the location's country is only used when the account has none): United States says "Sales tax", Canada "Tax", everywhere else "VAT", in the customer's language. If checkout says "Sales tax" and you expect VAT, check Country on Settings → Account.
• Confirmation page after booking: "Thank you for your order:" with the order number, the customer's details, the products and the same tax summary, except that all discounts are shown together on one "Discount:" line instead of separate promo-code and member-discount lines.
• Confirmation email: the booking details show the tax amount on a VAT line and the total price including VAT, in the booking language (for example "Moms" in Swedish). See the email guide for editing the email.
• Stripe's payment page and receipt: Stripe shows the tax using the name you chose as Type. Whether Stripe sends a receipt is a setting in your Stripe account (see the guide on Rentalbuddy versus Stripe).
• Admin booking detail: VAT, Total excl. VAT and Total (VAT incl) in the booking's price summary.

Taxes without online payment

If Disable Stripe Payments is on, the Taxes tab says "Stripe payments are disabled for this account. Taxes are used on receipts and order lines." Taxes then work as before Stripe: you add them here, put them on products, and they appear on the checkout summary, the confirmation and the order lines. Exclusive taxes are still added to the price the customer owes. With no taxes yet, the empty page reads "Start with the default taxes (0, 6, 12, 25%), or use “Add tax” for your own rates. They are used on receipts and order lines."

Common questions

Do I need to create tax rates in Stripe as well? No. With Stripe connected, Add tax in Stripe creates the rate in Stripe for you. Rates you make directly in the Stripe Dashboard also appear here after a sync.

We are outside Sweden and "Generate default taxes" created 6 % and 12 %. Is that right? No, the defaults are Sweden's rates for every country. Delete the ones your country doesn't use and add your own with Add tax.

How do I show prices excluding VAT (tax added on top)? Create a tax with Include tax in price set to No (exclusive) and pick it on your products. The customer then sees the tax added at checkout.

Can I change a tax from inclusive to exclusive, or change the percentage? No, Stripe locks that. Add a new tax, move your products to it, then delete the old one.

The Taxes tab is marked and says products are "charged without tax". What does that mean? Some of your products use a tax that only exists in Rentalbuddy (Not in Stripe), so Stripe can't charge it. Add it to Stripe with Review on the Taxes tab, or pick a tax that is In Stripe on those products.

Why doesn't Rentalbuddy warn me about products without tax any more? Tax warnings on products are switched off for now. Check the Taxes field on your products yourself, and use the Products column on the Taxes tab to see how many products use each tax.

I deleted a tax by mistake. Can I get it back? Yes, click Undo in the Tax deleted dialog right after deleting. The tax and the products' link to it come back. If no product used it there is no Undo; add the tax again with Add tax.

Why does the confirmation page only say "Discount:" when checkout showed the promo code and member discount? The confirmation page shown after booking adds all discounts together on one "Discount:" line. The checkout step lists them separately.

We are a non-profit and don't charge VAT. What do we pick? Pick a 0 % tax on your products rather than none. Leaving the field empty also charges no tax, but a 0 % rate shows that it is on purpose.

Can I save a product without VAT? Yes, the Taxes field can be left empty for now, and then customers are charged no tax on that product. Nothing warns you about it, so for tax-free products a 0 % tax is clearer.

Checkout says "Sales tax" instead of VAT. The word follows the Country on Settings → Account; only the United States gets "Sales tax" (Canada "Tax"). Correct the country there if it is wrong.

The product page says "No taxes yet". What do I pick? Answer Do your prices include tax? and click Generate default taxes, then pick the rate that fits the product in Taxes. Or create your own rate with Add tax.

I generated the default taxes from a product, but nothing is selected. That is on purpose: the rates are added to the account and you choose which one fits. Pick it in Taxes and save the product.