⚠️ Important — After the July 29 release, all existing tax rates will automatically be set to Recoverable.
If you need to start a new project with non-recoverable tax, we recommend creating a new tax rate configured with the desired recoverability setting instead of modifying an existing one.
If you have already changed the recoverability setting and your estimate calculations have been affected, open the affected estimate, select all estimate items, choose Edit, update the Purchase Tax or Sales Tax assignment to a different tax rate, then change it back to the desired tax rate and save the estimate. This will recalculate the affected values.
When users register on Buildern, we automatically apply the relevant tax (such as the sales tax, GST, or VAT) based on location. Customizing financial settings is essential to managing your business and will be used in all calculations associated with invoices, bills, payments, etc.
Access the Taxes Settings
To configure your tax settings:
Log in to your Buildern account.
Click the Settings icon.
Navigate to Finance.
Select Taxes.
From this page, you can:
Enable or disable taxes in your account.
Choose a tax system and configure tax recoverability.
Configure default tax calculation methods.
Create and manage tax rates.
Set default sales and purchase taxes.
Reorder, activate, deactivate, or delete taxes.
Sync taxes with your accounting software.
Tax Systems
Buildern supports three tax systems, available from Settings > Finance > Taxes:
VAT/GST
Sales Tax (United States)
Advanced (Mixed/International)
The tax system you select determines how tax rates behave by default throughout your account — most importantly, whether they are Recoverable or Non-Recoverable (see below).
Recoverable and Non-Recoverable Tax Rates
Tax rates can now be configured as either Recoverable or Non-Recoverable. The tax system you select determines the default recoverability of tax rates.
VAT/GST
When VAT/GST is selected, all tax rates are automatically set to Recoverable.
Sales Tax
When Sales Tax is selected, all tax rates automatically become Non-Recoverable.
Advanced
When using the Advanced tax system, you can individually choose whether each tax rate is Recoverable or Non-Recoverable.
ℹ️ Note - Changing the recoverability of an existing tax rate affects all existing financial data, including Estimate calculations. If you need to start a new project using Non-Recoverable taxes, it is recommended to create a new tax rate instead of modifying an existing one.
Enable or Disable Taxes
Use the Use taxes in the system toggle to control whether taxes are available throughout Buildern.
Enabled – Taxes can be applied to estimates, purchase orders, bills, invoices, and other financial transactions.
Disabled – Taxes will no longer be available for new transactions.
ℹ️ Note - If existing projects already use taxes, disabling this setting may result in calculation discrepancies or mismatched financial figures.
Tax Change Warnings
Buildern displays a warning when:
Enabling or disabling taxes.
Changing the default Purchase Tax.
Changing the default Sales Tax.
Changing between Recoverable and Non-Recoverable.
These actions affect existing financial data and may change existing estimate calculations.
Configure Default Tax Calculation Methods
The Default Amounts Are section determines how Buildern treats amounts by default when taxes are applied.
You can configure this separately for:
Bills
Purchase Orders
Client Invoices
Each transaction type supports the following calculation methods:
Inclusive - Select Inclusive if the entered amount already includes tax. Buildern automatically calculates and separates the tax portion from the total amount.
Exclusive - Select Exclusive if the entered amount does not include tax. Buildern calculates the tax separately and adds it to the entered amount.
No Tax - Select No Tax if taxes should not be applied by default. No tax will automatically be assigned when creating that transaction type.
ℹ️ Note - These settings define the default behavior for newly created transactions only. You can change the tax calculation method on individual Bills, Purchase Orders, and Client Invoices at any time.
Create a New Tax
To add a new tax rate:
Click Add New Option.
Enter a Tax Name.
Specify the Tax Percentage.
Select the Tax Type:
Sales Tax – Used for customer-facing transactions, such as invoices and proposals.
Purchase Tax – Used for vendor-facing transactions, such as purchase orders and bills.
Recoverability (Only when ''Advanced (Mixed/International)option is selected )
(Optional) Select Default to make it the default tax for that type.
Click Save Changes.
If you are using the Advanced (Mixed/International)option then you will also need to set the recoverability of the tax rate:
The new tax will be available throughout your Buildern account.
Set Default Taxes
Buildern supports one default Sales Tax and one default Purchase Tax. When creating or editing a tax, select the Default option to make it the default tax for its type. The default tax is automatically applied to newly created transactions of the corresponding type.
ℹ️ Note - Default taxes cannot be deleted or deactivated while they are set as the default. To remove one, first assign another tax as the default.
Reorder Tax Rates
To change the order in which taxes appear:
Locate the drag handle on the left side of the tax.
Drag and drop the tax into the desired position.
Click Save Changes.
Activate or Deactivate a Tax
If you no longer want a tax to appear on new transactions, you can deactivate it without deleting it.
To deactivate a tax:
Locate the tax in the list.
Clear the Active checkbox.
Click Save Changes.
The tax remains in your account and can be reactivated at any time.
ℹ️ Note - Default tax rates cannot be deactivated until another tax has been assigned as the default.
Delete a Tax
To permanently remove a tax:
Locate the tax in the list.
Click the Delete (X) icon.
Before deleting a tax, keep the following in mind:
Default taxes cannot be deleted until another default tax has been assigned.
Taxes currently used in Buildern cannot be deleted.
If a tax has been applied to existing transactions, it must first be replaced on every transaction where it is used. Once the tax is no longer referenced anywhere in the system, it can be deleted.
Sync Taxes with Your Accounting Software
If your Buildern account is connected to an accounting integration, such as QuickBooks Online or Xero, you can synchronize your tax rates directly from the Taxes page.
To sync taxes:
Navigate to Settings → Finance → Taxes.
Click Sync in the upper-right corner.
Buildern imports and synchronizes your tax configuration with your connected accounting software, helping keep tax rates consistent across both platforms.
Save Your Changes
After making any updates, such as:
Creating or editing tax rates
Changing default taxes
Reordering taxes
Activating or deactivating taxes
Click Save Changes to apply your updates.