Shop software for Belizean shops
Shopkeepa is simple software for Belizean mini-marts, groceries, hardware and beauty supply shops. Sell, track stock and see how the shop is doing in Belize dollars, with GST handled as a setting, on the phone or tablet you already own.
Running a shop in Belize, at a glance
- Currency
- Belize dollar (BZD), fixed at BZ$2.00 to US$1 since 11 May 1976 and managed by the Central Bank of Belize. The peg turned 50 in 2026.
- Sales tax
- General Sales Tax (GST), standard rate 12.5%. Basic foods, medicines and some services are exempt or zero-rated.
- GST registration
- Required once annual turnover exceeds BZ$75,000. Returns are monthly.
- Electronic invoicing
- Mandatory e-invoicing is coming. A voluntary phase began in August 2026, and March 2027 is the anticipated start of the mandatory phase.
- Tax authority
- Belize Tax Service (BTS), which runs the IRIS Belize online system.
- How customers pay
- Cash, bank cards and DigiWallet, a Belize mobile wallet with a merchant programme. Belize Bank and Atlantic Bank offer card POS.
GST at 12.5% and the move to e-invoicing
Belize calls its consumption tax the General Sales Tax, or GST. The standard rate is 12.5%, collected by registered businesses and paid to the Belize Tax Service. BELTRAIDE, the government's trade and investment agency, puts the registration threshold at BZ$75,000 of annual turnover, much lower than the thresholds in Jamaica or the Eastern Caribbean, so more Belizean shops are likely to be registered. Returns are monthly.
Belize is also moving to mandatory electronic invoicing for GST-registered businesses. The legal basis passed in the General Sales Tax (Amendment) Act, 2024. At an expo on 28 August 2026, the BTS director general said a voluntary phase had begun and the mandatory phase starts next year, with March 2027 the anticipated date, and not a strict penalty deadline. Businesses connect their accounting systems to a national system called Vertex Belize. Large taxpayers are expected to go first, and the technical details were still being published.
Shopkeepa does not issue or submit e-invoices to the BTS. It does keep a searchable sales history, with refunds and voids on record, which helps if you need to see what was sold and when. If e-invoicing will apply to your shop, speak to the BTS or an accountant about what you need.
In Shopkeepa, GST is a shop setting. Switch it on at 12.5% if you are registered, then mark each product as taxable or not, so basic foods and taxable goods are handled differently. Prices and reports stay in Belize dollars.
The BZ$2 peg and visitors paying in US dollars
The Belize dollar has been fixed at BZ$2.00 to US$1 since May 1976, and the Central Bank marked 50 years of the peg in September 2026. For a shop, that makes US dollars easy to take: halve the Belize price to get the US price. Shops near Belize City, San Pedro and tourist areas often see US cash.
Keep the shop in one currency, BZD, and record what was taken. Shopkeepa prices and reports in Belize dollars. If a customer hands over US$20 for a BZ$30.00 sale, the drawer has gained US$20 and given BZ$10.00 change, or US$5. Your cash-up needs to account for both.
DigiWallet, cards and bank transfers
Cash is still how many Belizeans pay, but there are local digital options. DigiWallet is a Belize mobile wallet with a merchant programme, and Atlantic Bank customers can fund it by bank transfer. Belize Bank and Atlantic Bank both offer point-of-sale terminals for Visa and MasterCard.
Shopkeepa records how each sale was paid (cash, card, bank transfer, DigiWallet or other local wallet) so the drawer total is clear. It does not process payments itself. The money goes through whichever terminal, wallet or bank you already use.
Distance, deliveries and the rainy season
Belize is a mainland country with real distances between Belize City, Belmopan, San Ignacio, Orange Walk and Punta Gorda, and many islands and cayes depend on boats. A shop far from a distributor may get deliveries only once or twice a week, so running out between visits means days of lost sales. Set a minimum for each fast seller that covers the gap, and let the restock list tell you what to order before the delivery arrives. See how to set reorder points.
Heavy rain and storms can cut roads and power. Shopkeepa is built with unreliable connections in mind, so a short outage should not stop you selling. The hurricane season shop checklist covers the weeks around a storm.
Common questions
Does Shopkeepa work in Belize dollars?
Yes. Prices, sales and reports are in BZD. Currency is a shop setting rather than something fixed in the app.
Can Shopkeepa handle GST?
GST can be switched on at 12.5% and each product marked taxable or not, so exempt basics stay at 0%. Shopkeepa keeps the sales records. It does not file returns or submit e-invoices to the Belize Tax Service.
Does Shopkeepa support Belize e-invoicing?
No. E-invoicing is not part of the first release. Ask the Belize Tax Service or your accountant whether and when the mandate applies to your shop.
Can customers pay with DigiWallet?
Customers pay through DigiWallet as they do today, and you record the sale in Shopkeepa as a wallet payment. Shopkeepa records the payment type. It does not process the payment.
Is Shopkeepa available in Belize now?
Not yet. Shopkeepa is in development, and Belizean 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.
- Central Bank of Belize: monetary policy (BZ$2 to US$1 fixed since May 1976)
- San Pedro Sun: Belize marks 50 years of a two-to-one exchange rate (28 September 2026)
- BELTRAIDE: General Sales Tax registration (BZ$75,000 threshold)
- HeadOffice: Belize sales tax (GST) guide (12.5% rate, monthly BTS210 return)
- Breaking Belize News: Belize Tax Service phasing into e-invoicing for businesses (29 August 2026)
- e-invoicing.org: E-invoicing in Belize (legal basis, status)
- DigiWallet Belize: merchant programme
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