Configure Square Online Sales Tax
DISCLAIMER: Tax compliance is your responsibility. We do not guarantee the applicability or accuracy of our tax tools. If you have any questions about your tax obligations, you should consult a professional tax advisor.
To set up taxes for Square Online:
Open the Square Online Overview page.
Select Shared Settings > Sales Taxes.
The amount of sales tax charged on an online purchase is determined by applying the tax rate to the total price of taxable items in an order. Optionally, you can include tax in the item price, charge tax on postage and delivery fees and use item-level tax rates for pickup, delivery and self-serve orders.
Note: Tax settings from your Square account do not sync to Square Online. You’ll need to set up taxes specifically for online purchases in the Square Online Overview page.
Add A Tax Rate
By default, items added to your store are set to the sales tax settings set in your Square Online Overview page. To set up tax rates for Square Online orders:
Open the Square Online Overview page.
Select Shared Settings > Sales Taxes.
Use the Add Tax Rate button to create tax rates depending on region.
Tax Exempt Items
You can exempt an item from taxes in Square Online:
Go to the Square Online Overview page.
Select Items > Site Items
Tick off any items you want to exempt from sales tax then click Bulk Edit.
Select Remove sales tax.
Make sure you have selected only items that are not subject to sales tax. For example, in some states, items considered necessities are not taxed. If in doubt, consult a tax advisor.
Include Tax in Item Prices
When sales tax is included with item prices, tax is treated as something that the store owner will need to pay, rather than the customer. Sales tax is displayed on order receipts but not added to the total price.
To include tax in prices:
Go to the Square Online Overview page.
Go to Shared Settings > Sales Taxes.
In the Order-level taxes area, tick the box for Taxes are included in item prices.
Charge Tax on Postage or Delivery Fees
Rules for charging sales tax on postage and delivery vary. If you’re not sure what’s required, you should consult with a professional.
To turn on sales tax for postage or delivery:
Open the Square Online Overview page.
Select Shared Settings > Sales Taxes.
In the Order-level taxes area, click the tick boxes to turn on taxes for postage and delivery.
Item-level Taxes
You can use the item-level tax rates in your online Square Dashboard for pickup, delivery and self-serve orders. Delivery orders use the tax rates set in the Square Online Overview page settings. To turn on item-level taxes:
Open the Square Online Overview page.
Select Shared Settings > Sales Taxes
Under Order-level taxes, toggle on the item-level taxes options you want to use.
Use the Go To Item Taxes button to view further details about item-level taxes in the online Square Dashboard.
Customers who received an item-level tax rate on a delivery or pickup order can view a calculation of their taxes during checkout, displayed by tax name. If a customer selects pickup or delivery for an item that does not have an item-level tax rate, no tax will be applied to the purchase. Tax exempt items in Square only apply to Square Online pickup or delivery orders, delivered orders will use the tax rates set in the Square Online Overview page settings.
Add Tax Locations
If you are located in the United States and plan to use the automatic tax calculator, you need to account for all locations where your company has a presence. The tax setup page is pre-filled with locations synced from your Square account. If you need to enter a new address:
Open the Square Online Overview page.
Go to Shared Settings > Sales Taxes
Click the Add location button under ‘Tax Locations’.
Add in the Address location details and Save when finished
Follow the same steps to add any other locations where your company has a presence, including any location that you dispatch from. It is best to consult with a tax professional if you have questions.