Tax Setup Walkthrough

This guide walks you through setting up taxes from scratch. Follow these steps in order to ensure taxes are correctly applied to bookings and synced to OTA channels.

Prerequisites

• You have admin access to Argonautas.
• You know the applicable tax rates for your jurisdiction (e.g., Costa Rica IVA at 13%).

Step 1: Create a Tax Template

1. Navigate to Settings > Fees & Taxes.
2. Click Add Tax.
3. Fill in the fields:

Field	Value	Notes
Name	IVA	Use the official name for clarity
Rate	13	Percentage
Calculation	Percentage of subtotal	Standard method
Taxable basis	Accommodation + fees	Or accommodation only, depending on local rules
Tax-inclusive	No	Recommended -- show tax separately

4. Click Save.

The tax template now applies as the company-wide default for all properties.

Step 2: Verify Per-Property Settings

1. Navigate to Properties and open a property.
2. Go to the Fees & Taxes tab.
3. Confirm the company tax template appears in the list.
4. If this property needs a different rate, click Override and adjust.
5. Repeat for each property.

Step 3: Test with a Booking

1. Create a manual test booking for any property.
2. Review the pricing breakdown. Tax should appear as a separate line:

Accommodation (3 nights × $250)    $750.00
Cleaning Fee                       $200.00
Subtotal                           $950.00
IVA (13%)                          $123.50
Total                            $1,073.50

3. If the tax amount is incorrect, go back to Step 1 and verify the template configuration.
4. Cancel the test booking when done.

Step 4: Verify Channel Sync

If you have OTA channels connected:

1. Navigate to Channels > Sync Status.
2. Trigger a manual sync for one property.
3. Check the OTA listing to confirm the tax is reflected in the pricing.
4. Some channels (Booking.com, Airbnb) display taxes in their own format. The total should match.

Adding Additional Taxes

If your jurisdiction requires multiple taxes:

1. Repeat Step 1 for each additional tax (e.g., municipal tax at 3%).
2. Each tax is calculated independently on the subtotal.
3. All taxes appear as separate line items on invoices.

Changing Tax Rates

If the tax rate changes:

1. Open the tax template in Settings > Fees & Taxes.
2. Update the Rate.
3. Save.

The new rate applies to future bookings. Existing bookings retain the rate that was active when created.

Common Questions

Do I need to set up taxes before adding rates? No. Taxes and rates are independent. You can set up taxes at any time, and they will apply to all new bookings.

What if I operate in multiple tax jurisdictions? Create a tax template for each jurisdiction and use property overrides to assign the correct rate per property.

Related

• Tax Configuration -- Detailed tax system reference.
• Fee Configuration -- Setting up fees alongside taxes.