POS system for Massachusetts businesses
Massachusetts charges a 6.25% sales tax with no local sales taxes, but restaurants also deal with the meals tax, which many cities raise with a local option. SeroPOS keeps the sales tax and the local meals tax as separate rates, so each lands in its own line.
Massachusetts in SeroPOS
One 6.25% rate
Add the 6.25% sales tax once and make it the default for retail products.
Meals tax group
Combine the 6.25% meals tax with your city's 0.75% local option into one group for restaurant food and drinks.
Clothing under $175
Clothing priced up to $175 an item is exempt, so it takes a 0% rate in a clothing store.
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.
Massachusetts sales and meals tax at a glance
Massachusetts charges a 6.25% sales tax on most goods as of 2026, administered by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. There are no local sales taxes. Restaurant meals are taxed under the meals tax, also at 6.25%, and cities and towns that adopt the local option add 0.75%, for 7% in places such as Boston and Cambridge.
Grocery food is generally exempt, and clothing is exempt up to $175 an item, with tax only on the amount above that. Confirm current rates with the Department of Revenue before you open. One more Massachusetts point: state law prohibits surcharges on credit card payments, which matters for the surcharge setting described below.
Setting up sales and meals tax in SeroPOS
In the back office go to Settings, then Tax Rates, and add Sales tax at 6.25%. If you serve meals, add Meals tax at 6.25% and, if your city has adopted it, Local meals tax at 0.75%, ticking "for tax group only" on the local rate. Then open Tax Groups and combine the two meals rates, for example as "Boston meals 7%".
Give retail products the 6.25% sales tax rate and restaurant food and drinks the meals group. Add a 0% rate for exempt items such as grocery food and clothing under $175. Because the tax sits on each product, a café that also sells mugs and bags of coffee taxes each line correctly. The same screens are in the app under Admin, then Taxes.
- Sales tax 6.25%: retail goods
- Meals tax 6.25% + local option 0.75%: restaurant food and drinks
- 0%: exempt groceries and clothing up to $175
Card surcharges in Massachusetts
SeroPOS has an optional credit card surcharge, set per location from 0% to 2%. Massachusetts law prohibits adding a surcharge to credit card payments, so leave it switched off at any Massachusetts location. It is off unless you turn it on, and because it is set per location, a business with stores in other states can still use it where it is allowed.
You can still recover costs in other ways that are allowed, such as setting your prices. If you want to lower your processing costs instead, send us a recent processing statement and we'll quote a rate. Check the current rules with the Massachusetts Attorney General's office and your card processor.
Card terminals that talk to the till
In Massachusetts, as almost everywhere, most customers pay by card or tap, so the terminal matters as much as the till. SeroPOS works with Global Payments, through Global Pay Cloud or on the T650P handheld with Terminal Plus, and with Gravity Payments terminals set up in Gravity Pay Settings.
Each till can have its own terminal, set under Card Terminal for This Till, so the front counter and the bar charge on separate devices. Tips typed on the terminal print on the receipt, Close Batch prints a day-end summary, and Check on Terminal reads the batch when you're not sure whether a card went through.
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 meals tax in Boston?
As of 2026 Boston restaurants charge a 7% meals tax: the 6.25% state meals tax plus the 0.75% local option the city has adopted. Retail goods carry the 6.25% sales tax. Confirm current rates and whether your city has the local option with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.
How do I set up the local meals tax in SeroPOS?
Add Meals tax at 6.25% and Local meals tax at 0.75% as separate rates, then combine them in a tax group and assign it to restaurant food and drinks. Retail items use the 6.25% sales tax rate. The Tax Report shows each rate, so you can report the local part.
Can I add a credit card surcharge in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts law prohibits surcharges on credit card payments, so leave SeroPOS's card surcharge setting switched off at Massachusetts locations. It is set per location and off by default. Check current rules with the Attorney General's office and your processor.
Are these Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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.