# Cost & tax

> The currency every price is reported in, your VAT rate, and whether the figures you see include tax.

Source: https://infranest.io/docs/cost-and-tax
Last updated: 2026-10-26

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This article is for anyone who needs infrastructure costs in InfraNest to show the right currency, the right tax rate, and the right tax treatment — for example, before sharing a cost report with finance.

## Overview

- InfraNest reports what your infrastructure costs across providers and currencies, but every price needs a common currency and a clear tax treatment before it can be totalled or compared.
- Three settings control this everywhere money appears — the Spend report, itemised costs, renewals, and the cost shown on each resource:
  - **Base currency** — the single currency everything is converted into.
  - **VAT rate** — the rate applied when prices are shown with tax.
  - **Net or gross** — whether figures exclude tax (net) or include it (gross).
- These live under **Settings → Cost & tax**.

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## Set your base currency

1. Go to **Settings → Cost & tax**.
2. Find **Base currency**.
3. Choose the currency you want all costs converted into and reported in.
4. Select **Save changes**.

> [!NOTE]
> Converted totals use exchange rates, so a total in your base currency won't match a foreign-currency invoice to the cent.

## Set your VAT rate

1. Go to **Settings → Cost & tax**.
2. Check the suggested **VAT rate (%)** — InfraNest suggests one based on your organization's country, set under **Settings → General**.
3. Accept the suggestion, or enter your own rate.
4. Select **Save changes**.

## Switch between net and gross

1. Go to **Settings → Cost & tax**.
2. Choose whether prices should be shown **net** (before VAT) or **gross** (including VAT).
3. Select **Save changes**.

> [!WARNING]
> Switching between net and gross changes every money figure you see immediately, including past totals you've already read. The underlying charges don't change — only how they're displayed.

## Tips

- Use **net** if your organization is VAT-registered and reclaims tax — it matches what's on a supplier invoice.
- Use **gross** if you can't reclaim VAT, or if you want figures that match what actually leaves your bank account.

## Troubleshooting

- **My report total doesn't match a provider invoice** — this is expected if the invoice is in a different currency, since conversions use exchange rates rather than matching exactly.
- **The VAT rate looks wrong** — it's only a suggestion based on your organization's country. Enter the correct rate by hand on the **Cost & tax** page.
- **Remember:** these settings control how prices are displayed and totalled in InfraNest. They don't file anything, they're not tax advice, and they don't change what any provider actually charges you.