Configure VAT Category per Product Group

Vendion uses an inheritance-based VAT model: you set the VAT category once per product group (e.g. "Wine", "Starters"), and all products in the group inherit automatically. This saves you massive time – instead of clicking VAT on hundreds of products, you just go through your product groups.

How to do it:

1. Log in as admin
2. Go to Menu (/admin/meny)
3. Click on a product group to edit it
4. Find the dropdown Momskategori (VAT category)
5. Choose the right category (see the table below)
6. Save

The helper text under the dropdown shows automatically which VAT rates will apply, e.g. "VAT calculated as: Dine in 12% · Takeaway 6%" for the category "Food / non-alcoholic drinks".

The five VAT categories

Which category applies to what?

Here's a practical walkthrough of typical restaurant product groups and which VAT category they belong under.

Food / non-alcoholic drinks (12% / 6%)

By far the most common category – most of your product groups belong here. The rule is simple: anything that's food or a non-alcoholic drink on a restaurant menu.

• Starters – Cheese platter, bruschetta, sashimi
• Main courses – Entrecôte, pasta, fish, chicken
• Desserts – Crème brûlée, ice cream, cheesecake
• Sides – Fries, salad, sauce, extra bread
• Non-alcoholic drinks – Coca-Cola, sparkling water, juice, cordial
• Coffee and tea – Espresso, latte, Earl Grey
• Light beer – Light beer under 3.5% ABV legally counts as non-alcoholic drink

Alcoholic drinks (always 25%)

Critical to get right – the wrong category here either costs you money or risks wrong-VAT fines.

• Beer (strong) – All beer over 3.5% ABV
• Wine – Red, white, rosé, sparkling, dessert wine
• Spirits – Whiskey, vodka, gin, rum, tequila, liqueur
• Cocktails – All drinks containing spirits
• Cider over 3.5% – Classified as alcohol
• Shots – Own product group or part of spirits

Other goods 25% (always 25%)

For shop items that aren't food or drink. Also works for rentals, experiences and certain services.

• Merchandise – T-shirts, caps, aprons with the restaurant's logo
• Cookbooks – Adult cookbooks sold with 25% VAT, not 6% like children's books
• Gift cards (at redemption, not at issuance – see separate category)

Other goods 6% (always 6%)

Very rare in restaurants, but if it applies to you:

• Books – Children's books, poetry, some non-fiction
• Newspapers – Do you sell the local paper at the entrance?
• Certain tickets – E.g. theater tickets you resell

VAT-exempt (always 0%)

Used primarily for gift card issuance – under Swedish law (ML chapter 5 § 40), gift cards are VAT-exempt at issuance; VAT is realized at redemption instead.

• Gift card issuance – When you sell a gift card (redemption becomes 12% or 25% depending on what the money is spent on)
• Exchange value from another gift card
• Deposit or down payment that is refunded on cancellation

Step-by-step example: set "Alcoholic drinks" on the product group Wine

1. Go to /admin/meny
2. Click on the product group Wine in the group list
3. Locate the field Momskategori
4. Click the dropdown and select Alkoholdryck (Alcoholic drinks)
5. The helper text changes to "VAT calculated as: always 25%"
6. Click Save
7. All products in the group (House red, Barolo 2018, etc.) now use 25% automatically

Verify that it works

Open one of the products in the group in the admin view. Under the VAT section it should say "Inherit from product group – Alcoholic drinks (25%)". No asterisk means the product follows the group's rule. See the next article if you ever need to make a product-specific deviation.

Common mistakes to avoid

1. Don't forget the drink groups. Default for all new product groups is "Food / non-alcoholic drinks" which is wrong for beer, wine and spirits. Explicitly go through your drink groups.

2. Don't mix light beer and strong beer in the same group. Light beer (<3.5%) legally counts as non-alcoholic drink and should be 12%; strong beer counts as alcohol and should be 25%. If you have both, split into two product groups.

3. Cocktails – if the base is spirits, it's 25%. "Mocktails" (without spirits) belong in "Food / non-alcoholic drinks".

4. Children's menu and add-ons. A kids' menu with burger + Coca-Cola is still food – "Food / non-alcoholic drinks". No special rule for children.

5. Bottles to take home from the restaurant. Yes, it's still alcohol if it's wine/spirits – 25% regardless of whether the guest drinks on-premises or takes home.

When product group level isn't enough?

99% of the time, setting VAT category on the product group is sufficient. But in rare edge cases, a single product may need to deviate – see the article Product-specific VAT category override.