POS system for Georgia businesses
Georgia's state sales tax is 4%, but local taxes for counties, schools and transit usually bring the total to 7% or 8%, and more in Atlanta. SeroPOS holds each part as a rate in one tax group, with a separate group for groceries that only carry local tax.
Georgia in SeroPOS
State plus local group
Add 4% and your local rates, such as LOST, SPLOST, ESPLOST and transit, then combine them into one group.
A local-only grocery group
Groceries are exempt from the state 4% but usually not from local tax, so they take a group of local rates only.
Named for your return
Name each local rate the way the return does, so the Tax Report reads like your filing.
Prices with or without tax
Each product has a "price includes tax" setting, so tax-in pricing at a bar or event works without manual maths.
Global Payments or Gravity
Take card and tap payments on terminals that get the amount straight from the till, with tips coming back to the receipt.
Tax collected by period
The Tax Report shows tax on sales, purchases and expenses for any date range and location, with the invoices behind it.
Georgia sales tax at a glance
Georgia's state sales tax rate is 4% as of 2026, administered by the Georgia Department of Revenue. Counties add local option taxes, such as LOST, SPLOST and ESPLOST, and some areas add transit taxes, so combined rates are usually 7% to 8%, with the City of Atlanta higher still.
Food for home consumption is exempt from the state's 4% but is generally still subject to local sales taxes, which is an unusual detail. Restaurant meals and prepared food are taxable at the full rate. Confirm the rates for your county and city with the Department of Revenue before you open, and again at the start of each quarter.
Building your tax group in SeroPOS
In the back office go to Settings, then Tax Rates, and add the state rate of 4%. Then add each local rate that applies at your address, such as LOST, SPLOST, ESPLOST and any transit tax for your county, ticking "for tax group only" so they can't be picked alone. In the SeroPOS app the same screens are under Admin, then Taxes.
Open Tax Groups and combine the rates into one group named after the place and the total, for example "Fulton County". Make it the default tax so new products pick it up, and add a 0% rate for exempt items. Then build a second group for groceries that holds only the local parts, without the state 4%.
Groceries and local tax
Because Georgia groceries usually carry local tax but not the state 4%, a grocer or convenience store needs two groups: the full state and local group for general merchandise and a local-only group for food for home use. In SeroPOS the tax sits on each product, so a mixed basket is taxed correctly as the cashier scans.
Restaurants and cafés usually only need the full group, since prepared food is taxable at the full rate. A café that also sells bags of coffee or packaged snacks for home use may want the local-only group on those items. Check with your accountant, then filter the back office product list by tax to review each group before you open.
Taking card payments
The cashier picks Debit or Credit on the payment screen and SeroPOS hands the amount to the terminal. Global Payments terminals connect through Global Pay Cloud, bound to each till by the terminal's device reference, or SeroPOS can run directly on a T650P. Gravity Payments terminals are set up with your account details and device name.
A tip typed on the terminal prints on the receipt as Tip / Gratuity, and batch close runs from the till's terminal menu. If a sale fails to save after an approval, the charge is kept and recorded again, so the books match the batch. SeroPOS also has an optional credit card surcharge of up to 2%, if your state and card network rules allow one.
Already have a merchant account? Keep it if your processor is supported. If you want to compare costs, send us a recent statement and we'll quote a rate. Card processing is arranged separately from your SeroPOS plan. Tell us your monthly card volume and the terminals you use today, and we can say which setup fits your counter before you commit.
Tax reports and QuickBooks Desktop
The Tax Report in the back office shows tax collected on sales, tax paid on purchases and tax on expenses, with an overall figure and the invoices behind each number, filtered by location and date range. Run it for your filing period, and use the Product Taxes section of the daily sales summary to see which products the tax came from.
On the Pro plan SeroPOS sends sales, payments, customers and items to QuickBooks Desktop, US edition 2021 or later (Pro, Premier or Enterprise on Windows), through the Web Connector. It can build your sales tax items, groups and tax agency in QuickBooks for you, matched by rate rather than by name. The QuickBooks Online connection is set up for Canadian companies today.
Frequently asked questions
What is the sales tax rate in Georgia?
As of 2026 Georgia's state rate is 4%, and local taxes usually bring the total to 7% or 8%, with Atlanta higher. Rates depend on your county and city. Confirm the current rate for your address with the Georgia Department of Revenue before setting up your POS.
How do I combine the Georgia state rate and my local rate in a POS?
Create the state rate (4%) and your local rate (LOST, SPLOST, ESPLOST and transit) as separate tax rates, tick "for tax group only" on the local ones, then combine them in a tax group, for example "Fulton County". Assign the group to taxable products. Customers see one tax total, while reports keep each part.
Are groceries taxed in Georgia?
Food for home consumption is exempt from Georgia's 4% state tax but is generally still subject to local sales taxes. In SeroPOS, create a tax group of just the local rates and assign it to grocery items, while general merchandise and prepared food use the full state and local group.
Are these Georgia sales tax rates current?
The rates on this page are well-known public rates as of 2026. State and local rates change, often at the start of a quarter, so confirm the rate for your exact address with the Georgia Department of Revenue before you open. In SeroPOS each rate is stored once, so a change is a single edit.
How much does SeroPOS cost?
Standard is $30 a month and Pro is $50 a month, with a 14-day free trial and no card needed. Standard covers the full POS for one location and three users. Pro adds the floor plan designer, multi-till, CRM, recipes, advanced reports, QuickBooks and WooCommerce. Extra locations are charged at the plan price.