Sales Tax Calculator
Add US sales tax to a pre-tax price or back it out of a total, with statewide base rates for a dozen large states as presets.
Statewide Base Rates (local taxes not included)
Updated Formula covered by automated tests
In the United States the price on the shelf is almost never the price at the register, because sales tax is added at checkout and the rate depends on where the sale happens. Enter a pre-tax price and the combined rate for your location and this calculator shows the tax, rounded to the cent the way a receipt shows it, and the amount you will actually pay.
The buttons fill in the statewide base rate for a dozen large states. In most of them, counties, cities and special districts stack their own rates on top, so the figure you pay in a particular store can be one to three points higher than the state number. Use the buttons as a quick reference and replace the value with your full local rate when accuracy matters, for example when budgeting for a car, furniture or a new laptop.
The formula
- price
- The taxable pre-tax amount in dollars, after any store discounts
- rate
- The combined sales tax rate in percent: state plus any county, city and district rates
- tax
- The sales tax due, rounded half up to the nearest cent
- total
- What you pay at checkout
Sales tax is levied by states and local governments, not the federal government, so there is no single national rate. A retailer adds every applicable rate together and applies that combined percentage to the taxable price. Most states require the tax to be rounded to the nearest cent, with half a cent rounded up, and the calculator follows that rule.
The third equation runs the calculation backward. If you only have a receipt total, dividing by one plus the rate recovers the pre-tax price. Subtracting the rate times the total does not work, because the tax was computed on the smaller pre-tax price, not on the total that already includes it.
Worked example
Jordan is buying a $649 laptop in a Texas city. The state rate is 6.25% and local jurisdictions add the maximum 2%, for a combined 8.25%.
- 1 Combined rate: 6.25% + 2% = 8.25%.
- 2 Tax: 649 × 8.25 ÷ 100 = 53.5425, which rounds to $53.54.
- 3 Total: 649 + 53.54 = $702.54.
- 4 Check by backing the tax out: 702.54 ÷ 1.0825 = 649.00.
Result: Jordan should budget $702.54, of which $53.54 is sales tax.
Before you rely on the result
- The preset rates are statewide base rates only and can change; local add-on rates, special district taxes and item-specific exemptions are not included.
- Some items carry separate excise taxes or fees (fuel, tobacco, alcohol, tires, hotel rooms) that are not part of the general sales tax calculated here.
Frequently asked questions
Which states have no statewide sales tax?
Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon do not levy a general statewide sales tax. Alaska allows local governments to impose one, so some Alaskan towns do charge sales tax, and a few Montana resort areas levy local resort taxes.
Do I owe sales tax on online purchases?
Usually, yes. Since the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, states can require remote sellers above a sales threshold to collect tax based on the buyer’s address. If a seller does not collect it, many states expect residents to pay an equivalent use tax on their income tax return.
How do I find the pre-tax price from a receipt total?
Divide the total by one plus the rate as a decimal. A $108.50 total at 8.5% came from 108.50 ÷ 1.085 = $100. Multiplying the total by 0.915 instead gives $99.28, which is wrong by more than a dollar.
Are groceries and clothing taxed at the same rate?
Often not. Many states exempt unprepared food or tax it at a reduced rate, and some exempt clothing below a price limit or prescription drugs. Prepared restaurant meals are usually taxed at the full rate. Check the rules published by your state revenue department for the item in question.
Sources
- Texas Comptroller: Sales and Use Tax (comptroller.texas.gov)
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School: South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc. (2018) (law.cornell.edu)
- IRS: Sales Tax Deduction Calculator (irs.gov)