Fees and deposits

Some charges are not taxes, but customers still pay them on top of the product price. The most common example is a container deposit: a small amount charged on each bottle or can, which customers get back when they return the empty container.

In Jumpseller these charges are called fees. A fee:

• Is charged per unit of the products it applies to, as a fixed amount or as a percentage of the price.
• Shows on its own line, apart from the taxes, in the cart, checkout, order confirmation, emails and order details.
• Is added to the order total, but not to the taxes: no tax is calculated on it.

Today the available kind of fee is the deposit. Use it for container deposits and for any other per-unit charge that is not a tax.

Deposit return schemes around the world

Many countries and regions require shops to charge a deposit on drink containers. Some examples:

Rules change often and depend on where you sell. Check with the scheme in your country, or with your accountant, which products must carry a deposit and how much.

How to set up a fee

Fees are set up in the same place as taxes.

1. Group the products that carry the fee in a category, for example “Drinks with deposit”. If the fee applies to every product, you can skip this step.

2. In the admin panel, go to Settings > Taxes and click Create Tax.

3. In Type, choose the category with the products, or All Products.

4. In Tax, enter the amount and choose:
   • a fixed amount, charged per unit (for example 0.10 per bottle); or
   • a percentage, calculated on the unit price before taxes and after discounts.

5. In Name, write the name customers will see on the order line, for example “Deposit”.

6. In Charged as, choose Deposit.

7. In Zone, choose where the fee applies: a country, a region or a municipality. Choose Rest of the World to charge it everywhere else.

8. Click Save.

If the products are in several categories, create one fee for each category.

Note: Charged as is not available for shipping taxes. A fee always applies to products.

How fees are calculated

• Per unit: a fee of 0.10 on an order with 6 cans adds 0.60.
• Apart from taxes: the fee is not included in the order taxes and no tax is added to it. It is added to the order total.
• Once per product: if a product is in several categories with a deposit, it pays one deposit per unit. Jumpseller uses the rule with the most specific zone (municipality, then region, then country), then the one for a category over the one for all products.
• Bundles: the deposit is calculated on the products inside the bundle, not on the bundle itself.
• Gift cards never pay fees.
• Customer address: fees follow the shipping or billing address, like taxes. If the customer changes to an address outside the zone, the fee is removed from the order.

Where fees are shown

All payment methods charge the order total, fees included. If you issue invoices with an invoicing app, check with it how the fee line is invoiced.

In your theme and emails

If you customized your theme or your email templates, use order.fees to show the fees:

{% for fee in order.fees %}
  {{ fee.name }}: {{ fee.amount | price }}
{% endfor %}

Frequently asked questions

Is a deposit a tax?

No. It is an amount customers get back when they return the container. That is why Jumpseller shows it apart from the taxes, even though you set it up in Settings > Taxes.

Can I charge VAT on a fee?

Not at the moment: fees are added to the total without tax. If the charge must carry VAT, set it up as a regular tax or include it in the product price.

Can I use fees for something other than deposits?

Yes. Any per-unit charge that is not a tax and that you want to show on its own line can be set up as a fee, with the name you want customers to see.

If you have any questions, you can always contact us.