Help · Sales & Checkout · Taxes & OSS

Set Up Taxes, Country Zones, and OSS

The store calculates sales tax based on the item’s tax class and the country to which it is being shipped. This guide explains how tax classes, tax rates, and country zones interact; how to create tax rates for each EU country for the OSS procedure; how to ship to business customers with a VAT ID number without charging sales tax; and what tax information appears on receipts and e-invoices.

At a Glance

  • Where: under Settings → Country / Tax, on the “Tax Classes,” “Tax Rates,” “Country Zones,” “Countries,” and “States” pages.
  • Formula: The item’s tax class plus the destination country’s zone determines the tax rate. If a country does not belong to a zone with a tax rate, the store calculates 0 percent.
  • Default: “Standard” at 19 percent and “Reduced” at 7 percent for the “European Union” zone—meaning the same German rates apply to every EU country. Countries outside the EU have no tax rate.
  • OSS: The country zones “EU – Austria,” “EU – France,” etc., are preconfigured. Transfer the rates from the “European Union” zone to “EU – Germany” and create separate rates for each additional EU country.
  • Business Customers: The store calculates without sales tax only for customer groups that are “tax-exempt.” The VAT ID check automatically assigns new accounts to such a group.
No Tax Advice: This guide describes how the XONIC Shop System calculates taxes and where to configure these settings. Please consult your tax advisor to determine which tax rates apply to your sales, whether you participate in the OSS procedure, and whether a delivery is tax-exempt.

In this guide


How the Store Calculates Tax

Each item has a tax class. Each tax rate links a tax class to a country zone. For the country to which the item is being shipped, the store identifies all zones in that country and applies the rate for the corresponding tax class.

Prices Stored as Net Amounts

The store saves item prices as net prices. It calculates the gross price for each display using the tax rate of the destination country. Therefore, if you change a tax rate, the gross prices in the store change immediately. Orders save the rate per line item and remain unchanged.

Which Country Applies

Before checkout, the store uses the country from the delivery country preselection for guests; otherwise, it uses your store’s country. For logged-in customers, it uses the country of their billing address. The checkout is binding: there, the delivery address applies; for orders placed solely via downloads, the billing address applies.

What Exempts an Order from Tax

If the customer group is “tax-exempt,” the store applies a 0 percent tax rate. For in-store pickup, the store address or the selected pickup location applies, provided a tax rate has been set up for that country. For business customers with a VAT ID number who are shipping to another EU country, a separate rule applies; see “Business Customers with a VAT ID Number.”

Example: an item for €100.00 net in the “Normal” tax class

SituationTax RateGross Price
Delivery to Germany19% from the “European Union” zone€119.00
Private customer in Austria, shipping status19% from the “European Union” zone€119.00
Private customer in Austria, OSS configured with 20% for “EU – Austria”20%120.00 €
Customer in SwitzerlandNo zone with tax rate, 0%100.00
Business customer in Austria, customer group “Yes, if VAT ID matches shipping country,” VAT ID starting with “ATU”0%€100.00

The figures are examples. The actual rates for EU countries are published by the European Commission in its “Taxes in Europe” database.


Tax Classes

The tax class determines which type of rate an item receives—for example, the standard or reduced rate. The percentage is not associated with the class itself, but rather with the tax rates.

Managing Tax Classes

Under Settings → Country / Tax → Tax Classes, “Standard” and “Reduced” are set by default. Use “Add” to create additional classes, such as for services or items with their own tax rate. Fields: “Tax Class Name,” “Description,” and “Default.”

The list shows the “Number of Products” for each class, and the row labeled “No Tax Rate” lists the items that aren’t assigned to any class. The store sells these items everywhere without sales tax.

Assigning a Class to an Item

In the item details, select the class on the “Prices” tab in the “Tax Rate” field. New items are assigned the class marked as “Default.” By default, this is “Normal.”

You can change the tax class for multiple items at once under Products → Quick Updates, provided that “Edit product tax class” is enabled under Settings → General → Quick Updates, or via CSV import.

If you delete a class that still has items assigned to it, the store will prompt you to select another class and will move the items there. It will also delete the tax rates associated with the deleted class.

Tax Rates

A tax rate applies to exactly one tax class in exactly one country zone. You need one rate for every combination of class and zone in which you sell.

Under Settings → Country / Tax → Tax Rates, use “Add” to create a rate or open an existing one for editing.

FieldMeaning
“Tax Class Name”The class to which the rate applies
"Tax Zone"The state zone to which the rate applies
“Tax Rate”the percentage, for example, 19 or 5.5
“Description”free text, for example, “VAT 20% Austria”; you can only see this in the edit screen; the list shows class, zone, and rate
“Priority”The store aggregates rates of the same class and priority that apply to a country. It applies rates with different priorities one after another. Normally, this field is set to 1 everywhere.
“Factor for Adjusting the Net Price (Default 1)”Visible only if “Use Net Tax Factor” is enabled under Settings → General → Basic Settings. The store multiplies the net price before tax by this factor; see “Same Gross Prices.”
"Edit Tax Rate" screen under Settings → Country / Tax → Tax Rates: "Tax Class Name" Normal, "Tax Zone" European Union, "Tax Rate" 19.0000 %, "Description" VAT 19%, “Priority” 1 with the note “Tax rates with the same tax class/tax zone/priority are added together” and the “Update” and “Cancel” buttons

By default, the “Normal” rate of 19% is assigned to the “European Union” zone; the note next to “Priority” reminds you that rates with the same priority are added together. Click to enlarge.

Because rates with the same priority are added together, a country may only be assigned a rate from a single zone per tax class. If Austria is listed in the “European Union” zone at 19% and in “EU – Austria” at 20%, the store calculates 39%.

Country Zones and Countries

A country zone groups countries together for tax rates as well as for shipping methods and payment methods. The Shipping & Delivery Guide lists which countries customers can select.

The ex-works zones

  • “European Union” with all 27 member states. The default rates here are 19 and 7 percent.
  • “EU – Germany,” “EU – Austria,” … “EU – Cyprus”: one country each, with no tax rate ex-works. These are intended for the OSS procedure.
  • “Outside the European Union” includes the remaining European countries such as Switzerland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, with no tax rate.
  • “All of Europe” and “Rest of the World, ” with no tax rate.

The EU zone plays a special role

The “European Union” zone allows the shop to identify which countries belong to the EU. This determines tax-free shipping to business customers, the note on the invoice, the tax category for e-invoices, and the customs notice. This zone must therefore include all member states, even if you set up the tax rates for OSS elsewhere.

List of country zones, sorted by ID, with the columns Statistics, Number of Countries, Sort Order, and Sort Order 2: European Union with 27 countries, Outside the European Union with 21, All of Europe with 48, Rest of the World with 190, and the zones EU–Germany, EU–Austria, EU–Belgium through EU–France, each with one country

Excerpt from the country zones: “European Union” includes all 27 member states; the “EU - …” zones each include one country for the OSS procedure. Click to enlarge.

Protection of Tax Zones

  • The names and descriptions of the default zones cannot be changed, and they cannot be deleted. Sorting and statistics settings remain customizable. To create your own variant, copy a zone using “Copy.” from 4.9.4
  • If a tax rate is associated with a zone, its country list is locked. The screen then displays “The country assignment for this zone is locked because tax rates depend on it.” This always applies to the “European Union” zone.from 4.9.4
  • The interface will reject adding the same country twice to the same zone, as this would result in the tax rate being calculated twice. The shop removes older duplicate entries during automatic database synchronization.
Do not remove a country from its tax zone, and do not assign a tax rate to a zone without countries: A tax rate assigned to an empty zone applies to every country. If a member state is missing from the “European Union” zone, Tools → Server Info & Health Check will report this.from 4.9.4

Where data allows, the “Add Missing Countries” button in the Health Check adds the missing member states.from 4.10


Delivery to Other EU Countries

By default, the shop applies German tax rates to private customers in all EU countries. Whether this is correct for you depends on whether you are required or choose to bill using the tax rates of the destination countries.

What the Law Says

If you sell goods to private customers in another EU country, the place of supply, according to Section 3c of the German Value-Added Tax Act (UStG), is where the goods arrive. This does not apply if you are based solely in Germany and your distance sales to other EU countries did not exceed a total of 10,000 euros in the previous year and do not exceed that amount in the current year (Section 3c(4) of the German Value-Added Tax Act (UStG)).

You then report the foreign sales tax collectively via the OSS procedure to the Federal Central Tax Office (Section 18j of the German Value-Added Tax Act). Check with your tax advisor to determine whether this applies to you.

What to Do in Your Online Store

  • German rates for the entire EU: no changes needed. The rates are set by default to the “European Union” zone.
  • Rates for the countries of delivery (OSS): Set up the rates for each EU country as described in the next section.
  • Business customers with a VAT ID number: Regardless of this, use a tax-exempt customer group; see “Business Customers with a VAT ID Number.”

Set up OSS: Tax Rates by EU Country

The country zones for each EU country are already set up. Move the existing rates from the “European Union” zone to “EU – Germany” and create separate rates for each additional country. This ensures that each country receives its rate from exactly one zone.

  1. Determine the current standard and reduced rates for the countries to which you ship, and consult with your tax advisor to determine which of your items should be assigned which rate.
  2. Under Settings → Country / Tax → Tax Rates, open the “Standard” rate for the “European Union” zone, select “EU – Germany” under “Tax Zone,” and save. Do the same for “Reduced” and any other class linked to the EU zone.
  3. For each additional EU country, use “Insert” to create one rate per tax class: Tax Class “Standard,” Tax Zone “EU - Austria,” tax rate, description, Priority 1. Then do the same for “Reduced” for the same zone, and so on.
  4. Verify: There are no longer any records linked to the “European Union” zone; every EU country to which customers can order has exactly one record for each tax class. An EU country without a record would be assigned 0%.
  5. Test in the store: As a guest, select a country from the delivery country preselection and compare the price of an item; then place a test order with a shipping address in that country and proceed through the order summary.
List of tax rates following the OSS transition, sorted by tax zone: Standard 19% and Reduced 7% for EU – Germany; Reduced 5.5% and Standard 20% for EU – France; Reduced 9% and Standard 21% for EU – Netherlands; Standard 20% and Reduced 10% for EU–Austria; all with Priority 1; no row for the European Union zone

After the conversion, each country has exactly one rate per tax class; the “European Union” zone no longer has any rates associated with it (example values). Click to enlarge.

Do not create the country rates in addition to the rates in the “European Union” zone. Otherwise, the store will add both rates together—for example, 19% and 20% to make 39%. The country list for the “European Union” zone remains unchanged.

Same gross prices in all countries

With OSS, gross prices vary by country because the store stores prices net: €100.00 net equals €119.00 in Germany and €120.00 in Austria. If you want the gross price to remain the same everywhere, enable “Use Net Price Tax Factor” under Settings → General → Basic Settings.

Then, under the country’s tax rate, enter a factor in the “Factor for changing the net price” field—for example, for 20% instead of 19%, use the value 1.19 / 1.20 = 0.991667. The store will use this to calculate the net price; the gross price remains €119.00.

Show Tax Rates in the Destination Country Preselection

Under Settings → Checkout → Shipping/Packaging → Pre-selection of Delivery Country: Show VAT Rates, the window displays the rates for your active products for each country to guests, for example, “10% / 20%.” This applies only to customer groups with gross prices. Learn more about the delivery country preselection in the Shipping & Delivery Guide.from 4.9.124


Business customers with a VAT ID

The store will only calculate sales tax if the customer is in a customer group that is exempt from tax. The VAT ID number alone does not change the tax rate.

What the Law Requires

According to Section 6a of the German Value-Added Tax Act (UStG), a shipment to a business in another EU country is tax-exempt, among other conditions, only if the goods are shipped to that other EU country and the customer uses a valid VAT ID number from another member state. The exemption does not apply if you do not correctly report the shipment in the summary report (Section 4 No. 1b of the German Value-Added Tax Act (UStG)).

The invoice must include your VAT ID number and that of the customer (Section 14a(3) of the German Value-Added Tax Act (UStG)). The Federal Central Tax Office confirms the name and address associated with a specific number (Section 18e of the German Value-Added Tax Act (UStG)).

The customer group determines

Under Customers → Customer Groups, each group has the field “Customer Group Exempt from Tax”:

  • No: standard tax.
  • “Yes, if VAT ID matches the country of shipment (EU countries only)”: 0% if the shipment is delivered to an EU country other than your own and the VAT ID number of the billing address begins with the country code of the destination country (Greece: EL). For deliveries to Germany, in-store pickups, and if the country code differs, the store charges the standard rate.
  • Yes: 0% for every shipment, including to Germany. This rate is intended for special cases, not for EU business customers.
Edit the "EU Foreign Retailers" customer group: "Show Prices" yes, "Price Display" net, "Block Net Price Adjustment" no with explanation, "Customer Group Exempt from Tax" set to "Yes, if VAT ID matches the shipping country (EU countries only)" and “Show Special Prices” yes

The “EU Retailers Abroad” group displays net prices and applies 0% if the shipment is to another EU country and the VAT ID number matches the country of delivery. Click to enlarge.

VAT ID Verification and Automatic Assignment

The rules can be found under Settings → Checkout → VAT ID Validation:

SettingEffect
“Tax ID Check”checks an entered VAT ID number against the EU VIES verification service and compares its country code with the country of the address. It only confirms that the number is valid, not that it belongs to the entered company.
“Automatic Domestic Merchant Assignment”Group for new accounts with a valid VAT ID and an address in your store’s country. Default setting “Domestic Merchant”: Net amount displayed, but standard tax applies.
“Automatic Merchant Assignment (Foreign)”Group for new accounts with a valid VAT ID from another country. Default setting: “Foreign EU Merchant.”
“Automatic Merchant Assignment Even Without Valid VAT Number Verification”Also assigns even if the validation service is unavailable or validation is disabled. Disabled by default. In that case, a number with the minimum length is sufficient.
“Number of characters in the tax ID”Minimum length of the number; default is 8
“VAT ID Required Field On/Off” under Settings → Checkout → Customer DetailsMakes the VAT ID a required field. The value “company” requires it only for the “Company” account type.from 4.10
“Customer Group for Companies When Creating an Account”assigns accounts with the “Company” account type to a group. The shop never applies a group that is tax-exempt (set to “Yes”).from 4.10
"Tax ID Validation" settings group under Settings → Checkout with five lines: Tax ID validation: true, Automatic merchant assignment (domestic): 1, Automatic merchant assignment (international): 2, Number of characters in tax ID: 8, Automatic merchant assignment even without valid tax ID validation: false

In the merchant assignments, the list shows the customer group number (1 = “Domestic Merchant,” 2 = “EU Foreign Merchant”); “Customer Group for Companies When Creating an Account” will be included in this group starting with version 4.10. Click to enlarge.

Automatic assignment only occurs during account creation—that is, upon registration or when a manager creates an account. If an existing customer adds their VAT ID later or you enter it in the backend, the group does not change. In that case, change the group in the customer account under Customers → Customers.

Default setting: “Retailer in Other EU Countries”

New stores create the “Retailer in Other EU Countries” group with the setting “Yes, if VAT ID matches shipping country.” In older stores, this setting is often set to “Yes.” Check the setting: If set to “Yes,” a customer with any valid EU number can make purchases withoutpaying sales tax, even when shipping to Germany.from 4.9.103

Business Customer Not in an Exempt Group

If a registered customer is not in an exempt group, but you are shipping to another EU country and their billing address includes a company name and VAT ID, the store will apply the tax rate of your store’s country rather than that of the destination country. The tax rates of the destination countries are intended for sales to private customers.

You can modify an existing order in the Order Editor: Under “Customer Group,” select the exempt group, verify the VAT ID number in the billing address, and save. The store determines the tax exemption based on the order’s customer group. For instructions on how to process orders, see the guide “Processing Orders.” from 4.9.25


Third Countries and Switzerland

No tax rate is set by default for countries outside the EU. The store therefore displays net prices to customers in those countries and does not charge sales tax.

Shipping to Switzerland

Switzerland is listed in the “Outside the European Union” zone. To allow customers to select it, this zone must have a “Sorting in the Country Box” value greater than 0, and a shipping method must be configured to deliver to Switzerland. Both of these requirements are described in the Shipping & Delivery guide. In the delivery country preselection, guests from countries outside the EU receive a customs notice.

Tax Considerations

Deliveries to a country outside the EU may be tax-exempt as export deliveries (Section 4 No. 1a of the German Value-Added Tax Act (UStG)). Please consult your tax advisor regarding the requirements—particularly proof of export—and the import sales tax in the destination country. For services that are subject to German sales tax even when billed to customers outside the EU, see Services.

Do not include countries outside the EU in the “European Union” zone in order to charge tax there. The store would then treat them as EU countries, for example, when making tax-exempt deliveries to business customers and on the invoice.

Services

A separate rule applies to services regarding where they are taxable. In the store, mark them on the product page and assign them their own tax class if necessary.

What the Law Says

According to Section 3a of the German Value-Added Tax Act (UStG), a service provided to a business is generally taxable where the customer operates its business; for private individuals, it is generally taxable where you operate your business. There are exceptions for many services. For services provided to businesses in other EU countries, the invoice must include the note “Tax liability rests with the recipient of the service” (Section 14a(1) of the German Value-Added Tax Act). Consult your tax advisor to determine which rule applies to your service.

In the online store

  • Configuration: In the product details, under the “General” tab, enable “Service Product.” For tax-exempt deliveries, the online store will then display the notice regarding tax liability instead of the notice regarding intra-Community supply and will set the appropriate category in the e-invoice. If “Enable product downloads” is enabled under Settings → Checkout → Download, the store will treat items with a weight of 0 in the same way. Therefore, be sure to enter a weight for all products.
  • Fixed rate regardless of the country of delivery: Create a separate tax class, such as “Service,” and assign its rate to a zone that includes all affected countries. The countries must not have a rate for this class in any other zone.

The “Service Product” flag also affects the right of withdrawal. The relevant information can be found in the Withdrawal Button Guide.


Net, Gross, and Price Information

You can specify whether customers see net or gross prices for the entire store and for each customer group. Below that is a note regarding sales tax and shipping costs.

Net or Gross

  • Entire Store: Settings → General → Basic Settings → Display sales tax in the store. If set to “false,” all customers see net prices.
  • By customer group: Under Customers → Customer Groups, set “Price Display” to net or gross. By default, “End Customers” see gross prices, while the two merchant groups see net prices.
  • The net display only changes how prices are shown. The store will continue to calculate sales tax as long as the group is not tax-exempt.

Rounding for net display

Set “Rounding of net unit prices when displaying net prices” to “exact” under Settings → General → Basic Settings. This ensures that net and gross customers pay the same amount for the same quantity. New stores start with “exact”; existing stores retain “legacy.” For more information on prices by customer group, see the “Prices & Customer Groups” guide.from 4.9.47

The note below the price

Settings → Checkout → Shipping/Packaging → Price Labeling (Tax and Shipping Cost Note) determines what appears below each price. For gross pricing, the tax note begins with “incl.”; for net pricing, it begins with “plus.”

ValueText displayed below the price
0No note
1Only the tax note with the tax rate, such as “incl. 19% sales tax”
2Only the shipping cost note
3Tax and shipping cost note with tax rate (default)
4An asterisk next to the price; the note is grouped together in the footer
5Tax and shipping cost notice without the tax rate
6, 7as in 1 or 3, with an additional note on differential taxation for all items
Excerpt from a product page in the demo store: Item No. DW-TS-400, brand Druckwerk Textil, product “Team Shirt Premium,” price €21.90, and below that the note “incl. 19% VAT, plus shipping,” where “shipping” is a link

With price label 3, the tax notice (including the rate) and the shipping cost notice appear below the price—in this case, for a guest with Germany as the delivery country. Click to enlarge.

You can change the wording of the notices under Tools → xoLanguage, for example, the term “VAT.” The Price Indication Regulation requires that total prices be displayed to consumers and, in online commerce, that prices include a notice stating that prices include sales tax and whether shipping costs apply (Section 3(1) and Section 6(1) of the Price Indication Regulation).

The tax line for the order total is labeled “VAT included” for gross pricing and “plus VAT” for net pricing, in each case with the applicable rate. You can enable the word preceding this in the VAT module under Settings → Checkout → Summary by selecting “Show prefix.”


Tax on Shipping Costs

Shipping costs are subject to the tax rate of the shipping method, calculated based on the destination country. With OSS, the destination country’s tax rate also applies here.

Tax Rate for the Shipping Method

Under Settings → Checkout → Shipping Methods, each shipping method has a “Tax Rate” field with a tax class. If no class is specified, the shipping costs are tax-exempt.

Rate Based on the Shopping Cart

Under Settings → Checkout → Shipping/Packaging → Calculate Shipping Tax Automatically, shipping costs are assigned the tax rate that applies to the largest portion of the merchandise value. For shipping methods with a price table, the gross amount of the shipping costs remains the same. Please consult your tax advisor to determine whether this allocation is compatible with your accounting practices for mixed shopping carts.


Tax Information on Receipts

If a VAT ID number is included in the billing address, the store prints it on the receipts. For international shipments without tax shown, a note regarding tax treatment is added.

CaseNote on the receipt (shipping text)
Delivery to another EU country, goods only“Tax-exempt intra-Community supply pursuant to §4 No. 1b in conjunction with §6a UStG / VAT-exempt intra-Community supply”
Delivery to another EU country, services only“Tax liability of the recipient pursuant to §13b UStG / Reverse charge”
Mixed goods and servicesBoth texts listed one below the other
Supply to a country outside the EUThe text regarding tax liability
Invoice RG23001 to Musterladen GmbH, Erika Musterfrau, Musterstraße 1, 1010 Vienna, Austria, with tax ID number DE000000000 in the header; two line items with 0% VAT, including on the left “Tax-exempt intra-Community supply pursuant to §4 No. 1b in conjunction with §6a UStG / VAT-exempt intra-Community supply” and “Customer’s tax ID number: ATU00000000,” on the right: subtotal €259.25, DHL package €10.00, and total €269.25 without a tax line

For a tax-exempt shipment to a company in another EU country, the note appears above the customer’s VAT ID number, and a tax line is missing (sample data). Click to enlarge.

When the note appears

The billing address includes a VAT ID number, the delivery country is not your store’s country, and the invoice does not show any tax. If the invoice does show tax—for example, because the country code in the number does not match the delivery country—the note does notappear.from 4.9.81

Customize or disable the notice

Under Settings → Design → Invoices, “Tax Notice on Invoices” hides only the notice text; the VAT ID remains visible. “Customer Tax ID” removes the entire block. You can enter your own text under Tools → xoLanguage. Consult your tax advisor to ensure the text is appropriate for your business, such as for exports or chain transactions.from 4.9.81

Your own number is located under Settings → Design → Receipts → Your Company’s Tax ID. On the receipt, it is labeled “Tax ID” by default. The e-invoice uses the same value as the VAT identification number; see the next section. The guide “Processing Orders” describes document templates, document texts, and sending documents.


E-Invoice: Tax Information and Requirements

The e-invoice (ZUGFeRD and XRechnung) contains the same tax information as the receipt, but in a machine-readable format. The store generates it as soon as your master data and billing address are complete.

Requirements

  • Settings → Design → Invoices → Your Company’s Tax ID: Your VAT ID. The e-invoice uses this value as the seller’s VAT ID.
  • Settings → General → Basic Settings: “Shop Bank Account Account Holder,” “Shop Bank Account IBAN,” and “Shop Bank Account BIC.” The bank details for the e-invoice are derived from these fields. The name and address come from “Shop Address and Contact Information.”
  • Billing address for the order: Company name and VAT ID.

If the e-invoice is grayed out

If any information is missing, the entries for the e-invoice in the “Documents” menu and the buttons for changing the status will be grayed out. Hover your mouse over the entry: The message “e-invoice generation not possible” lists what is missing. The bank details appear there under their internal names SHOP_BANK_OWNER, SHOP_BANK_IBAN, and SHOP_BANK_BIC; your own account number appears as STORE_STEUERNUMMER.

Tax Categories in the E-Bill

CaseCategory
Standard taxS with the tax rate
Tax-exempt order, goods shipped to another EU countryK (intra-Community supply) with basis for exemption from 4.9.88
Tax-exempt order, service-related productsAE (tax liability of the recipient of the service)
Tax-exempt order to a country outside the EUAE

The store always includes the reason for the exemption as a code in the e-invoice. The “Tax Note on Receipts” toggle only applies to the printed receipt.from 4.9.81

According to Section 14 of the German Value-Added Tax Act (UStG), e-invoicing is mandatory for services provided to other businesses within Germany, but not for transactions with consumers. Private customers receive a PDF invoice because the store generates e-invoices only for business entities with a company name and VAT ID number in the billing address. For instructions on how to send e-invoices, see the “Processing Orders” guide.

Common Errors and How to Fix Them

Almost every incorrect tax can be traced back to one of these causes. First, check the country, customer group, and tax class of the item.

ObservationCauseSolution
Austria at 39% or another country with the sum of two ratesCountry rate created, but rate left as is in the “European Union” zoneMove the EU rate to “EU - Germany”; see Setting Up OSS
Duplicate rate, e.g., 38%, in a single country or stateCountry listed twice in a zone—either as a whole country and additionally by federal statesRemove the duplicate entry in the country zone; evaluate the Health Check
A private customer in another EU country pays 19% instead of the country rateRates are still linked to the “European Union” zoneSet up OSS if you bill using the rates of the destination countries
Business customers in other EU countries pay sales taxCustomer group is not exempt; the country code in the VAT ID does not match the country of delivery, pickup, or delivery to the store’s countryCheck the customer’s customer group and the VAT ID number of the billing address
An EU country without sales taxCountry is missing from the “European Union” zone, or the rate for the country or class is missing after the OSS transitionCheck the Health Check and create missing rates
A customer pays 0% everywhere, including in GermanyTheir customer group is set to “Tax-exempt customer group: Yes”Set the group to “Yes, if VAT ID matches the shipping country” or reassign the customer to a different group
Individual items without sales taxItems without a tax class or a class without a rate for the countryCheck the “No tax rate” row in the list of tax classes and assign items to it
Switzerland or the United Kingdom without sales taxNo zone with a tax rate for countries outside the EUIf this is the case, clarify the tax treatment with your tax advisor
Gross prices will change after the OSS transitionPrices are saved as net amounts“Use Tax Net Factor” and factor per country; see the same gross prices
No tax information on the invoiceNo VAT ID in the billing address; delivery to the store’s country; tax on the receipt or switch offCheck the billing address and customer group; see receipts
E-invoice not selectableBank details, your own number or company name, and VAT ID number for the billing address are missingRead the note next to the grayed-out entry and fill in the missing information


Checklist

  1. Ensure that your company’s country and state are set correctly under Settings → General → Basic Settings.
  2. Each item has a tax class; the “No Tax Rate” row in the tax classes is either empty or intentionally left that way.
  3. The “European Union” zone includes all 27 member states; the health check reports no issues.
  4. Confirmed with your tax advisor: German tax rates apply to the entire EU or OSS.
  5. For OSS: no longer have a rate in the “European Union” zone; exactly one rate per country and class.
  6. Customer group for EU business customers set to “Yes, if VAT ID matches shipping country,” with VAT ID verification enabled.
  7. Tax rate set for each shipping method.
  8. Your own VAT ID and bank account information have been maintained for receipts and e-invoices.
  9. Test orders for Germany, one EU country, and—if you ship there—one country outside the EU have been verified.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the store charge 19% for deliveries to other EU countries instead of the rate of the destination country?

By default, the 19% and 7% rates are associated with the “European Union” zone and therefore apply to every EU country. The store will only calculate the rates for the destination countries once you set them up as described in the OSS setup guide. For business customers with a VAT ID number in a non-exempt group, the rate of your shop’s country remains in effect by design.

How do I set up VAT for each EU destination country for the OSS procedure?

Under Settings → Country / Tax → Tax Rates, change the rates for the “European Union” zone to “EU - Germany” and create a rate for each tax class in the “EU - ” zone for every other EU country. The steps are described under Setting Up OSS.

Why is VAT charged twice?

The shop aggregates all rates in the same tax class and priority that apply to a given country. This results in a duplicate if a country appears in two zones with rates—for example, in “European Union” and “EU - Austria”—or appears twice in the same zone. The form rejects duplicate entries in a zone, and the store automatically removes the older one. You must manually resolve the issue if a country appears in two zones with different rates.

Why is VAT charged to customers from other EU countries?

For private customers, this is correct—either at the German rate or the rate of the country of delivery. Business customers are charged 0% only if they are in a tax-exempt customer group and the country code in their VAT ID matches the country of delivery.

How do I create invoices without VAT for business customers in other EU countries?

Place the customer in a group labeled “Tax-exempt customer group: yes, if VAT ID matches shipping country” and enter the VAT ID in their billing address. The store will then process new orders without VAT, and the invoice will include a note regarding intra-Community supply. You can change an existing order in the order editor using the “Customer Group” field. Please consult your tax advisor to determine whether the requirements for tax exemption are met.

Why is a customer with a VAT ID automatically assigned to the merchant group?

This is the automatic merchant assignment under Settings → Checkout → VAT ID Validation. When registering with a valid VAT ID, a customer from your country is placed in the “Automatic Domestic Merchant Assignment” group, while a customer from another country is placed in the “Automatic International Merchant Assignment” group. You can configure which groups these are in that section. This assignment does not affect existing accounts.

Why isn’t VAT shown for international shipments?

For countries outside the EU, no tax rate is set by default; the store calculates 0% for those countries. If tax is missing for an EU country, the customer is in an exempt customer group, the country is missing from the “European Union” zone, or—following an OSS conversion—the rate for that country or tax class is missing.

How do I set it so that items are always taxed at 19%, and where do I change the default tax rate?

New items are assigned the tax class marked as “Default” under Settings → Country / Tax → Tax Classes; by default, this is “Normal” at 19%. You can update existing items in the “Prices” tab under “Tax Rate” within the item details, via Quick Updates, or through a CSV import. You can change the percentage itself under Tax Rates.

Do the tax rates in the backend affect the prices in the store?

Yes. Product prices are stored as net amounts; the store calculates the gross price using the tax rate of the delivery country each time a product is displayed. If you change a tax rate, the gross prices update immediately. Orders that have already been saved retain their original tax rates.

Where do I set the price note “incl. sales tax, plus shipping”?

Under Settings → Checkout → Shipping/Packaging → “Price Label (Tax and Shipping Cost Notice).” There, you can choose whether to display tax, shipping, or both, with or without the tax rate, or an asterisk. You can change the wording under Tools → xoLanguage.

How do I charge German VAT for services provided to customers in Switzerland?

Countries outside the EU do not have a tax rate set by default. For such services, create a separate tax class and assign its rate to a zone that includes Switzerland and all other affected countries—for example, a copy of “All of Europe.” For this class, no country may be assigned a second rate from a different zone. Whether German VAT applies depends on the service and the customer; please clarify this with your tax advisor.

How do I remove the tax notice from invoices?

Under Settings → Design → Documents, disable “Tax Notice on Documents.” This will remove only the notice text; the customer’s VAT ID number will remain. The e-invoice exemption status is retained. In shops running XONIC 4.9.81, this can only be done by clearing the language text.

Why are the toggles for ZUGFeRD and XRechnung grayed out?

A requirement is missing: your number under “Your Company’s Tax ID,” the three fields “Shop Bank Account …,” or the company name and VAT ID in the billing address of the order. The note next to the grayed-out entry in the “Invoices” menu lists the missing information.

Where do I enter the VAT ID, company name, and bank details for the e-invoice?

Enter your VAT ID under Settings → Design → Documents → “Your Company’s Tax Number”; enter the company name and address under Settings → General → Basic Settings → “Shop Address and Contact Information”; account holder, IBAN, and BIC in the “Shop Bank Account…” fields on the same page. The customer’s company name and VAT ID number are listed in their billing address.

Do private customers also receive e-invoices?

No. The store generates an e-invoice only if the billing address includes a company name and VAT ID. Private customers receive a PDF invoice. Section 14 of the German Value-Added Tax Act (UStG) does not require e-invoices for consumers.

How is the e-invoice sent to the billing address of a customer’s accounting department?

Enter the address in the “Email Address (Invoice)” field in the customer account. Status emails with an attached invoice or e-invoice will then also be sent to this address. For instructions on how to attach the e-invoice to a status email, see the “Processing Orders” guide.

This guide describes how to use the shop system and is not a substitute for tax advice. For an assessment of your specific case, please contact your tax advisor.


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We'll work with you to set your tax rates

We’ll help you transition to OSS, set up customer groups for corporate clients, and review your country zones. Tax assessment remains the responsibility of your tax advisor.

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