The April 1, 2026 VAT Reform — What It Means for Your Restaurant

The temporary 6% food VAT rate applies from 1 April 2026 through 31 December 2027. It includes takeaway food. Restaurant and catering services remain at 12%. See the Swedish Tax Agency’s announcement.

If you sell both served meals and takeaway, the same product may need different VAT rates. Vendion uses the product group, service mode and variable VAT setting to determine the rate.

Configure variable VAT

1. Open Admin → Bokföring → Moms (Accounting → VAT).
2. Check Aktivera varierad moms. Changes save immediately; wait for confirmation.
3. If the cashier should specify the service mode for every new bill: turn on Fråga om orderformat vid ny nota (ask for order format on new bill) under Admin → Enheter → Kassor (Devices → Registers), the Beteende (Behaviour) tab, section Inslag & nota. The setting applies per register.
4. Open Bokföring → Verifikat & export → Varugrupper and review Typ av varugrupp for each relevant group.
5. In Meny → Produkter → Alla artiklar, check each product’s Varugrupp assignment.

Enabling variable VAT cannot correct an incorrectly assigned product group or service mode. Products inherit their VAT category from the group; the product editor has no separate category override.

How the register uses it

With variable VAT enabled, Mat and Alkoholfri dryck receive 12% when the bill's order format is Äta här (dine in) or Bordsbeställning (table order), and 6% for Ta med (takeaway) or Utkörning (delivery). Alkohol and Övrigt 25 % remain at 25%; Övrigt 6 % remains at 6%; Momsfri is 0%, regardless of service mode.

Check the mode before taking payment. Open the bill menu, the button with the list icon on the bill's tab row (it shows the guest's first name when a guest is linked). Tap the Orderformat (order format) row, select the correct option in Ändra orderformat, then tap Bekräfta (confirm). An authorised user may need to approve the change.

What happens to prices?

Vendion starts from the VAT-inclusive product price. Keeping a price of 149 SEK produces:

The VAT setting does not automatically lower your selling price. Change the product price separately if required.

Classify goods and services correctly

Wine, spirits and strong beer carry 25% VAT. Do not automatically classify light beer and folköl as the alcohol group. Packaged groceries such as spices or chocolate do not become 25% merchandise simply because they are sold in packaging. Consult the Tax Agency’s VAT guidance.

Assess catering separately. Vendion’s normal Utkörning (delivery) mode gives food 6%. For catering that includes serving services, ensure the sales document has the correct VAT before taking payment. Do not choose an inaccurate service mode just to obtain a particular rate. Discuss the arrangement with your accountant and Vendion if the ordinary order flow does not represent the service supplied.

Check before selling

Review a served-food example and a takeaway example in the register before payment. Also check a 25% item and any group for other 6% goods, such as books. After closing the day, reconcile the VAT breakdown with the voucher.

Changing a setting should not recalculate historical receipts. Refunds use the original sale’s VAT. Follow decisions for 2028; the current setting is not a guarantee that every future rule change will be applied automatically.