Guide
HS codes for fiscalisation, explained
When you start fiscalising, each product needs an HS code. It sounds like customs paperwork, and it is, but you only have to get it right once per product.
What is an HS code?
The Harmonized System (HS) is the international way of classifying goods, maintained by the World Customs Organization. The first six digits are the same in every country that uses it; countries add further digits for their own tariff. Zimbabwe’s customs tariff uses these codes to classify goods.
On a fiscal receipt the HS code tells ZIMRA what kind of product was sold, alongside the tax applied to it.
Finding the right code
Start from what the product is
Classify by what the item is made of and what it is for, not by brand or by how you group it in your shop.
Check Zimbabwe’s tariff
Look up the code in the Zimbabwe customs tariff published by ZIMRA.
Ask your supplier
Importers and wholesalers often already have the code on their invoices or import documents.
Confirm when unsure
For products that could fall under more than one heading, check with ZIMRA or a customs or tax adviser.
Set it once, on the product
Put the HS code, VAT rate and tax type on each product in your POS rather than choosing them at the till. Revoluno stores them on the product and will not let a cashier sell an item with missing tax details, so an incomplete fiscal receipt never goes out.
Questions
- Do services need an HS code?
- HS codes classify goods. How services are classified on a fiscal receipt is set by ZIMRA, so confirm with ZIMRA or your tax adviser.
- What happens if a product has no HS code?
- On Revoluno, a product without its tax details cannot be sold through the fiscalised till until they are added.