Split Food and Drink products in Mews Operations for the Germany VAT change 2026 FAQs

Legal Environments

When Germany applies a reduced VAT rate for food from 1 January 2026, you need to split any packaged food and drink products in Mews Operations to keep your VAT reporting accurate. You do this when your property sells bundled items, for example Breakfast, that include both food and drinks but require different VAT rates. You complete this process in your product list, product rules, and through the product-split form provided by Mews.

 

In this article, you can learn about:

 

 

 


Why do you need to split food and drink products?

A package product that includes food and drinks uses only one VAT rate. When VAT changes apply differently to each component, reporting becomes inaccurate. You need to create two separate products so that the system applies the correct VAT to food and drinks.

This ensures your accounting category posting stays correct across all reports and integrations.

Should you delete the old package product?

No. Keep the old product until your new food and drink components and product rules are live and you complete your VAT checks on 1 January 2026. Removing the old product early can disrupt product rules, upsells, and active reservations.

What steps do you need to complete for the Germany VAT 2026 change?

  1. Identify every package product that contains both food and drinks. For example Breakfast, corporate breakfast variations, rate-attached breakfast rules, and any food and beverage packages.
  2. Create two new products in your product list for each packaged item.
    • One product for the food component
    • One product for the drink component
  3. Add pricing and assign accounting categories to each component. Note: Mews recommends matching accounting categories with the old packaged product to support correct posting all throughout.
  4. Keep the original packaged product active in Mews Operations. Do not delete.
  5. Complete the German VAT product-split MS form once per packaged product.
  6. in the form you need to provide:
    • Your email address
    • Property name
    • Property ID
    • Old product ID and name
    • New product IDs and names, separated by commas
    • ntegration notes if you use POS, EMS, or other partners

  7. Update all product rules that apply to the old package products and the new products. 

  8. If you use external systems, ensure those partners receive the new product IDs. Note: Make sure to add this information to the form so that the Mews system can ensure integration continuity.

This prepares your property for accurate VAT posting from 1 January 2026.

What do you need to check in your finance and accounting configuration?

  • Make sure each food and drink component uses the correct accounting category.
  • Confirm that accounting integrations, for example Omniboost or Sage, read the accounting categories. Integrations work correctly when categories match the expected configuration.

This ensures accurate posting across all financial systems.

What are the deadlines for the Germany VAT update?

  • Mews communications began in late November 2025.
  • The VAT change applies on 1 January 2026.
  • Mews recommends completing all product mappings and submitting the form by 25 December 2025 so that your setup is confirmed before the compliance date, allowing verification and any correction if required, before the due date.

What if I cannot finish the setup by the deadline?

Contact Mews Support through the Mews Digital Assistant. You can complete the process after 1 January 2026, but the Mews team can update only bookings created after that date.

Does this update only affect the Mews Booking Engine?

No. This update applies across all channels. You need to update:

  • Product rules so that the system creates new reservations with the split products
  • SOPs so that your front-desk teams add the components as required
  • Any partner mappings through the product-split MS form

How does Mews update existing future reservations?

After you create the new component products and update rules, contact Mews Support through the Mews Digital Assistant. Mews Support team can help replace old packaged products with the new components in future reservations.

How do you confirm that the Mews team received your product mappings?

Submit the product-split form using the link in your Germany VAT update email from the Mews team. If you cannot find the email or need confirmation, contact Mews Support through the Mews Digital Asistant with your property name and product IDs. The link to the form is also visible in the notification you received within Mews Operations.

Common questions about product splitting for the VAT update

My Booking Engine, Kiosk, or Portal upsells use the old product. Will bookings break?

No. When you submit the form with old and new product IDs, Mews will ensure continuity across Booking Engine, Kiosk, Portal, and partner use cases.

I do not sell food separately or I only sell breakfast through product rules. Do I still need to split?

Yes. You still need to split your packaged products and update product rules before 1 January 2026. If you have no additional product information to submit, provide your enterprise details in the form so that the Mews team can confirm your configuration.

Can guests still buy breakfast as a single item?

Yes. You configure the two new products as a package so guests select “Breakfast,” and Mews adds the food and drink components. Note: Guests currently will see food and drink posted as two separate line items.

 
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