Shop software for shops in the Bahamas
Shopkeepa is simple software for corner stores, food stores, hardware and beauty supply shops in the Bahamas. Sell, track stock and see how the shop is doing in Bahamian dollars, with 10% VAT handled, on the phone or tablet you already own.
Running a shop in The Bahamas, at a glance
- Currency
- Bahamian dollar (B$), fixed at par with the US dollar (B$1 = US$1).
- Sales tax
- Value Added Tax (VAT), standard rate 10%. Some goods are zero-rated and some are exempt.
- VAT registration
- Required once taxable activity in a past or future 12 months passes B$100,000. Most businesses must apply within 14 days.
- Electronic invoicing
- No e-invoicing mandate found. Receipts are ordinary business documents, with VAT reported periodically to the Department of Inland Revenue.
- How customers pay
- Cash and cards (US dollars also circulate), plus the Sand Dollar, the Central Bank's digital version of the Bahamian dollar.
- Retail landscape
- About 2,200 retail outlets for 400,000 people, with modern trade at about 42%, the highest of the markets counted.
Shops across many islands
The Bahamas has about 2,200 retail outlets for roughly 400,000 people, with modern trade at about 42%, the highest share of the English-speaking markets counted by Hope Research Group. Much of that sits in Nassau and Freeport, where supermarkets and chains compete hard. The independent food store, hardware shop and corner store still serve their neighbourhoods and the settlements of the Family Islands.
A shop on a Family Island has a very different week from one in Nassau, and the software should not pretend otherwise. Shopkeepa runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer you already have, with no printer required, which matters when a repair visit means a flight.
10% VAT, a B$100,000 threshold and your records
The Bahamas charges VAT at 10% on most goods and services, with some zero-rated and exempt items. The Department of Inland Revenue says you must register and charge VAT if your taxable activity in the past or next 12 months exceeds B$100,000, and most businesses must apply within 14 days of meeting that test. That is a much lower bar than Guyana or Trinidad, so many small shops are registered.
A worked example: a B$20.00 item at 10% carries B$2.00 of VAT, so the customer pays B$22.00. A shop selling about B$9,000 a month of taxable goods reaches B$108,000 a year and would need to register, even though it feels small.
In Shopkeepa, tax is a shop setting: switch VAT on or off and mark each product as taxable or not. Prices and reports stay in Bahamian dollars, and your sales history makes returns and accountant visits easier. Shopkeepa keeps the records; it does not file returns for you.
Cash, cards and the Sand Dollar
Cash and cards are the everyday options. The Bahamas also has something no other country on this site has: the Sand Dollar, a digital version of the Bahamian dollar issued by the Central Bank and held in a wallet from an authorised bank or credit union. Merchants can accept it, but a merchant wallet must be linked to a bank account and enrolment asks for a valid business licence and a VAT certificate, so it is open only to VAT-registered shops. Uptake has been slow, so do not expect most customers to use it yet.
Shopkeepa records how each sale was paid (cash, card, bank transfer, wallet or other) so the day's cash total is clear when you cash up. It does not process payments itself: whether it is a card terminal or a Sand Dollar wallet, the money goes through the service you already use.
Restocking from Nassau by truck and mailboat
Distribution is split in two. In Nassau, wholesalers such as Sysco Bahamas run delivery trucks six days a week, Monday to Saturday. For Family Island shops, suppliers deliver the order to a mailboat or plane, and many need payment arranged before the goods travel. A missed order can mean waiting for the next sailing, and stock that sits on the dock costs a sale for days.
Shopkeepa keeps a running count as you sell and receive stock, reminds you once when a product drops below your minimum, and builds a restock list with a suggested quantity. That makes it easier to place one complete order before the boat leaves. See how to set reorder points and how to plan for busy season, and the hurricane season checklist for storms.
Common questions
Does Shopkeepa work in Bahamian dollars?
Yes. Prices, sales and reports are in B$. Currency is a shop setting rather than something fixed in the app.
Can Shopkeepa handle Bahamian VAT?
VAT can be switched on for the shop at the rate you set, and each product can be marked taxable or not, so zero-rated items stay at 0%. Shopkeepa keeps the sales records; it does not file returns with the Department of Inland Revenue.
Do I need to buy a POS terminal or printer?
No. Shopkeepa runs on a phone, tablet or computer, and receipts can be shown on screen or shared as a link. A receipt printer or barcode scanner can be added later if you want one.
Can customers pay with the Sand Dollar?
If your shop has a Sand Dollar merchant wallet, customers pay as they do today, and you record the sale in Shopkeepa with the payment type. Shopkeepa records the payment; it does not process it.
Is Shopkeepa available in the Bahamas now?
Not yet. Shopkeepa is in development, and Bahamian shops can join the early access waitlist to try it first and help shape it.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked on 6 October 2026. Rules, rates and products change, so confirm anything important with the source.
- Department of Inland Revenue: VAT FAQs (10% rate, B$100,000 threshold, 14 days)
- InvestCARICOM: The Bahamas tax guide (VAT rate, threshold, B$1 = US$1)
- Central Bank of The Bahamas: Sand Dollar for merchants
- Retail Standard: Bahamas fiscalization requirements (no fiscal devices)
- Hope Research Group: Caribbean Retail Distribution 2025
- Sysco Bahamas Food Services: delivery area (Nassau trucks, Family Islands by mailboat)
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