How to Modify Taxes – Mashgin Support Articles

⚖️ Overview

Tax rules determine how sales tax is calculated and applied at checkout. You can create and manage taxes directly in Creator under Menu Details > Taxes. Use this guide to:

Add a new tax rule to your menu

Edit or remove an existing tax

Assign taxes to specific items, tags, or your entire menu

What you'll need:

Access to creator.mashgin.com

The tax name, rate (percentage), and which items it applies to

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Taxes apply after fees and discounts. If a tax should only apply to certain items, make sure those items are tagged in Creator before setting up the tax rule.

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Tip: Tax names appear on your End-of-Day (EOD) reports — use clear names like "State Sales Tax" or "Sweetened Beverage Tax" so they're easy to identify later.

🔍 Tax Configuration Options

Mashgin supports multiple tax configurations. Common options include:

Single rate — One tax percentage applied to all items

Item-specific taxes — Tax only certain items using item tags

Dine-in vs. take-out — Different rates depending on order type

Inclusive taxes — Tax already built into the item's listed price

Time-based taxes — Taxes that activate or expire at a set date and time

Price range taxes — Apply tax only above or below a price threshold

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Real-world examples:

Ohio requires a special tax on sweetened beverages

Texas does not tax water

Some Canadian provinces have dine-in/take-out and basket-size rules

If your location has special tax requirements, these can all be configured in Creator.

📋 How to Add or Edit a Tax

Step 1. Log in to Creator and open Taxes

Go to creator.mashgin.com and log in

Select your location from the top of the screen (if you manage multiple locations)

In the left sidebar, click "TAXES"

You'll see a list of any existing tax rules for your location

Step 2. Add a new tax (or open an existing one to edit)

To add a new tax:

Click "ADD TAX" in the top right corner

A creation panel will open on the right side of the screen

To edit an existing tax:

Click on the tax name in the list

The same panel will open with the current settings pre-filled

Step 3. Fill in the tax details

Fill in the following fields in the tax panel:

Tax Name: Give your tax a clear, descriptive name. This name will appear on receipts and reports.

Tax Rate: Enter the tax percentage to charge (e.g., 8.5 for 8.5%).

Inclusive: (optional) Toggle this on if the tax is already built into the item's listed price and should not be added on top at checkout.

Order Type: (optional) If your location has different tax rules for dine-in vs. take-out, select the applicable order type.

Step 4. Assign items or tags

Choose which items the tax applies to:

Search by item name — type to find and select specific items individually

Search by tag — type to find a tag and apply the tax to all items with that tag

Leave blank — the tax will apply to every item in your menu

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If a tax should only apply to certain items, use a tag. When new items are added to that tag later, the tax will automatically apply to them too — no need to update the rule.

Step 5. Set a schedule (optional)

Taxes can be turned on or off automatically using schedules:

Scheduled Start Date / End Date — the tax will only be active during this date range

Daily Active Times — the tax turns on at the same time every day

Leave these blank if the tax should always be active.

Step 6. Save and sync

Click "Save" or "Confirm" at the bottom of the panel

Your changes will sync to the kiosk automatically — no manual sync needed

To verify the tax is working, run a test transaction on the kiosk and confirm the correct tax amount appears at checkout

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Tax is not showing up at checkout

Issue: A tax isn't appearing on the kiosk or on transactions.

Fix:

Check the start and end dates — the tax may have expired or hasn't started yet

If the tax targets specific items by tag, open one of those items and confirm the correct tag is applied

Contact Mashgin Support if the tax appears correct in Creator but still isn't showing on the kiosk

Tax is applying to the wrong items

Issue: A tax is charging on items it shouldn't, or skipping items it should cover.

Fix:

Open the tax in Creator and check which items or tags are assigned

Open the affected items and confirm their tags — items that should be taxed need the correct tag, items that shouldn't must not have it

Update tags as needed and save — changes will sync automatically

Tax is not showing correctly on receipts

Issue: A tax is being charged but isn't displaying as expected on printed or emailed receipts.

Fix:

Check if the tax is set to Inclusive in Creator — inclusive taxes are built into the item price and may display differently on receipts

If the display still looks wrong, contact Mashgin Support with a description and a sample receipt if possible

🔗 Related Articles

Creator Discount Types

How do I create a discount?

What is Creator?

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Need help? Contact support at 📧 help@mashgin.com or call (855) 475-0889