Shop software for shops in Trinidad and Tobago
Shopkeepa is simple software for parlours, mini-marts, hardware and beauty supply stores in Trinidad and Tobago. Sell, track stock and see how the shop is doing in TTD, with 12.5% VAT handled, on the phone or tablet you already own.
Running a shop in Trinidad and Tobago, at a glance
- Currency
- Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD).
- Sales tax
- Value Added Tax (VAT), standard rate 12.5%, collected on most goods and prescribed services. Some goods are zero-rated or exempt.
- VAT registration
- Required when taxable supplies reach TT$600,000 in the previous 12 months, or are forecast to pass it.
- Electronic invoicing
- No national e-invoicing mandate has been published. VAT still runs on ordinary invoices and periodic returns.
- How customers pay
- Cash, bank cards and bank transfer, plus local wallets and payment tools such as WiPay (cards, QR, payment links), Endcash (from Republic Bank) and Wam.
- Retail landscape
- About 12,000 retail outlets for 1.4 million people, with modern trade (supermarkets and hypermarkets) at about 32% of the market.
A big shop market with a Trinidad and Tobago shape
Trinidad and Tobago has roughly 12,000 retail outlets, the second-largest count in the English-speaking Caribbean after Jamaica, for only 1.4 million people. That works out to one outlet for every 117 residents. The parlour on the corner, the mini-mart on the main road, the hardware store and the beauty supply shop are everywhere, and most are owner-run.
It is also a market where the big chains are strong. Hope Research Group puts modern trade at about 32% of the market, well above Jamaica's 18%. A small shop here competes with supermarkets down the road, so knowing what sells, what is slow and what is about to run out matters more than it might on a quiet rural street.
Local installers sell full POS packages with licences, hardware and training visits. Shopkeepa takes a lighter route: it runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer you already have, with no printer required. Receipts can be shown on screen or shared as a link.
VAT at 12.5%, prices and your records
VAT in Trinidad and Tobago is charged at 12.5% on most goods and prescribed services. The Inland Revenue Division says you must register once your commercial supplies reach TT$600,000 in the preceding twelve months, or your sales forecast shows they will pass that amount in the next twelve. Some items, such as certain basic foods, are zero-rated, so not every line on the shelf carries VAT.
Here is a simple example. A VAT-registered shop sells a TT$100.00 item at the 12.5% rate: VAT is TT$12.50 and the customer pays TT$112.50. A zero-rated item at TT$100.00 stays at TT$100.00. If your shelf prices already include VAT, the VAT inside TT$112.50 is TT$12.50, one ninth of the total, not 12.5% of it.
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 TTD, and your sales history shows what you sold and when, which makes a VAT return or a conversation with your accountant easier. Shopkeepa does not file returns for you.
Cash, cards and the local wallets
Cash and bank cards are still the base, but Trinidad and Tobago has more homegrown payment tools than most islands. WiPay lets merchants take cards, QR codes and payment links and settles to a local bank account. Endcash is a mobile wallet from Republic Bank where customers scan a QR code to pay. Wam is a wallet licensed by the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago that can turn an Android phone into a card terminal.
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: the money goes through whichever terminal, wallet or bank you already use. Customers pay with WiPay or Endcash as they do today, and you record the sale as a wallet payment.
Restocking when deliveries come once or twice a week
Hope Research Group reports that about 40% of mini-marts across the Caribbean get deliveries only once or twice a week. For a Trinidad parlour, that means a missed order can leave a gap of days: no drinks before the weekend, no bread on a Monday. Many owners also make their own trips to the wholesaler, and every trip costs time away from the counter.
Shopkeepa keeps a running count as you sell and receive stock, reminds you once when a product drops below the minimum you set, and builds a restock list with a suggested quantity. Before the rep arrives or you head to the wholesaler, you know what to buy. See how to set reorder points for working out the right minimum when stock only arrives weekly.
Common questions
Does Shopkeepa work in Trinidad and Tobago dollars?
Yes. Prices, sales and reports are in TTD. Currency is a shop setting rather than something fixed in the app.
Can Shopkeepa handle 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 IRD.
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 WiPay, Endcash or Wam?
Customers pay through those services as they do today, and you record the sale in Shopkeepa as a wallet or card payment. Shopkeepa records the payment type; it does not process the payment.
Is Shopkeepa available in Trinidad and Tobago now?
Not yet. Shopkeepa is in development, and shops in Trinidad and Tobago 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.
- Inland Revenue Division (IRD): VAT registration (rate and TT$600,000 threshold)
- e-invoicing.org: E-invoicing in Trinidad and Tobago (mandate status)
- Hope Research Group: Caribbean Retail Distribution 2025 (outlets, modern trade, delivery frequency)
- WiPay: payments for the Caribbean (cards, QR, links, POS)
- Endcash: mobile wallet from Republic Bank
- Wam: wallet licensed by the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago
Related
Software for corner shops and mini-marts
Simple software for convenience stores and mini-marts. Fast checkout, stock that updates itself and a reminder before your best sellers run out.
Shop typeStock and sales for small grocers, without the clipboard
Inventory and sales software for small grocery stores. Fast checkout, stock that updates with every sale, best sellers and a restock list for the weekly order.
GuideVAT for small shops in Trinidad and Tobago: rate, threshold and returns
A plain guide to VAT for Trinidad and Tobago shop owners: the 12.5% rate, the TT$600,000 registration threshold, zero-rated food, registering with the IRD and keeping records.
GuideHow to set reorder points so you never run out
Learn the reorder point formula for a small shop: average daily sales times lead time, plus safety stock. A worked example with plain numbers and a checklist.
FeatureA simple point of sale for busy counters
A fast, simple till for small shops. Find a product, record how the customer paid, share a receipt and keep your stock up to date, on a phone, tablet or computer.
CountryShop software for shops in Guyana
Selling, stock and low-stock reminders for Guyanese shops, in GYD with 14% VAT built in. Runs on the phone you have, and is built for patchy connections.
CountryShop software for shops in Barbados
Selling, stock and low-stock reminders for Barbadian shops, in BBD with 17.5% VAT built in. Runs on the phone you already have, no POS hardware needed.
CountryShop software for Jamaican shops
Selling, stock and low-stock reminders for Jamaican shops, priced in JMD with GCT built in. Runs on the phone you already have, no POS hardware needed.