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Collect taxes

Use Stripe Tax APIs to implement tax calculations in your custom integration.

Stripe Tax APIs enable you to calculate tax in custom payment flows. After your customer completes their payment, record the transaction so it appears in Stripe Tax reporting. The examples in this guide use Stripe payments APIs, but you can use the Tax API with any payment processor, or multiple payment processors.

For most integrations, we recommend using the Checkout Sessions API with Stripe Tax.

Alternatively, you can integrate Stripe Tax with Payment Links, Checkout, Billing, and Invoicing with no or low code setups.

Stripe Tax APIs enable you to calculate tax in custom payment flows. After your customer completes their payment, record the transaction so it appears in Stripe Tax reporting. The examples in this guide use Stripe payments APIs, but you can use the Tax API with any payment processor, or multiple payment processors.

If your custom payment flow uses the Payment Intents API, see Calculate tax in your custom payment flows. This integration offers automatic liability tracking, receipts and Dashboard support.

Alternatively, you can integrate Stripe Tax with Payment Links, Checkout, Billing, and Invoicing with no or low code setups.

Get started

This short video walks through a Stripe Tax API integration that uses the Payment Intents API and the Payment Element.

Loading video content...

Add registrations

Stripe Tax only calculates tax in jurisdictions where you’re registered to collect tax. You must add your registrations in the Dashboard.

Calculate tax
Server-side

You choose when and how often to calculate tax. For example, you can:

  • Show a tax estimate based on your customer’s IP address when they enter your checkout flow
  • Recalculate tax as your customer types their billing or shipping address
  • Calculate the final tax amount to collect when your customer finishes typing their address

Stripe charges a fee per tax calculation API call. You can throttle tax calculation API calls to manage your costs.

The examples below show how to calculate tax in a variety of scenarios. Stripe Tax only calculates tax in jurisdictions where you’re registered to collect tax. You must add your registrations in the Dashboard.

This example calculates tax for a US shipping address. The line item has a price of 10 USD and uses your account’s preset tax code.

Command Line
cURL
Stripe CLI
Ruby
Python
PHP
Java
Node.js
Go
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curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/tax/calculations \
  -u "
sk_test_BQokikJOvBiI2HlWgH4olfQ2
:" \
  -d currency=usd \
  -d "line_items[0][amount]"=1000 \
  -d "line_items[0][reference]"=L1 \
  -d "customer_details[address][line1]"="920 5th Ave" \
  -d "customer_details[address][city]"=Seattle \
  -d "customer_details[address][state]"=WA \
  -d "customer_details[address][postal_code]"=98104 \
  -d "customer_details[address][country]"=US \
  -d "customer_details[address_source]"=shipping

The calculation response contains amounts you can display to your customer, and use to take payment:

Attribute Description
amount_total The grand total after calculating tax. Use this to set the PaymentIntent amount to charge your customer.
tax_amount_exclusive The amount of tax added on top of your line item amounts and shipping cost. This tax amount increases the amount_total. Use this to show your customer the amount of tax added to the transaction subtotal.
tax_amount_inclusive The amount of tax that’s included in your line item amounts and shipping cost (if using tax-inclusive pricing). This tax amount doesn’t increase the amount_total. Use this to show your customer the tax included in the total they’re paying.
tax_breakdown A list of tax amounts broken out by country or state tax rate. Use this to show your customer the specific taxes you’re collecting.

Handle customer location errors

The calculation returns the customer_tax_location_invalid error code, if your customer’s address is invalid or isn’t precise enough to calculate tax:


{
  "error": {
    "doc_url": "https://docs.stripe.com/error-codes#customer-tax-location-invalid",
    "code": "customer_tax_location_invalid",
    "message": "We could not determine the customer's tax location based on the provided customer address.",
    "param": "customer_details[address]",
    "type": "invalid_request_error"
  }
}

If you receive this error, prompt your customer to check the address they entered and fix any typos.

Use calculation with another processor

If you process transactions outside of Stripe, you can skip the following steps and apply the calculation to your externally-processed transactions.

Create tax transaction
Server-side

Creating a tax transaction records the tax you’ve collected from your customer, so that later you can download exports and generate reports to help with filing your taxes. You can create a transaction from a calculation until the expires_at timestamp, 90 days after it’s created. Attempting to use it after this time returns an error.

Note

The transaction is considered effective on the date when create_from_calculation is called, and tax amounts won’t be recalculated.

When creating a tax transaction, you must provide a unique reference for the tax transaction and each line item. The references appear in tax exports to help you reconcile the tax you collected with the orders in your system.

For example, a tax transaction with reference pi_123456789, line item references L1 and L2, and a shipping cost, looks like this in the itemized tax exports:

ID line_item_id type currency transaction_date
pi_123456789 L1 external usd 2023-02-23 17:01:16
pi_123456789 L2 external usd 2023-02-23 17:01:16
pi_123456789 shipping external usd 2023-02-23 17:01:16

When your customer pays, use the calculation ID to record the tax collected. You can do this in two ways:

  • If your server has an endpoint where your customer submits their order, you can create the tax transaction after the order is successfully submitted.
  • Listen for the payment_intent.succeeded webhook event. Retrieve the calculation ID from the PaymentIntent metadata.

The example below creates a transaction and uses the PaymentIntent ID as the unique reference:

Command Line
cURL
Stripe CLI
Ruby
Python
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Java
Node.js
Go
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curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/tax/transactions/create_from_calculation \
  -u "
sk_test_BQokikJOvBiI2HlWgH4olfQ2
:" \
  -d calculation={{TAX_CALCULATION}} \
  -d reference=
"{{PAYMENT_INTENT_ID}}"
 \
  -d "expand[]"=line_items

Store the tax transaction ID to record refunds later. You can store the transaction ID in your database or in the PaymentIntent’s metadata:

Command Line
cURL
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Ruby
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curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/payment_intents/
{{PAYMENT_INTENT_ID}}
 \
  -u "
sk_test_BQokikJOvBiI2HlWgH4olfQ2
:" \
  -d "metadata[tax_transaction]"={{TAX_TRANSACTION}}

Record refunds
Server-side

After creating a tax transaction to record a sale to your customer, you might need to record refunds. These are also represented as tax transactions, with type=reversal. Reversal transactions offset an earlier transaction by having amounts with opposite signs. For example, a transaction that recorded a sale for 50 USD might later have a full reversal of -50 USD.

When you issue a refund (using Stripe or outside of Stripe), you must create a reversal tax transaction with a unique reference. Common strategies include:

  • Append a suffix to the original reference. For example, if the original transaction has reference pi_123456789, then create the reversal transaction with reference pi_123456789-refund.
  • Use the ID of the Stripe refund or a refund ID from your system. For example, re_3MoslRBUZ691iUZ41bsYVkOg or myRefund_456.

Choose the approach that works best for how you reconcile your customer orders with your tax exports.

Fully refund a sale

When you fully refund a sale in your system, create a reversal transaction with mode=full.

In the example below, tax_1MEFAAI6rIcR421eB1YOzACZ is the tax transaction that records the sale to your customer:

Command Line
cURL
Stripe CLI
Ruby
Python
PHP
Java
Node.js
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No results

curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/tax/transactions/create_reversal \
  -u "
sk_test_BQokikJOvBiI2HlWgH4olfQ2
:" \
  -d mode=full \
  -d original_transaction=tax_1MEFAAI6rIcR421eB1YOzACZ \
  -d reference=pi_123456789-cancel \
  -d "expand[]"=line_items

This returns the full reversal transaction that’s created:


{
  "id": "tax_1MEFtXI6rIcR421e0KTGXvCK",
  "object": "tax.transaction",
  "created": 1670866467,
  "currency": "eur",
  "customer": null,
  "customer_details": {
    "address": {
      "city": null,
      "country": "IE",

Fully reversing a transaction doesn’t affect previous partial reversals. When you record a full reversal, make sure you fully reverse any previous partial reversals for the same transaction to avoid duplicate refunds.

Partially refund a sale

After issuing a refund to your customer, create a reversal tax transaction with mode=partial. This allows you to record a partial refund by providing the line item amounts refunded. You can create up to 30 partial reversals for each sale. Reversing more than the amount of tax you collected returns an error.

The example below records a refund of only the first line item in the original transaction:

Command Line
cURL
Stripe CLI
Ruby
Python
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Java
Node.js
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No results

curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/tax/transactions/create_reversal \
  -u "
sk_test_BQokikJOvBiI2HlWgH4olfQ2
:" \
  -d mode=partial \
  -d original_transaction=tax_1MEFAAI6rIcR421eB1YOzACZ \
  -d reference=pi_123456789-refund_1 \
  -d "line_items[0][original_line_item]"=tax_li_MyBXPByrSUwm6r \
  -d "line_items[0][reference]"=L1 \
  -d "line_items[0][amount]"=-4999 \
  -d "line_items[0][amount_tax]"=-1150 \
  -d "metadata[refund]"=
"{{REFUND_ID}}"
 \
  --data-urlencode "metadata[refund_reason]"="Refunded line 1 of pi_123456789 (customer was unhappy)" \
  -d "expand[0]"=line_items

This returns the partial reversal transaction that’s created:


{
  "id": "tax_1MEFACI6rIcR421eHrjXCSmD",
  "object": "tax.transaction",
  "created": 1670863656,
  "currency": "eur",
  ...
  "line_items": {
    "object": "list",
    "data": [
      {

For each line item reversed, you must provide the amount and amount_tax reversed. The amount is tax-inclusive if the original calculation line item was tax-inclusive.

How amount and amount_tax are determined depends on your situation:

  • If your transactions always have a single line item, use full reversals instead.
  • If you always refund entire line items, use the original transaction line item amount and amount_tax, but with negative signs.
  • If you refund parts of line items, you must calculate the amounts refunded. For example, for a sale transaction with amount=5000 and amount_tax=500, after refunding half the line item, you create a partial reversal with line item amount=-2500 and amount_tax=-250.

Tax reports with partial refunds

If you refund a tax amount such that the total tax is no longer proportional to the subtotal, your tax reporting can be unreliable. It won’t automatically adjust the taxable and nontaxable amounts, and won’t reflect the reason for the tax reversal (such as product exempt, customer exempt, or reverse charge). We recommend not refunding partial line item tax amounts. Instead, void the transaction and create a new one with appropriate inputs for an accurate tax calculation.

Partially refund a sale by a flat amount

Alternatively, you can create a reversal with mode=partial by specifying a flat after-tax amount to refund. The amount distributes across each line item and shipping cost proportionally, depending on the remaining amount left to refund on each.

In the example below, the transaction has two line items: one 10 USD item and one 20 USD item, both taxed at 10%. The total amount of the transaction is 33.00 USD. A refund for a flat 16.50 USD is recorded:

Command Line
cURL
Stripe CLI
Ruby
Python
PHP
Java
Node.js
Go
.NET
No results

curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/tax/transactions/create_reversal \
  -u "
sk_test_BQokikJOvBiI2HlWgH4olfQ2
:" \
  -d mode=partial \
  -d original_transaction=tax_1NVcKqBUZ691iUZ4xMZtcGYt \
  -d reference=pi_234567890-refund_1 \
  -d flat_amount=-1650 \
  -d "metadata[refund]"=
"{{REFUND_ID}}"
 \
  --data-urlencode "metadata[refund_reason]"="Refunded $16.50 of pi_234567890 (customer was unhappy)" \
  -d "expand[]"=line_items

This returns the partial reversal transaction that’s created:


{
  "id": "tax_1NVcQYBUZ691iUZ4SBPukGa6",
  "object": "tax.transaction",
  "created": 1689780994,
  "currency": "usd",
  ...
  "line_items": {
    "object": "list",
    "data": [
      {

For each line item and shipping cost in the original transaction, the refunded amounts and tax are calculated as follows:

  1. First, we calculate the total remaining funds in the transaction available to refund. Because this transaction hasn’t had any other reversals recorded, the total amount is 33.00 USD.
  2. Next, we calculate the total amount to refund for each line item. We base this calculation on the proportion of the item’s total available amount to refund versus the total remaining amount of the transaction. For example, the 10 USD item, which has 11.00 USD total remaining to refund, represents 33.33% of the transaction’s remaining total, so the total amount to refund is -16.50 USD * 33.33% = -5.50 USD.
  3. Finally, the total amount to refund is divided between amount and amount_tax. We also do this proportionally, depending on how much tax is available to refund in the line item compared to the total funds left to refund. Using the 10 USD item example, tax (1.00 USD) represents 9.09% of the total remaining to refund (11.00 USD), so the amount_tax is -5.50 USD * 9.09% = -0.50 USD.

The flat amount distributes according to what’s left to refund in the transaction, not what was originally recorded. For example, instead of recording a refund for a flat 16.50 USD, you first record a partial reversal for the total amount of the 10 USD item:

Command Line
cURL
Stripe CLI
Ruby
Python
PHP
Java
Node.js
Go
.NET
No results

curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/tax/transactions/create_reversal \
  -u "
sk_test_BQokikJOvBiI2HlWgH4olfQ2
:" \
  -d mode=partial \
  -d original_transaction=tax_1NVcKqBUZ691iUZ4xMZtcGYt \
  -d reference=pi_234567890-refund_1 \
  -d "line_items[0][original_line_item]"=tax_li_OICmRXkFuWr8Df \
  -d "line_items[0][reference]"=partial_refund_l1 \
  -d "line_items[0][amount]"=-1000 \
  -d "line_items[0][amount_tax]"=-100 \
  -d "metadata[refund]"=
"{{REFUND_ID}}"
 \
  --data-urlencode "metadata[refund_reason]"="Refunded line 1 of pi_234567890 (customer was unhappy)" \
  -d "expand[0]"=line_items

After this, you record a 16.50 USD flat amount reversal:

Command Line
cURL
Stripe CLI
Ruby
Python
PHP
Java
Node.js
Go
.NET
No results

curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/tax/transactions/create_reversal \
  -u "
sk_test_BQokikJOvBiI2HlWgH4olfQ2
:" \
  -d mode=partial \
  -d original_transaction=tax_1NVcKqBUZ691iUZ4xMZtcGYt \
  -d reference=pi_234567890-refund_2 \
  -d flat_amount=-1650 \
  -d "metadata[refund]"=
"{{REFUND_ID}}"
 \
  --data-urlencode "metadata[refund_reason]"="Refunded $16.50 of pi_234567890 (customer was still unhappy)" \
  -d "expand[]"=line_items

This returns the partial reversal transaction:


{
  "id": "tax_1NVxFIBUZ691iUZ4saOIloxB",
  "object": "tax.transaction",
  "created": 1689861020,
  "currency": "usd",
  ...
  "line_items": {
    "object": "list",
    "data": [
      {

Because the total amount remaining in the transaction is now 22.00 USD and the 10 USD item is completely refunded, the 16.50 USD distributes entirely to the 20 USD item. The 16.50 USD then distributes, using the logic from step 3, into amount = -15.00 USD and amount_tax = -1.50 USD. Meanwhile, the 10 USD item in the transaction records a refund of 0 USD.

Undo a partial refund

Tax transactions are immutable, but you can cancel a partial refund by creating a full reversal.

You might need to do this when:

  • The payment refund fails and you haven’t provided the good or service to your customer
  • The wrong order is refunded or the wrong amounts are refunded
  • The original sale is fully refunded and the partial refunds are no longer valid

In the example below, tax_1MEFACI6rIcR421eHrjXCSmD is the transaction that represents the partial refund:

Command Line
cURL
Stripe CLI
Ruby
Python
PHP
Java
Node.js
Go
.NET
No results

curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/tax/transactions/create_reversal \
  -u "
sk_test_BQokikJOvBiI2HlWgH4olfQ2
:" \
  -d mode=full \
  -d original_transaction=tax_1MEFACI6rIcR421eHrjXCSmD \
  -d reference=pi_123456789-refund_1-cancel \
  -d "metadata[refund_reason]"="User called to cancel because they selected the wrong item" \
  -d "expand[]"=line_items

This returns the full reversal transaction that’s created:


{
  "id": "tax_1MEFADI6rIcR421e94fNTOCK",
  "object": "tax.transaction",
  "created": 1670863657,
  "currency": "eur",
  ...
  "line_items": {
    "object": "list",
    "data": [
      {

Testing

Use sandboxes, which is identical in response structure to live mode, to confirm your integration works correctly before going live.

Warning

In testing environments, calculations aren’t guaranteed to return up-to-date taxation results. You’re limited to 1,000 tax calculations per day. If you need a higher limit, contact Stripe support. For guidance on automated testing and strategies to avoid rate limits in testing environments, see Automated testing.

View tax transactions

You can view all tax transactions for your account on the Tax Transactions page in the Dashboard. Click an individual transaction to see a detailed breakdown of calculated tax by jurisdiction, and by the individual products included in the transaction.

Note

The Tax Transactions page only includes transactions and not calculations. If you expect to see a calculation and can’t find it on this page, verify that you successfully created a tax transaction from the calculation.

See also

Proxying: stripe.com/en-ch/docs/tax/custom ✕