Tax Calculation (VAT/GST)
What it does
Calculate VAT, GST, and sales tax for 240 countries and territories. POTAL covers standard rates, reduced rates, zero-rated goods, and exempt categories. For the US, it supports ZIP-level sales tax with state, county, city, and special district rates. For the EU, it includes IOSS support for imports under EUR 150.
Required Fields for 100% Accuracy
1 required / 5 total| Field | Type | Required |
|---|---|---|
price | number | ! |
destinationCountry | string | opt |
origin | string | opt |
productName | string | opt |
zipcode | string | opt |
Tips for Best Accuracy
- ✓For US destinations, always include zipcode — state + county + city + special rates all vary
- ✓For EU destinations, product category affects VAT rate (reduced rates for food, books, etc.)
- ✓Including origin enables de minimis and IOSS threshold checks
Common Mistakes
- ✗Not providing zipcode for US — state-level rate alone can be off by 2-4%
- ✗Confusing VAT-inclusive vs exclusive pricing — POTAL calculates tax on the declared price
How to use it
Specify the destination
Provide the destination country code. For US, you can also add a ZIP code for precise local tax.
Include product details
Product category affects tax rates — some goods are zero-rated or exempt (groceries, medicine, etc.).
Call the calculate endpoint
The tax portion of the landed cost response includes VAT/GST rates and calculated amounts.
Handle special cases
Check for de minimis thresholds, IOSS eligibility, and tax exemptions in the response.
API Reference
/api/v1/calculate{
"productName": "Wireless headphones",
"price": 79.99,
"origin": "CN",
"destinationCountry": "DE"
}{
"totalLandedCost": 107.63,
"breakdown": {
"productCost": 79.99,
"shippingCost": 0,
"duty": 2.8,
"tax": 15.72,
"insurance": 0.12,
"total": 107.63
}
}curl -X POST https://potal.app/api/v1/calculate \
-H "X-API-Key: pk_live_your_key" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"productName":"Wireless headphones","price":79.99,"origin":"CN","destinationCountry":"DE"}'Related Features
Get the full import cost including duties, taxes, fees, and shipping
ZIP-level US sales tax with nexus rules and marketplace facilitator
EU Import One-Stop Shop VAT collection and reporting
Manage and apply tax exemption certificates per jurisdiction
Apply DST rates for digital goods and services across jurisdictions