For webshops shipping coffee to Germany
German coffee tax: what EU webshops need to know
Ship coffee to consumers in Germany and you owe Kaffeesteuer, the German coffee excise, on every kilo. That applies even if your shop is in Italy, Poland, the Netherlands or anywhere else in the EU. Here is how it works, what it costs and how WooCommerce can calculate it for you.
- Roasted coffee
- €2.19 per kg
- Instant coffee
- €4.78 per kg
- Payment due
- by the 20th of the next month
- Law
- Kaffeesteuergesetz
Explained
What is the Kaffeesteuer?
The Kaffeesteuer is a German excise duty on roasted coffee, instant coffee and goods that contain coffee once they reach the market in Germany. Green, unroasted coffee is not taxed.
In a German supermarket the roaster or importer has already paid the duty and it is part of the price. But when a German consumer orders from a webshop in another EU country, that shop is a distance seller (Versandhändler). The shop has to declare and pay the coffee tax to the German customs office (Hauptzollamt) itself.
The rates are set in section 2 of the Kaffeesteuergesetz and have not changed since 1993. Germany raises about a billion euros a year with it. Most other EU countries have no such tax, which is why foreign shops often miss it.
- 2 × Espresso Bohnen 1 kg31,98 €
- 3 × Kaffeekapseln, 10 Stück11,97 €
- 1 × Cappuccino-Pulver 400 g5,49 €
- Zwischensumme
- 49,44 €
- Versand
- 4,95 €
- KaffeesteuerRöstkaffee 2,165 kg · Waren 0,4 kg
- 5,12 €
- MwSt. auf Kaffeesteuer (7 %)
- 0,36 €
- Gesamtsumme
- 59,87 €
Rates
How much is the German coffee tax?
For coffee you pay per kilo of coffee. For goods containing coffee, the rate depends on how many grams of coffee are in a kilo of product, and you pay per kilo of product.
| Type | Rate |
|---|---|
| Roasted coffee: beans, ground, pods and capsules | €2.19 per kg |
| Instant coffee | €4.78 per kg |
| Coffee per kg of product | with roasted coffee | with instant coffee |
|---|---|---|
| 10–100 g | €0.12 | €0.26 |
| 100–300 g | €0.43 | €0.94 |
| 300–500 g | €0.86 | €1.91 |
| 500–700 g | €1.32 | €2.86 |
| 700–900 g | €1.76 | €3.83 |
Source: section 2 Kaffeesteuergesetz. Below 10 grams of coffee per kilo there is no tax; above 900 grams the full rate applies.
Calculator
Calculate the Kaffeesteuer
Pick the type, enter the net coffee weight per item and the quantity. You see right away what is added to the order.
For coffee: the weight of the coffee itself, without packaging. For goods containing coffee: the weight of the whole product.
- Kaffeesteuer
- €2.19
- German VAT on it (7%)
- €0.15
- Total
- €2.34
Calculated at €2.19 per kilo for 1 kg. The coffee tax is part of the VAT base; for coffee the German rate is usually 7%.
Who pays
Who has to pay the coffee tax?
A shop in another EU country selling to German consumers
The shop is the distance seller and owes the tax (section 18 KaffeeStG). It needs a permit from the Hauptzollamt before the first delivery. If the procedure is not followed, the tax is due immediately and the customer can be held liable too.
Sales to businesses in Germany
When a German business receives coffee from another member state for commercial use, the business itself owes the tax (section 17 KaffeeStG). The selling shop does not charge it.
A webshop based in Germany
If you buy coffee on which the tax has been paid, it is already in your purchase price. Roasters with a tax warehouse declare it when the coffee leaves the warehouse.
What to arrange
How a foreign webshop handles the coffee tax
For a shop in any EU country outside Germany that sells to German consumers.
- 01
Apply for a permit
Before your first delivery, apply to the competent Hauptzollamt for a permit as a distance seller (form 2761, through the Zoll-Portal or by post). You receive a company number.
- 02
Provide security
Customs asks for security for the tax, such as a bank guarantee. For regular deliveries this is usually one month's tax.
- 03
Optional: a tax representative
You can appoint a representative based in Germany to file for you (form 2753). Many shops have a German tax adviser (Steuerberater) do this.
- 04
Record every order
Keep track per order of how many kilos of each type go to Germany. Subtract returns and refunds.
- 05
File the return
Declare the tax to the Hauptzollamt and pay it by the 20th of the month after delivery.
- 06
Show it to the customer
A separate “Kaffeesteuer” line in the cart is the clearest. The customer sees what they pay up front, and your margin stays right.
In practice
Two hours a day, down to zero
A Dutch coffee webshop with many German customers: the coffee tax was worked out by hand for every order and pieced together again at the end of the month for the tax adviser. That took about two hours a day.
Now the shop calculates it, and the amount already shows in the cart. Customers know what they will pay before checkout, which brought in more orders. At the end of the month the report goes to the tax adviser automatically.
- 2 hours
- less manual work per day
- 0
- orders to recalculate by hand
- 1 email
- a month to the tax adviser
What it brings
€499 a year against 500 hours of work
Two hours of manual work a day adds up to about 500 hours a year. On top of that comes extra revenue: customers who see the coffee tax in the cart complete their order more often.
- ± 500 hours
- less manual work a year (2 hours × 250 working days)
- ± €15,000
- in working time a year, at €30 an hour
- ± 8 working days
- and the plugin has paid for itself
Example based on the time saved at that shop. What you save depends on how many orders you ship to Germany.
The plugin
Kaffeesteuer, automatically, in WooCommerce
The plugin we built for that shop is now available for any WooCommerce shop.
- Calculates the coffee tax per order from product category and weight, including variations
- Knows every rate: roasted coffee, instant coffee and the five bands for goods containing coffee
- Shows the amount as its own line in the cart and checkout, only for delivery to Germany
- Skips business customers who order VAT-exempt
- Stores per order how many kilos of each type were sold, so past reports never change
- Builds the monthly report in Excel and can email it to your tax adviser
What you do yourself
- Assign your products to the right coffee tax category once. The plugin creates the categories in one click.
- Give every coffee product a weight. The plugin lists products that still lack a weight or category.
- Apply for the permit at the Hauptzollamt and file the return, yourself or through your tax adviser.
€499
per year, excl. VAT. One shop, with updates and support.
Order the pluginQuestions first? Email us: info@peelcode.nl
Questions
Frequently asked questions about the German coffee tax
How much is the coffee tax in Germany?
€2.19 per kilo of roasted coffee (beans, ground, pods and capsules) and €4.78 per kilo of instant coffee. Goods containing coffee pay €0.12 to €3.83 per kilo of product, depending on the coffee content.
Do I pay Kaffeesteuer when I sell coffee to Germany from another EU country?
Yes, when you sell to consumers. You are then a distance seller and need a permit from the Hauptzollamt before your first delivery. For sales to German businesses, the business pays.
When is the coffee tax due?
The tax arises when the coffee is delivered to your customer in Germany. You declare it without delay and pay by the 20th of the following month.
Does the tax apply to capsules and pods?
Yes, they are roasted coffee. You use the net weight of the coffee, without the capsule or filter paper.
Is green coffee taxed?
No. Only roasted coffee, instant coffee and goods containing them are taxed.
Is there VAT on the coffee tax?
Yes. The coffee tax is part of the price of the coffee and therefore of the VAT base. For coffee the German rate is usually the reduced 7%. Have your tax adviser confirm this for your products.
Can a tax adviser handle it for me?
Yes. You can appoint a representative in Germany who files and pays for you. You still need to give them the monthly figures per type, which is what the plugin produces.
This page explains the rules of the Kaffeesteuergesetz (checked October 2026). It is not tax advice: have your situation confirmed by the Hauptzollamt or a German tax adviser.
Questions about the coffee tax in your shop?
Tell us which shop system you use and how much you ship to Germany. You get an answer within one working day, in English, German or Dutch.
Send an email