VAT on Takeaway vs. Dine-In

Takeaway and dine-in have different food VAT

During 1 April 2026–31 December 2027, food VAT, including qualifying takeaway food, is 6%. Restaurant and catering services remain at 12%. The classification depends on the food and services the guest receives. Read Skatteverket's boundary guidance.

This makes the order format important in Vendion. A correctly configured food item can receive incorrect VAT if the sale uses the wrong format.

Enable the relevant setting

Open Admin → Bokföring → Moms (Accounting → VAT) and turn on Aktivera varierad moms (enable variable VAT). Food and non-alcoholic beverage VAT then follows the order format.

The switch saves immediately. Check the Sparat (Saved) confirmation. You need permission to manage settings to change it.

You can also ask AI Boss or your own connected AI to turn variable VAT on or off. The AI first shows what will happen and only makes the change after you say yes. The change applies to new order lines. Lines already on open tabs keep their VAT until the format is changed, and existing receipts and Z-reports are not changed. The same permission is required as in Admin.

If you want the cashier to choose a format for every new bill: open Admin → Enheter → Kassor (Devices → Registers), select the register and go to the Beteende (Behaviour) tab, section Inslag & nota (entry and bill). Turn on Fråga om orderformat vid ny nota (ask for order format on new bill). The register then asks Äta här eller ta med? (eat in or take away?) when a new bill starts. The setting applies per register. When the question is off, new bills get the format set in Standard orderformat (default order format).

Also check the product's Varugrupp under Admin → Meny → Produkter → Alla artiklar. Edit the group type under Bokföring → Verifikat & export → Varugrupper. Do not duplicate food products solely to control VAT between dine-in and takeaway.

Choose the format at the POS

The order format is in the bill menu, the button with the list icon on the bill's tab row. When a guest is linked, the button shows the guest's first name instead. Tap the Orderformat (order format) row, which shows the bill's current format. In Ändra orderformat (Change order format), choose the correct option and tap Bekräfta (confirm). An authorized person's PIN may be required if you lack permission to change the format.

The Alcohol and Other 25% groups retain 25%. Other 6% and Exempt retain their rates. Check that the group type is correct for the item sold.

For an open bill, VAT is recalculated when the format changes. Check lines with manually changed VAT classification separately. If the bill is already paid, use your restaurant's correction process; a new format choice does not correct historical records.

Example: the same lunch price, different VAT

A lunch costs SEK 120 including VAT in both cases.

With the central default chart, dine-in uses sales account 3002 and VAT account 2620. Takeaway normally uses 3003 and 2630. A card payment may use 1580. Your chosen chart applies.

A VAT change does not automatically lower the menu price. If the item has its own price in the Ta med (takeaway price incl. VAT) field in the product editor, that price is used when the bill has the format Ta med or Utkörning. If the field is empty, the regular price applies. Check both the amount the guest should pay and the VAT breakdown.

Delivery and catering

Food delivered without sufficient serving services may be a food supply. Catering with table setting, serving or similar services may be a catering service at 12%. Choosing Utkörning (delivery) for every off-site assignment is therefore insufficient. Establish what is actually sold and record it with the correct VAT.

Platform charges, transport supplied by another company or separately sold disposable items need their own assessment. Skatteverket's page above describes these boundaries. Vendion does not determine an agreement's legal contents from the name of a payment method.

Mixed dine-in and takeaway

If a guest eats at the café and also buys an item to take away, the components may need different VAT. One format for the whole order does not automatically describe both. Use separate bills with the correct format for each sale, or a controlled process for the affected line's VAT with an authorized manager.

Check the result

1. Check the group type and that variable VAT is active.
2. Check the actual bill's format before payment.
3. Check VAT per rate on the receipt.
4. Compare with Bokföring → Dagsavslut → X/Z-rapporter and the period's vouchers.

Do not assume takeaway and dine-in always have the same VAT. Review the current rules when the temporary period changes or ends.