Using Tax Overrides for Multiple Address Checkouts 📦

If your store requires specific tax rules for particular products that can not be calculated automatically based on the values set in your tax settings, or through Giftship’s TaxJar integration, you will need to configure tax overrides in order to handle these special tax rates.

***Please note – this article does not describe how to add tax override rules for single address checkouts.

Some code installation in your theme is required in order to allow for your products tags to be read by Giftship. First, navigate to your product form template in the Shopify Theme editor, by going to Shopify Admin -> Online Store -> “Your Theme Name” -> Actions -> Edit Code, and find your product form template. On the “Debut” Shopify theme, this is found in the Sections -> product-template.liquid file.

Right beneath the opening product form liquid tag, paste the below code:

{% assign tagLength = product.tags | size %}
        
{% if product.tags and tagLength > 0 %}
<input type="hidden" name="properties[_gs_tags]" value="{% for tag in product.tags %}{{ tag }}{% if forloop.last %}{% else %},{% endif %}{% endfor %}"/>
{% endif %}

Now that you have set up your theme to add product tags in a format Giftship can read, you will be able to use one of the following methods to adjust tax rates for your product.

Send additional information to TaxJar by configuring product tax codes.

**This step only applies to accounts who use TaxJar for tax calculation in the United States.

Using the below table of tax codes, you can add additional information about your products, so TaxJar will be able to return more accurate tax rates.

Tag each of your products have a special tax code using the below format, {{product_tax_code}} is replaced by the tax amount.

gs_product_code_{{product_tax_code}}

For example, for food and grocery type products, enter the following:

gs_product_code_40030

Repeat this step for all of your products with unique tax codes

{
  "categories": [
    {
      "name": "Installation Services",
      "product_tax_code": "10040",
      "description": "Installation services separately stated from sales of tangible personal property."
    },
    {
      "name": "General Services",
      "product_tax_code": "19000",
      "description": "Miscellaneous services which are not subject to a service-specific tax levy. This category will only treat services as taxable if the jurisdiction taxes services generally."
    },
    {
      "name": "Advertising Services",
      "product_tax_code": "19001",
      "description": "Services rendered for advertising which do not include the exchange of tangible personal property."
    },
    {
      "name": "Parking Services",
      "product_tax_code": "19002",
      "description": "Service of providing usage of a parking space."
    },
    {
      "name": "Admission Services",
      "product_tax_code": "19003",
      "description": "Admission charges associated with entry to an event."
    },
    {
      "name": "Training Services",
      "product_tax_code": "19004",
      "description": "Services provided to educate users on the proper use of a product."
    },
    {
      "name": "Professional Services",
      "product_tax_code": "19005",
      "description": "Professional services which are not subject to a service-specific tax levy."
    },
    {
      "name": "Dry Cleaning Services",
      "product_tax_code": "19006",
      "description": "Services provided in the cleaning of clothing and/or fabrics."
    },
    {
      "name": "Repair Services",
      "product_tax_code": "19007",
      "description": "Services provided to restore tangible personal property to working order or optimal functionality."
    },
    {
      "name": "Hairdressing Services",
      "product_tax_code": "19008",
      "description": "Services provided to cut and style human hair."
    },
    {
      "name": "Printing Services",
      "product_tax_code": "19009",
      "description": "Services provided to apply graphics and/or text to paper or other substrates which do not involve an exchange of tangible personal property."
    },
    {
      "name": "Clothing",
      "product_tax_code": "20010",
      "description": "All human wearing apparel suitable for general use"
    },
    {
      "name": "Clothing - Swimwear",
      "product_tax_code": "20041",
      "description": "Bathing suits and swim suits"
    },
    {
      "name": "Software as a Service",
      "product_tax_code": "30070",
      "description": "Pre-written software, delivered electronically, but access remotely."
    },
    {
      "name": "Digital Goods",
      "product_tax_code": "31000",
      "description": "Digital products transferred electronically, meaning obtained by the purchaser by means other than tangible storage media."
    },
    {
      "name": "Candy",
      "product_tax_code": "40010",
      "description": "Candy and similar items"
    },
    {
      "name": "Supplements",
      "product_tax_code": "40020",
      "description": "Non-food dietary supplements"
    },
    {
      "name": "Food & Groceries",
      "product_tax_code": "40030",
      "description": "Food for humans consumption, unprepared"
    },
    {
      "name": "Soft Drinks",
      "product_tax_code": "40050",
      "description": "Soft drinks, soda, and other similar beverages. Does not include fruit juices and water."
    },
    {
      "name": "Bottled Water",
      "product_tax_code": "40060",
      "description": "Bottled, drinkable water for human consumption."
    },
    {
      "name": "Prepared Foods",
      "product_tax_code": "41000",
      "description": "Foods intended for on-site consumption. Ex. Restaurant meals."
    },
    {
      "name": "Non-Prescription",
      "product_tax_code": "51010",
      "description": "Drugs for human use without a prescription"
    },
    {
      "name": "Prescription",
      "product_tax_code": "51020",
      "description": "Drugs for human use with a prescription"
    },
    {
      "name": "Books",
      "product_tax_code": "81100",
      "description": "Books, printed"
    },
    {
      "name": "Textbook",
      "product_tax_code": "81110",
      "description": "Textbooks, printed"
    },
    {
      "name": "Religious Books",
      "product_tax_code": "81120",
      "description": "Religious books and manuals, printed"
    },
    {
      "name": "Magazines & Subscriptions",
      "product_tax_code": "81300",
      "description": "Periodicals, printed, sold by subscription"
    },
    {
      "name": "Magazine",
      "product_tax_code": "81310",
      "description": "Periodicals, printed, sold individually"
    }
  ]
}

Set up specific destination based tax rates for a product

To tag the products that require an override using the following format, where {{tax_percentage}} is replaced by the tax amount.

gs_tax_override_{{tax_percentage}}_{{2_letter_country_code}}_{{2_letter_province_code}}

For example, to charge a 10% tax on a product in which tax should be charged in North Carolina, United States, use the following format:

gs_tax_override_10.0_US_NC

Repeat this step for all of the tax rates you need to add on each product. Tax will now be calculated according to this value, assuming that tax would normally be charged at a different rate.