*How-to › Start here*

# Set Up Sales Tax and VAT

Charge the right tax in the right places. Apply the settings recommended for your country, check sales tax, VAT, Canadian tax or an automatic service, mark products taxable and test. 11 parts.

Quick links

- [What you need](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/how-to-guides/set-up-sales-tax-and-vat/#what-you-need)
- [Step 1. Start from the recommended settings](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/how-to-guides/set-up-sales-tax-and-vat/#recommended)
- [Step 2. Check where you collect](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/how-to-guides/set-up-sales-tax-and-vat/#flat)
- [Step 3. Rates by state and country](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/how-to-guides/set-up-sales-tax-and-vat/#rates)
- [Step 4. Check VAT or GST](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/how-to-guides/set-up-sales-tax-and-vat/#vat)
- [Canada GST, PST and HST](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/how-to-guides/set-up-sales-tax-and-vat/#canada)
- [Duty on international orders](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/how-to-guides/set-up-sales-tax-and-vat/#duty)
- [Automatic tax with TaxCloud, TaxJar or Avalara](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/how-to-guides/set-up-sales-tax-and-vat/#automatic)
- [Step 5. Mark your products taxable](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/how-to-guides/set-up-sales-tax-and-vat/#products)
- [Step 6. Test it](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/how-to-guides/set-up-sales-tax-and-vat/#test)
- [If it does not work](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/how-to-guides/set-up-sales-tax-and-vat/#troubleshooting)

**Where to find it:** WP Admin › EasyCart › Settings › Payments & Taxes › Taxes

*Before you start*

## What you need

What the plugin can and cannot decide for you, and which system fits where you sell.

### What you need

Know where you owe tax before you touch a setting

**What you need.** The places you have to collect tax, and the rates. WP EasyCart charges what you tell it to. It does not know your tax obligations, so check them with your accountant or your tax authority first.

**Free or PRO.** A flat rate, rates by state and country, VAT, Canada GST/PST/HST and duty are all in the free plugin. Automatic rates from TaxCloud or TaxJar are PRO or Premium features. Avalara AvaTax is an extension included with Premium. There is a 14-day free trial if you want to try the automatic services.

**Which system.** Pick the one that matches where you sell:

**United States.** Rates by state, or an automatic service.
**European Union, UK and other VAT countries.** VAT.
**Canada.** The GST, PST and HST grid.
**One rate everywhere.** The flat rate.

The steps are: apply the settings recommended for your country, check each part, mark each product taxable, then test.

> **⚠️ Careful:** WP EasyCart charges the tax you set. It cannot tell you what you owe. Confirm your obligations with your accountant or tax authority before you sell.

*Set it up*

## Six steps to charging the right tax

Recommended settings, base rules, rates by place, VAT, Canada, duty, automatic services, products and a test.

### Step 1. Start from the recommended settings

Today’s rates for your country, applied in one click

WP EasyCart knows the usual tax settings for the United States, Canada, the UK, every EU country, Australia, New Zealand and a number of other countries. It offers them in two places:

**The setup wizard.** On its first step, **Location & currency**, pick your country ( and your state or province in the US and Canada ). The tax box then lists what will be set. **Set up tax for my country** is ticked when no tax is set up yet; if tax is already set up, the box reads **Update my tax settings to these** and lists what would change. VAT and GST countries also choose whether prices include the tax; EU stores choose how they charge consumers in other EU countries.
**Settings › Payments & Taxes › Taxes.** The first card asks how you charge tax, worded for your country, such as **How do you charge sales tax?**. The built-in way, such as *Sales tax for Oregon, built in*, is marked **Recommended for your country**. Press **See what changes**: a window lists the choices it needs ( your state, for a US store ), what would change and the sources. Press **Apply** ( the button counts the changes ). The change is listed under Recent changes at the foot of the page, where **Undo** puts back what you had.

The page then shows your rates card for your country’s system, and the taxes you do not use fold under **For some stores**. The steps below check each part.

![See what changes on Settings › Taxes: the recommended tax settings for an Oregon store, with Your state and Apply.](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/tax-setup-and-features-recommended-607.jpg)

> **💡 Note:** Not registered for VAT or GST yet? For the UK, Australia and New Zealand, the card’s notes say from what yearly sales you usually need to be. Until you are, choose the way that says you are not registered, such as Not registered for VAT, on Settings › Taxes.

### Step 2. Check where you collect

One flat rate, and whether shipping is taxed

Two base rules apply to every order:

**Charge tax on shipping**: adds the shipping charge to the amount your rates apply to. It sits in your rates card on the Taxes page, and in **Where you collect** in the full list. It does not apply to TaxCloud.
**A flat rate on every order**: one rate on every taxable order, whatever the destination, charged on top of any other tax. It is folded under For some stores; **Open its settings** holds **Flat rate on every order** and its rate. Use rates by state or country instead when tax depends on where you ship.

If you applied the recommended settings, the flat rate is off: tax depends on where the order goes, so a flat rate would charge everyone the same. The full list opens from **Every tax setting, as a list** under All settings.

![Every tax setting, as a list: Where you collect.](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/tax-setup-and-features-collect-607.jpg)

> **💡 Note:** Every field on the tax page is explained in [Settings › Payments & Taxes › Taxes](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/administrative-console-guide/tax-setup-and-features/).

### Step 3. Rates by state and country

One row per place you collect

Use these when tax depends on where the order ships. A US store edits its states in the **Sales tax by state** card on the Taxes page; **Tax by country** is under For some stores. Both are in the full list too.

**Rates by state**: one row per state or province. The rate applies when the shipping address is in that state, and a state with no row is not taxed. Press **Add a state rate**, pick the **State**, enter the **Rate** and press **Add rate**.
**Rates by country**: one row per country. The rate applies when the shipping address is in that country and no state rate matched first.

A rate must be between 0 and 100. Add a row for every state or country where you have to collect tax, and only those. Deleting a rate does not change orders already placed, which keep the tax they were charged.

### Step 4. Check VAT or GST

One rate or a rate per country, with a business rate

For a VAT or GST country the Taxes page shows a **VAT** card: your rates with how many products use each, **Prices include VAT**, **Each country has its own rate**, **Exempt shipping from VAT** and **Check a VAT number**. **All VAT settings** opens the rest, the same as the VAT section of the full list, where **Charge VAT** is on once you applied the recommended settings; otherwise turn it on. Then check:

**Tax name**: Automatic says GST in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and India and VAT elsewhere. With GST, the section, checkout, receipts and invoices say GST.
**Rate varies by country**: uses the country rates in the table once the shopper enters their address. Off charges the **Default VAT rate** everywhere. The default is also charged before the shopper’s country is known.
**Prices include VAT**: product prices are shown VAT-inclusive, and the VAT part is broken out at checkout. Off adds VAT on top at checkout.
**Exempt shipping from VAT**: leaves the shipping charge out of the VAT total. Off charges VAT on shipping too.
**Rounding increment**: VAT totals round to this amount. Most countries use 0.01; some require 0.05.

In the country table, add a rate for each country. Countries not listed are not charged VAT. **Apply to business** charges that country’s rate to VAT-registered businesses too, instead of the business rate.

**VAT numbers.** To let business customers enter a VAT number, turn on the VAT registration number field in Settings › Checkout. Then set **Rate for VAT-registered businesses** in the VAT section. It is charged instead of the country rate to a business abroad that enters a number, unless its country is marked Apply to business; a business in your own country pays your usual VAT. Turn on **Verify VAT numbers with Vatlayer** and enter your **Vatlayer API key** for an extra check by Vatlayer. Reduced and zero rates, EU One-Stop Shop rates and the VIES and HMRC number checks are covered step by step in [Set Up VAT or GST for Your Country](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/how-to-guides/set-up-vat-or-gst-for-your-country/).

![The VAT section of the full list, switched on in the page.](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/tax-setup-and-features-vat-607.jpg)

### Canada GST, PST and HST

A grid of provinces and customer roles

A Canadian store sees **GST, HST and PST by province** on the Taxes page, with **Charge GST, HST and PST by province**; elsewhere it is **Canada’s GST, HST and PST** under For some stores, and **Canadian provincial tax** in the full list. It charges GST, PST or HST by province on orders shipped to Canada. Turning it on ticks every province.

A grid then lists each province. Under **Collect**, tick the provinces you collect in, and enter the GST, PST and HST rates in percent. Rates are set per **Customer role**, so different customers can pay different rates. Ticks save straight away. Rate changes save with the tick button or Enter.

For Quebec, enter the QST (9.975%) in the PST column. Shoppers, emails and orders see it named QST, or TVQ in French, and it is charged on the price before GST.

If a province you collect in has changed its rate since you saved yours, the grid says so. Press **Use today’s rates** to update them; until then checkout charges the rates saved here.

### Duty on international orders

A percentage on orders shipped abroad

**Duty on international orders**, under For some stores, is for stores that charge a duty percentage on orders shipped to other countries. Press **Open its settings**, turn on **Charge duty on international orders**, pick your **Duty-exempt country** (usually your own, where orders pay no duty) and set the **Duty rate**. It is charged on the taxable subtotal of orders that owe duty.

### Automatic tax with TaxCloud, TaxJar or Avalara

Live rates by address instead of your own tables

In the US the right rate can depend on the street, and it changes. An automatic service works it out for each order. On the Taxes page, TaxCloud and TaxJar are ways to charge tax, each with **Connect**, which opens its settings; Avalara AvaTax has its own card. The same settings are in **Automated tax services** in the full list. TaxCloud and TaxJar are PRO and Premium features.

**TaxCloud**: US sales tax by address. Enter your **TaxCloud API ID** and **TaxCloud API key**, plus the origin address you ship from. It becomes active as soon as both the ID and key are filled in. TaxCloud product codes go in the **TaxCloud TIC** field in the product’s Tax section.
**TaxJar**: US sales tax by address, with TaxJar product categories. Enter the **TaxJar live token** and your origin address. Turn on **Sandbox mode** to test with the **TaxJar sandbox token**, and turn it off before you sell. **Verify US addresses with TaxJar** needs a TaxJar Professional plan.
**Avalara AvaTax**: an extension that comes with Premium. Its row on this card says when AvaTax is calculating tax at checkout, and its settings are in the extension.

Only one service calculates tax at a time: the way in use on the Taxes page, or **Tax service in use** in the full list. Automatic keeps the older order of TaxCloud when its keys are filled in, then TaxJar, then an extension such as Avalara AvaTax.

![How do you charge sales tax? The built-in way for Oregon, TaxCloud, TaxJar, Avalara AvaTax and no tax.](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/tax-setup-and-features-ways-607.jpg)

> **💡 Note:** The Avalara AvaTax settings are covered in [Avalara AvaTax](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/extension-guides/avatax-extension/).

### Step 5. Mark your products taxable

Rates only apply to products that are taxable

A rate does nothing to a product that is not taxable. Open a product and go to its **Tax** section. It starts with **What your store charges**, then the switch for your country’s tax: **Charge sales tax** in the US, **Charge GST / HST and PST** in Canada, **Charge VAT** or **Charge GST** in VAT and GST countries. With VAT or GST on, **VAT rate** picks the standard, a reduced or the zero rate. Taxes your store does not charge are folded away below. The Summary column beside the editor says Taxable or Not taxable. When you create a product with **Add product**, the same choice is the **Tax** select: Not taxable, Sales tax, VAT, or Sales tax + VAT.

**Showing prices with tax.** With VAT on and Prices include VAT on, prices show VAT-inclusive. To show both figures, turn on **Show prices both with and without VAT** in Settings › Products. It needs VAT enabled, with prices entered inclusive of VAT, or both figures come out the same.

> **💡 Note:** The Tax section on a product is covered in [Pricing and Tax](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/administrative-console-guide/product-pricing-tax/).

### Step 6. Test it

Buy from your store and check the tax line

Start on the Taxes page. **What a shopper pays** prices a sample order, $100.00 in goods and $10.00 shipping, at test addresses for your country, each with its tax lines and why. **+ Add a test address** adds the places you sell to, and **Change it** uses one of your products instead of the sample. The addresses run again after every tax change, and a total that moved is marked. With a tax service, press Ask to ask it for one address.

Then test each place you charge, as a customer:

**1.** In a private window, add a taxable product to the cart and go to checkout.
**2.** Enter an address in a state you collect in. The tax line should match the rate you set.
**3.** Try an address in a state you do not collect in. There should be no tax.
**4.** Try each country, and a Canadian province if you use the grid.
**5.** If you use VAT, try a business VAT number and a normal customer.

Place the order with Pay by bank transfer or a gateway in test mode. Then open Orders and check the tax on the order. Finally, check **EasyCart › Store Status**. Its Taxes check fails when no tax or VAT is set up at all, which is right for some stores and a mistake for others.

*When it goes wrong*

## Troubleshooting

Why tax is missing or wrong.

### If it does not work

Why tax is missing, or wrong

**No tax on an order.** The product is not taxable, or the address is in a state or country with no rate row. A state with no row is not taxed.

**The wrong tax on an order.** Check the shipping address, not the billing address. Rates apply by shipping address. Also check whether Charge tax on shipping is on.

**VAT is added on top when it should be included.** Check Prices include VAT.

**The business rate never applies.** The VAT number field must be on in Settings › Checkout, and the Rate for VAT-registered businesses must be set. A business in your own country always pays your usual VAT. For a store in the EU, the number must belong to another EU country and check out in VIES ( a UK number with HMRC ); if the service does not answer, the business pays VAT. Check a number yourself with **Check a VAT number** in the VAT section.

**An automatic service seems ignored.** Only one service calculates tax. Check which way says In use on the Taxes page, and that its keys are filled in. For TaxJar, check Sandbox mode is off for live sales.

Still stuck? Open a ticket at [wpeasycart.com/my-account](https://wpeasycart.com/my-account).

*Keep going*

## Related panels

- [Taxes](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/administrative-console-guide/tax-setup-and-features/): Every option on the Taxes page.
- [Avalara AvaTax](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/extension-guides/avatax-extension/): Set up Avalara AvaTax.
- [Pricing and Tax](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/administrative-console-guide/product-pricing-tax/): Tax settings on a product.
- [The Product Editor](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/administrative-console-guide/product-editor/): The Summary column, which shows whether a product is taxable.
- [Checkout](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/administrative-console-guide/checkout-settings/): The VAT registration number field.
- [Countries & Regions](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/administrative-console-guide/countries-regions/): Countries and regions you sell to.

## Ready to run your store on WP EasyCart?

Everything in this guide works with the free plugin. PRO and Premium add subscriptions, memberships, wholesale pricing and more. Try every PRO feature free for 14 days.

[Start your free trial](https://www.wpeasycart.com/wp-easycart-professional-14-no-risk-trial/) · [See what is included](https://www.wpeasycart.com/wordpress-shopping-cart-pricing/)

![The WP EasyCart admin: orders and offers](https://docs.wpeasycart.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/cta-wpeasycart-pro-v2.jpg)

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Source: https://docs.wpeasycart.com/docs/how-to-guides/set-up-sales-tax-and-vat/ ( updated 2026-11-06 )