The context-dependent VAT rate in Hummerce automatically selects the tax rate based on the customer's situation - their tax residency, the store view they're buying in, or the delivery country - instead of one rate for everyone. This lets a store that also sells abroad show and charge VAT according to the rules chosen for a given market, without running a separate store for each country.
As of Hummerce 2.27, updated 2026-09-29.
¶ Benefits and use cases
- A different VAT rate for domestic and foreign customers - without setting up a separate store or a separate product catalog.
- VAT rate depending on the store view - useful with a view run for another country or sales channel.
- VAT rate depending on the delivery country - regardless of where the customer logs in from.
- A separate rate for selected products in a given context - e.g. products that have a different reduced rate abroad than in Poland.
- Each VAT rate (Configuration -> Tax group) can have, besides the default rate, a separate value for National Tax Residence (VAT) and Foreign tax residence (VAT). When a given context has no value of its own, the default rate applies.
- Which context decides the rate - the customer's residency, the view, or the delivery country - is set by one, chosen strategy for the store.
- Customer's tax residency - the rate depends on an extra parameter in the logged-in customer's data (national or foreign tax residency).
- Store view - the rate depends on the view the customer is buying in (e.g. a separate view for foreign customers).
- Delivery country - the rate depends on the delivery country given in the order; one country is set as domestic, the rest use the foreign rate.
- List of delivery countries - a VAT rate assigned directly to selected delivery countries (or to the logged-in customer's residency country) - a different rate can be set for each listed country.
- The store uses one strategy at a time; the implementation team chooses and configures it.
- A customer with national tax residency pays the rate from National Tax Residence (VAT), or the default rate if it's not set. In Poland, most products have the standard rate, some the reduced rate.
- A customer with foreign tax residency pays the rate from Foreign tax residence (VAT), or the default rate if it's not set. For products that have a different rate in the destination country than in Poland, the store can set up a separate VAT rate used only in this context.
- The final amount the customer sees on the product page and in the cart also reflects promotions and discounts - see Pricing policy.
The context-dependent VAT rate has been available since version 2.27.
- VAT rates configured in the store (Configuration -> Tax group).
- The chosen strategy requires technical configuration by the implementation team - see Configuration details.
- The customer residency strategy - an extra tax residency parameter in customer data.
- The view strategy - Views configured in the store.
- The delivery country strategy - the delivery country selection module.
- Requires implementation - choosing and configuring the strategy is a change to the store's configuration (requires a restart), not a setting available on its own in the panel.
- Minimum estimated time: choosing the strategy and filling in VAT rates for the context - from 2 h.
- What the time depends on: the number of VAT rates and countries to distinguish, the chosen strategy, and any extra customer tax residency parameter and filling it in for existing customers.
- The implementation team chooses and deploys the strategy in the store configuration (requires a restart) - it can't be changed on its own in the panel.
- The store uses one strategy at a time - combining several context criteria (e.g. customer residency together with delivery country) requires extra configuration.
- We do not verify the task for legal compliance (e.g. whether the VAT rates chosen for individual countries and customers comply with local tax law) - that's determined by the store, usually with its accountant or tax advisor.
- Choosing or changing the strategy in the panel, without a configuration change and store restart.
- Combining several context criteria (e.g. customer residency together with delivery country) in a single strategy.
Can Hummerce charge different VAT to customers from abroad?
Yes. The customer tax residency strategy sets a separate rate for customers with national and foreign tax residency.
Can the VAT rate depend on the delivery country rather than who is logging in?
Yes, two of the available strategies calculate the rate by the order's delivery country, regardless of the customer's residency.
Can the context strategy be set on its own in the panel?
The VAT rates themselves are set in the panel, but choosing the context strategy is a store configuration change made by the implementation team.
Does Hummerce guarantee that the chosen VAT rates comply with a given country's tax law?
No. The mechanism charges the rate chosen in the configuration - correctness of the rates for individual countries and customers is determined by the store, usually with its accountant or tax advisor.
How long does implementing the context-dependent VAT rate take?
From 2 h, depending on the chosen strategy and the number of rates or countries to configure.
Want to see how the context-dependent VAT rate could work in your store? Book a free demo (in Polish).
- VAT rates: Configuration -> Tax group - editing a rate: default rate, National Tax Residence (VAT), Foreign tax residence (VAT).
- Extra customer tax residency parameter (for the residency strategy) - in customer data, added during implementation.
Choosing the strategy is an entry in the context-dependent VAT rate module's configuration, changed by the implementation team (requires a store restart):
- customer tax residency - a strategy based on the residency parameter in customer data,
- store view - a strategy based on the current view,
- delivery country (one domestic country, the rest foreign) - a strategy with a domestic country code parameter,
- list of delivery countries with directly assigned rates - a strategy with a list of country codes and a choice of whether the delivery country or the customer's residency country is used.
¶ REST API and MCP
- MCP (AI assistant - MCP server):
ec2_tax_groups_list - list of VAT rates with their values, ec2_tax_group_create - creating a new VAT rate. Context rate values (national/foreign) and the strategy choice are set in the panel and in the store configuration.