Per-Line VAT Override in the POS

This feature is designed for rare edge cases where a specific line on a concrete order should be VAT-taxed differently than the product is normally categorized. It's not intended for daily use – if you use it often on the same product, make a product or product-group change instead (see articles 81 and 82).

What is per-line override?

Normally, VAT on a line in the POS is calculated automatically by Vendion based on:

1. The product's VAT category (from product group or product override)
2. Order format (Dine in / Takeaway etc.)

Per-line override lets you manually switch VAT category on the specific line in the cart without touching the product or product group. It's a one-time override living on just that order.

When is it right to use?

Real examples where per-line override is the right solution:

Example 1: Catering order for a company with special VAT rule A company orders a catering order via the POS (not via the catering system). One of the products is a bottle of non-alcoholic cider normally categorized as "Food / non-alcoholic drinks" (12%/6%). Per the customer agreement with the company, all lines should be invoiced at 25% (pure product sale without restaurant service). Per-line override on that line: "Other goods 25%".

Example 2: Company invoice where their accounting department wants uniform VAT Large company with complex chart of accounts asks you to invoice their entire booking order at 25% to simplify their bookkeeping (agreement between you and the company, not tax agency rules). You override VAT per line on that specific order.

Example 3: Wrong VAT sneaked back after a unique incident A product was accidentally miscategorized during a period, and the customer who ordered then got wrong VAT. During a later compensation or adjustment, you need to manually set the right VAT on a single line that matches the historical error – without touching the product or product group that is now corrected.

Example 4: Delivery fee invoiced separately with different VAT Some delivery fees should be invoiced with 25% even if the food is 6%. If your product "Delivery fee" is in a group with different default VAT, you can set per-line override on just the delivery fee line.

How to set an override per line

1. Stand in the bill view in POS with an open line
2. Long-press (press and hold) on the line – or right-click on a right-click-enabled screen
3. A context menu opens
4. Choose Ändra momskategori (Change VAT category)
5. Dialog opens with:
   • Current VAT category and resulting VAT rate
   • Dropdown with the five categories
   • Mandatory field Anledning (Reason – free text)
6. Choose the new category
7. Fill in the reason – e.g. "Catering order corporate invoice – agreement with customer"
8. Click Bekräfta (Confirm)

The line updates immediately in the cart with new VAT. Total is recalculated.

Mandatory reason

The Reason field is not optional – the dialog won't let you proceed without writing something. This is deliberate. Every manual override must have a motivation in the log so that:

• Your auditor can see why VAT deviated
• Skatteverket during spot checks sees there was business logic behind it
• Future admins aren't confused by strange lines in the history

Be specific. "Catering" isn't enough. "Catering order for Volvo AB, agreed 25% per quote 2026-04-15" is good.

Requires permission

Per-line override is gated behind the permission "Change VAT category per line". Default on new permission groups is OFF – admin must explicitly enable per group.

Recommended setup:

• Junior cashier – Off (shouldn't touch VAT)
• Senior cashier – Off (no edge cases in normal operation)
• Shift leader – On (can solve edge cases without bothering the manager)
• Admin/Manager – On (full control)

Adjust per your routines. The key is fewer should have access – it's an edge-case feature, not a daily-routine feature.

Marking of overridden lines

Lines with an active per-line override are marked in several places:

Does it appear on the guest's receipt?

No. The guest only sees the final price and VAT rate on the line (e.g. "25%") – but not that VAT was manually overridden or what reason was logged. The receipt is unchanged in layout and guests aren't confused by internal administration.

The order format, however, appears at the top of the receipt (as usual after enabling variable VAT), to give Skatteverket a transparent trail.

Audit and traceability

Every per-line override is logged with:

• Date and time
• Staff ID who made the change
• Original VAT category and VAT
• New VAT category and VAT
• Reason (free text)
• Order ID and line ID

During an audit, you can filter out all override lines for a period and show the justification for each. It's a key feature for maintaining fiscal integrity – Skatteverket sees that there's traceability.

What does the override NOT affect?

1. The product is not changed – the rest of your menu is unaffected
2. The product group is not changed – other lines in the group continue inheriting as usual
3. Other orders are not affected – the override lives only on the specific line where it was made
4. Kitchen tickets are not affected – the kitchen cooks the same food regardless of VAT

What happens if order format changes later?

Manually overridden lines are preserved – their VAT isn't recalculated when order format switches. See the article Change order format mid-order for detailed behavior.

Summary: when should I use it?

Only when:

1. There's a real business rationale for this specific order (not a recurring pattern)
2. A change at product or group level wouldn't solve it more cleanly
3. You can document the reason with concrete text
4. You have the permission

If you notice you're making the same override often on the same product – make a product-specific deviation instead. If you're doing it often on products in the same group – consider splitting the group. Per-line override is the last tool in the toolbox, not the first.