Taxes, currency and receipts in the US, UAE and Pakistan

What you’ll do: You will set up the tax rates, tax groups and price display your country needs. Then you will update the receipt layout so every receipt shows the right tax, currency and labels.

Before you start

• Ask your accountant for the current tax rates and what your receipts must show. Rates change; this article is not tax advice.
• Have your tax registration number ready if you have one.
• Finish adding your location.
• Running in more than one country? Read selling in the US, UAE and Pakistan.

Steps

1. Confirm the currency. Each business has one currency. Check it is right, and set the number and date formats your team reads every day, such as 1,000.00 or 1.000,00, and day/month/year or month/day/year.
2. Add tax rates. In Settings, add each rate you charge. Use a name guests will understand on a receipt, such as “VAT 5%” or “City tax”.
3. Build tax groups. When more than one rate applies, combine them into a tax group. In the US, a group might hold a state rate and a city rate. The receipt shows the combined tax, and the tax report shows each rate.
4. Choose inline or invoice tax. Pick how tax applies:
   • Inline: each item carries its own tax. Use this when food and drinks are taxed differently.
   • Invoice-level: one tax applies to the whole bill.
5. Set prices inclusive or exclusive. Choose how menu prices relate to tax:
   • UAE: VAT is 5% and shown inclusive. The menu price is what the guest pays.
   • Pakistan: sales tax is added on top of the menu price.
   • United States: sales tax is usually added on top, using your state and local rates.
6. Update the receipt layout. For each location, add your tax number to the header or footer. Change the language labels, such as “Tax” or “VAT”, to the words and language your guests read. Print a test receipt and check every total.

Tips from the onboarding team

• Set tax before you import the menu. Your import file uses tax names, so the rates must exist first. See import your menu.
• Run the tax report after day one. Check it against your test receipts before your first filing.
• One layout per location. A Dubai branch and a Karachi branch can print different labels, languages and footers.
• Right-to-left receipts. Arabic and Urdu text prints right to left. Keep header lines short so they fit the paper.
• Do not round by hand. Let the POS calculate tax on each bill.

If something goes wrong

Problem	Fix
Tax is charged twice	The item has its own tax and the invoice also adds tax. Use inline or invoice-level, not both.
UAE receipts add 5% on top	Prices are set as tax-exclusive. Change them to tax-inclusive.
Only one US rate shows on the tax report	The product uses one rate, not the tax group. Link the group instead.
Numbers show with the wrong separators	Change the number format in Settings.
Arabic or Urdu text prints as boxes	Your printer may not support those characters. See hardware and test with a short line.

Related help

• Add a location, registers and receipt layout
• Import your menu from a CSV or spreadsheet
• Change the screen language for each staff member