Markets
VAT for a store in Germany
What Tanqory sets up and charges at checkout for a store based in Germany, and what stays with you. Checked against the product on October 14, 2026.
How your store handles VAT
Each line is what the product does for a store based in Germany. You change any of it in Settings, Taxes.
- When you open your store
Your store starts with a VAT entry for Germany, pre-filled at 19%. It charges nothing until you switch collecting on.
- Shelf prices
Include VAT by default. A buyer in another country with a different rate sees the price re-based to their rate when you choose dynamic display for that market.
- Rates at checkout
Use the rates you set, by country and by region, or connect your own Stripe Tax, TaxJar, or Avalara account and let it work out each rate. If that service cannot answer, checkout falls back to your own rates.
- Business buyers in other EU countries
Checkout charges no VAT when the buyer's VAT number is valid in the EU's VIES register, you have verified their certificate, and you ship from a different EU country. If VIES does not answer, VAT is charged.
- Tax-exempt buyers
Add a buyer's resale or non-profit certificate to their account. Once you verify it and while it is in date, checkout charges them no VAT.
- Digital products
Carry no VAT until you switch on tax for digital goods. Check whether Germany taxes your digital sales before you leave it off.
- Special rates
Set a different rate for a product or a collection, and for shipping by country or region.
VAT in Germany, from the tax authority
Read from the official source on October 14, 2026. Rules change; the source is the authority.
- Tax authority
Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt)
Open the official page- Your tax number
The Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt) issues a VAT identification number (USt-IdNr.) in addition to the business's tax number (Steuernummer).
Open the official page
What stays with you
- Register for VAT when the rules in Germany say you must. The tax authority's page above tells you when.
- File your returns and pay the tax you collected. Tanqory calculates and shows VAT at checkout; it does not file or pay it for you.
- Keep your rates right. You confirm each rate your store charges, or connect a tax service that keeps rates current.
VAT questions for a store in Germany
Does Tanqory file my VAT return?
No. Tanqory calculates VAT at checkout and shows it to the buyer. You register with the tax authority, file your returns and pay what you collected.
Which VAT rate does my store start with?
19%, pre-filled from the standard rate in Germany. Collecting stays off until you switch it on, and you can change the rate or set special rates for products and collections.
Do my prices include VAT?
Yes, by default, because buyers in Germany expect it. You can switch to prices without tax in Settings, Taxes.
Do I charge VAT on digital products?
Your store charges none on digital products until you switch on tax for digital goods in Settings, Taxes. Check the rules in Germany before you leave it off.
Do I charge VAT to a business in another EU country?
Not when their VAT number checks out in VIES, you have verified their certificate, and you ship from a different EU country: checkout leaves VAT off. A business in your own country pays VAT as usual.
How we checked
This page was checked against the product on October 14, 2026. The product facts come from Tanqory's tax settings and checkout code; the country facts come from the official pages below.
- Tanqory's tax settings, checkout tax calculation and store setup
- Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt)