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DaveSW 15 Master Poster

I've spent days tearing my hair out and searching the web! Why? Simply because google checkout has little regard for UK VAT...

After much searching I reached the stage where I could display the line '(VAT included £0.00)' on the sandbox checkout page, but I couldn't change the amount!

The answer is simple. Complete the integration to the full checkout, and the number will be calculated... It appears they just couldn't be bothered to do the maths in the sandbox version!

So, if you're having trouble with Google Checkout and VAT, don't worry about it, just set up the proper account and go with it.

Here's the code I used:

<input type="hidden" name="checkout-flow-support.merchant-checkout-flow-support.shipping-methods.flat-rate-shipping-1.name" value="Courier">
    <input type="hidden" name="checkout-flow-support.merchant-checkout-flow-support.shipping-methods.flat-rate-shipping-1.price" value="5"> 
    <input type="hidden" name="checkout-flow-support.merchant-checkout-flow-support.shipping-methods.flat-rate-shipping-1.price.currency" value="GBP"> 
    <input type="hidden" name="checkout-flow-support.merchant-checkout-flow-support.shipping-methods.flat-rate-shipping-1.shipping-restrictions.allowed-areas.postal-area-1.country-code" value="GB"> 
    <input type="hidden" name="checkout-flow-support.merchant-checkout-flow-support.shipping-methods.flat-rate-shipping-1.shipping-restrictions.allowed-areas.postal-area-2.country-code" value="IE"> 
 
    <input type="hidden" name="checkout-flow-support.merchant-checkout-flow-support.tax-tables.default-tax-table.tax-rules.default-tax-rule-1.rate" value="0.175"> 
    <input type="hidden" name="checkout-flow-support.merchant-checkout-flow-support.tax-tables.default-tax-table.tax-rules.default-tax-rule-1.tax-area.postal-area.country-code" value="GB">
 
    <input type="hidden" name="_charset_"/>

Hopefully this entry will appear in google soon to save people like myself going prematurely bald...

Dave

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Dani AI

Generated

Good catch, — that behavior confused a lot of people. The sandbox view does not always run the live, server-side tax calculation; it can show the VAT line as a placeholder and not compute the final amount until the real checkout is invoked. That is why a completed, live checkout can show the correct VAT while the sandbox looks wrong.

Practical checklist to verify VAT works when you move to live:

  • Confirm merchant settings and tax rules are configured so they apply to the buyer location and to shipping when appropriate.
  • Ensure the tax-rule scope and format match what the payment system expects (rates are commonly expressed as a fraction rather than a percent).
  • Make a low-value live order (or use the gateway's recommended live-test method) with a UK address and inspect the order summary in the merchant console or the order notification to see the computed tax.
  • If VAT is still zero in live, check for buyer-side exemptions (VAT IDs or business classification), currency mismatches, or promotions/adjustments that can override taxes.
  • If the gateway provides an order breakdown or API notification, use that to verify which rule produced the tax and why any rule did not match.

Troubleshooting notes: sandbox quirks are common across providers, so always confirm with a final-order test rather than relying entirely on the preview. If tax still fails in production, compare the live order record to the tax-rule definitions (country scope, whether shipping is taxable, and any exclusions). If the environment is historic (this thread is from 2007), check current Google/merchant payment documentation or the payment provider in use today, since product behavior and testing tools have changed since then.

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