Sales Tax Calculator
Calculate U.S. sales tax on any purchase — or work backwards from the total to find the pre-tax amount.
What is a sales tax calculator?
A sales tax calculator adds the right tax to a pre-tax price, or works backwards from a total that already includes tax to show the price and the tax separately. Enter an amount and your combined local rate above, choose "add" or "remove", and the three figures update at once.
The United States has no national sales tax. Rates are set by states, then stacked with county, city and special-district taxes, so the rate you pay depends on where the sale happens — from 0% in five states to over 10% in parts of Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas and Washington. Getting the rate right is the whole job; the arithmetic is simple.
Sales tax rates by state
State-level rates as of 2026. Local rates come on top (the "typical combined" column is an approximate population-weighted average); confirm your exact rate with your state's Department of Revenue or a ZIP-code lookup.
| State | State rate | Typical combined | State | State rate | Typical combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 4.00% | ~9.4% | Montana | none | 0% |
| Alaska | none | ~1.8% (local only) | Nebraska | 5.50% | ~7.0% |
| Arizona | 5.60% | ~8.4% | Nevada | 6.85% | ~8.2% |
| Arkansas | 6.50% | ~9.5% | New Hampshire | none | 0% |
| California | 7.25% | ~8.8% | New Jersey | 6.625% | ~6.6% |
| Colorado | 2.90% | ~7.8% | New Mexico | 4.875% | ~7.6% |
| Connecticut | 6.35% | 6.35% | New York | 4.00% | ~8.5% |
| Delaware | none | 0% | North Carolina | 4.75% | ~7.0% |
| Florida | 6.00% | ~7.0% | North Dakota | 5.00% | ~7.0% |
| Georgia | 4.00% | ~7.4% | Ohio | 5.75% | ~7.2% |
| Hawaii | 4.00% | ~4.5% | Oklahoma | 4.50% | ~9.0% |
| Idaho | 6.00% | ~6.0% | Oregon | none | 0% |
| Illinois | 6.25% | ~8.9% | Pennsylvania | 6.00% | ~6.3% |
| Indiana | 7.00% | 7.00% | Rhode Island | 7.00% | 7.00% |
| Iowa | 6.00% | ~6.9% | South Carolina | 6.00% | ~7.5% |
| Kansas | 6.50% | ~8.7% | South Dakota | 4.20% | ~6.1% |
| Kentucky | 6.00% | 6.00% | Tennessee | 7.00% | ~9.6% |
| Louisiana | 5.00% | ~10.1% | Texas | 6.25% | ~8.2% |
| Maine | 5.50% | 5.50% | Utah | 6.10% | ~7.2% |
| Maryland | 6.00% | 6.00% | Vermont | 6.00% | ~6.4% |
| Massachusetts | 6.25% | 6.25% | Virginia | 5.30% | ~5.8% |
| Michigan | 6.00% | 6.00% | Washington | 6.50% | ~9.4% |
| Minnesota | 6.875% | ~8.1% | West Virginia | 6.00% | ~6.6% |
| Mississippi | 7.00% | ~7.1% | Wisconsin | 5.00% | ~5.7% |
| Missouri | 4.225% | ~8.4% | Wyoming | 4.00% | ~5.4% |
| Washington, D.C. | 6.00% | 6.00% | |||
Hawaii and New Mexico technically levy a general excise / gross receipts tax on the seller rather than a sales tax on the buyer, but it is passed through and works the same way at the register. Utah and Virginia rates include a mandatory statewide local portion.
What is taxed — and what usually is not
- Groceries — exempt or taxed at a reduced rate in most states; fully taxed in a handful (Mississippi, South Dakota and a few others). Prepared food, candy and soda are often taxed even where groceries are not.
- Prescription drugs — exempt in every state except Illinois (reduced rate). Over-the-counter medicines vary.
- Clothing — exempt in Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Vermont; exempt below a threshold in Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island.
- Services — most states tax few services, though Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota and Washington tax many. Digital goods and streaming are increasingly taxed.
- Vehicles — taxed at purchase in most states, often at a special rate, and usually on the price after a trade-in credit; see the auto loan calculator.
Online purchases, use tax and sales-tax holidays
Since the Supreme Court's 2018 Wayfair decision, states can require out-of-state sellers to collect sales tax once they pass a sales threshold (commonly $100,000 a year), so most online orders are now taxed at the rate for your delivery address. When a seller does not collect it, you technically owe use tax at the same rate on your state return — rarely enforced for individuals, routinely enforced for businesses. Many states also run sales-tax holidays, typically a weekend in late summer when clothing, school supplies and sometimes computers are exempt up to a price cap.
Formula
Adding tax to a price:
- Tax = price × rate ÷ 100
- Total = price + tax = price × (1 + rate ÷ 100)
Removing tax from a total:
- Price = total ÷ (1 + rate ÷ 100)
- Tax = total − price
The common mistake in reverse: taking the rate off the total (107.25 × 7.25% = $7.78) instead of dividing by 1.0725 ($7.25). The tax was charged on the price, not on the total, so you must divide.
Worked example
Adding tax: a $100 purchase in a city with a combined rate of 7.25%:
- Tax = 100 × 0.0725 = $7.25
- Total = $107.25
Removing tax: a receipt shows a total of $140.71 and you know the rate is 8.25%:
- Price = 140.71 ÷ 1.0825 = $129.99
- Tax = 140.71 − 129.99 = $10.72
More examples
| Price | Rate | Tax | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| $45.00 | 6.00% | $2.70 | $47.70 |
| $59.99 | 9.50% | $5.70 | $65.69 |
| $1,299.99 | 8.25% | $107.25 | $1,407.24 |
| $35,000 (car, after $5,000 trade-in) | 6.50% on $30,000 | $1,950 | $36,950 |
How to use this calculator
- Choose Add tax if you have a pre-tax price, or Remove tax if you have a total that already includes tax.
- Enter the amount.
- Enter the combined rate for the location of the sale — state plus county, city and district. A receipt from a local store or your state's ZIP-code lookup will tell you.
- Read the pre-tax price, the tax, and the total.
Finding your exact rate
The combined rate is set by the delivery or store address, not the seller's location. Every state Department of Revenue publishes a rate lookup by address or ZIP code, and the tax line on any recent receipt from a local store shows the rate that applies there. Where a city sits in two counties, or a ZIP code crosses a district line, the address-level lookup is the only reliable source.
For businesses
If you sell, the "remove tax" mode is how you split a tax-inclusive price for your books, and the state table tells you where you may have collection obligations once you exceed a state's economic-nexus threshold. Rates change — many states adjust local rates every quarter — so a live rate service or your point-of-sale provider's tax engine is worth the cost once you sell into several states.
Related tools
- Tip calculator — tip on the pre-tax or after-tax amount
- Discount calculator — price after a coupon, then add tax
- Percentage calculator — any percentage problem
- Auto loan calculator — sales tax on a vehicle purchase, financed
Frequently asked questions
Which states have no sales tax?
Five: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon — the "NOMAD" states. Alaska has no state tax but lets cities and boroughs levy their own, so you may still pay 2%–7% locally. Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon have no sales tax at any level.
What is the highest combined sales tax rate in the U.S.?
Louisiana has the highest average combined rate at just over 10%, followed by Tennessee, Arkansas, Washington and Alabama in the 9.4%–9.6% range. Individual localities go higher: some Alabama and Arkansas towns exceed 11%, and parts of Chicago reach 10.25%. California has the highest state-level rate at 7.25%.
Are groceries and prescription drugs taxed?
Prescription drugs are exempt in every state except Illinois, which taxes them at 1%. Groceries are exempt or taxed at a reduced rate in most states, but fully taxed in Mississippi, South Dakota and a few others, and several states tax them at a lower "food rate". Prepared food, restaurant meals, candy and soft drinks are usually taxed even where basic groceries are not.
Do I owe sales tax on online purchases?
Almost always, at the rate for your delivery address. Since the 2018 Wayfair ruling, any seller above a state's sales threshold must collect it, and marketplaces like Amazon, eBay and Etsy collect on behalf of their sellers. If a small seller does not charge it, you owe the equivalent use tax on your state return — a rule enforced against businesses far more often than individuals.
How do I calculate sales tax backwards from a total?
Divide the total by one plus the rate: $107.25 ÷ 1.0725 = $100.00 pre-tax, and the tax is the $7.25 difference. Do not multiply the total by the rate — that computes tax on the taxed amount and overstates it. The calculator's "Remove tax" mode does this for you.
Is sales tax charged on the price before or after a discount?
On the price you actually pay after store coupons and sale discounts. Manufacturer coupons are treated differently in some states, where the tax is on the price before the coupon because the retailer is reimbursed. If a receipt taxes you on the pre-discount price, ask — it is a common point-of-sale error.
Can I deduct sales tax on my federal return?
Only if you itemise, and only instead of deducting state income tax — you choose one or the other under the state and local tax (SALT) deduction, which is capped. It is mostly useful for residents of states with no income tax (Texas, Florida, Washington and others), who can use either actual receipts or the IRS table amount plus tax on big purchases such as a vehicle.