Sales Tax Calculator
Calculate sales tax in three ways: find the tax amount and after-tax price from a pre-tax price, reverse-calculate the pre-tax price from a total, or find the tax rate when you know both prices. Pick your state to auto-load the sales tax rate.
Sales Tax Calculator
Three modes: Add tax · Reverse calculate · Find the rate
How to Calculate Sales Tax
A sales tax calculator solves three problems depending on what information you have. You can calculate the tax amount and final price from a pre-tax price, reverse-calculate the pre-tax price from a total you already paid, or figure out the tax rate when you know both prices. All three use the same underlying formula, just solved from a different starting point.
Adding Sales Tax to a Pre-Tax Price
Tax Amount = Before-Tax Price × (Tax Rate ÷ 100)After-Tax Price = Before-Tax Price + Tax Amount
Example: A $45 item in Texas at 8.25% state + local tax. Tax = $45 × 0.0825 = $3.71. Total = $45 + $3.71 = $48.71.
How to Calculate Tax from a Total Amount (Reverse Sales Tax)
When you know the total paid and the tax rate, you can work backward to find the pre-tax price. This is the reverse sales tax formula:
Before-Tax Price = Total Price ÷ (1 + Tax Rate ÷ 100)Tax Amount = Total Price − Before-Tax Price
Example: You paid $108.25 total at an 8.25% rate. Pre-tax = $108.25 ÷ 1.0825 = $100.00. Tax paid = $108.25 − $100.00 = $8.25.
Finding the Tax Rate from Two Prices
Tax Rate (%) = (After-Tax Price − Before-Tax Price) ÷ Before-Tax Price × 100
Example: An item cost $40.00 before tax and $42.40 after tax. Rate = ($42.40 − $40.00) ÷ $40.00 × 100 = $2.40 ÷ $40.00 × 100 = 6%.
Sales Tax Rates by State (2026)
The United States has no federal sales tax. Rates are set at the state level, and many cities and counties add their own local sales tax on top of the state rate. The table below shows each state's general state rate and the maximum combined rate when local taxes are included. Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon have no state sales tax, though Alaska allows local municipalities to impose their own.
| State | State Rate | Max Combined (State + Local) |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 4% | 13.50% |
| Alaska | 0% | 7% |
| Arizona | 5.60% | 10.725% |
| Arkansas | 6.50% | 11.625% |
| California | 7.25% | 10.50% |
| Colorado | 2.90% | 10% |
| Connecticut | 6.35% | 6.35% |
| Delaware | 0% | 0% |
| District of Columbia | 6% | 6% |
| Florida | 6% | 7.50% |
| Georgia | 4% | 8% |
| Hawaii | 4.166% | 4.712% |
| Idaho | 6% | 8.50% |
| Illinois | 6.25% | 10.25% |
| Indiana | 7% | 7% |
| Iowa | 6% | 7% |
| Kansas | 6.50% | 11.60% |
| Kentucky | 6% | 6% |
| Louisiana | 4.45% | 11.45% |
| Maine | 5.50% | 5.50% |
| Maryland | 6% | 6% |
| Massachusetts | 6.25% | 6.25% |
| Michigan | 6% | 6% |
| Minnesota | 6.875% | 7.875% |
| Mississippi | 7% | 7.25% |
| Missouri | 4.225% | 10.85% |
| Montana | 0% | 0% |
| Nebraska | 5.50% | 7.50% |
| Nevada | 6.85% | 8.375% |
| New Hampshire | 0% | 0% |
| New Jersey | 6.625% | 12.625% |
| New Mexico | 5.125% | 8.688% |
| New York | 4% | 8.875% |
| North Carolina | 4.75% | 7.50% |
| North Dakota | 5% | 8% |
| Ohio | 5.75% | 8% |
| Oklahoma | 4.50% | 11% |
| Oregon | 0% | 0% |
| Pennsylvania | 6% | 8% |
| Puerto Rico | 10.50% | 11.50% |
| Rhode Island | 7% | 7% |
| South Carolina | 6% | 9% |
| South Dakota | 4% | 6% |
| Tennessee | 7% | 9.75% |
| Texas | 6.25% | 8.25% |
| Utah | 6.1% | 8.35% |
| Vermont | 6% | 7% |
| Virginia | 5.30% | 7% |
| Washington | 6.50% | 10.60% |
| West Virginia | 6% | 7% |
| Wisconsin | 5% | 7.9% |
| Wyoming | 4% | 6% |
* Green = no state sales tax. Red = combined rates above 10%. State rates from Sales Tax Institute / Tax Foundation. Local rates can change by city and county, confirm with your jurisdiction for precise rates.
What Is Sales Tax?
Sales tax is a consumption tax levied by state and local governments on the sale of goods and certain services. The vendor collects it from the customer at the point of sale, then remits it to the government. In the US, sales tax applies only at the final retail stage, transactions between businesses generally fall outside the scope of sales tax, unlike the value-added tax (VAT) system used in most other countries.
Who Collects It
Businesses with sales tax nexus in a state (meaning they have a significant economic or physical presence there) are required to collect and remit sales tax on applicable sales. Since the 2018 Supreme Court decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, most states require out-of-state online retailers to collect sales tax once they meet certain sales volume thresholds, even without a physical presence in the state. This closed a significant e-commerce tax gap that existed for decades.
What Gets Taxed (and What Doesn't)
Sales tax rules vary considerably by state. Most states exempt food for home preparation and prescription drugs. Several states also exempt clothing under a threshold, digital downloads, or agricultural equipment. Texas exempts prescription medicine and food seeds. Vermont adds a 10% tax on alcoholic drinks consumed immediately on top of the general 6% rate. The exact taxability of any item depends on the state and sometimes the county or city.
Deducting Sales Tax on Your Federal Tax Return
Taxpayers who itemize deductions can deduct either state and local income taxes or state and local sales taxes, but the two cannot be combined. The deduction is limited to $10,000 total for state and local taxes (SALT) under the OBBBA permanent provisions as of 2026. Deducting sales tax instead of income tax makes sense for people who made large purchases during the year, a new car, major home appliance, wedding, or engagement ring where total sales tax paid may exceed state income tax paid.
The IRS provides an optional Sales Tax Deduction Calculator in Publication 600 to estimate sales taxes paid without keeping every receipt. Alternatively, taxpayers can total actual sales tax receipts. Under 2% of Americans claim this deduction annually; for most people, state income tax exceeds total sales tax paid and the income tax deduction produces a larger benefit.