Sales Tax Calculator
Calculate sales tax and total purchase price for any rate.
Purchase Details
Location & Tax Rates
Individual Items
Total Amount
9.00% effective tax rate
Subtotal
Before tax
Total Sales Tax
State + Local
State Tax
7.50% rate
Local Tax
1.50% rate
Tax Breakdown
Recommendations
- • Verify local tax rates as they can vary significantly within states
- • Check if your business qualifies for any sales tax exemptions
How it works
Sales tax is a percentage added to a purchase at checkout. The calculator multiplies the price by the tax rate to get the tax, then adds it to the price for the total. It can also work backwards — given a tax-inclusive total, it recovers the original pre-tax price.
Add tax & reverse it
Tax = Price · rate Total = Price · (1 + rate) Price = Total ÷ (1 + rate)
- Price
- pre-tax price
- rate
- combined sales-tax rate (decimal)
- Total
- amount paid including tax
Worked example
- Item price = $50
- Sales-tax rate = 8%
- Tax = 50 × 0.08 = $4.00
- Total = 50 + 4 = $54.00
$4.00 tax, $54.00 total. (Reverse: a $54 total ÷ 1.08 = the original $50.)
Good to know
- Rates are set locally — the combined state + county + city rate can differ street by street, so confirm the rate for the exact location.
- To strip tax out of a receipt total, divide by (1 + rate); subtracting the percentage instead gives the wrong answer.
- Some items (groceries, prescriptions, clothing in some states) are tax-exempt or taxed at a reduced rate.
Related Calculators
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate sales tax?
Multiply the pre-tax price by the tax rate: an 8% rate on a $50 item adds $4, for a $54 total. As a formula, total = price x (1 + rate).
How do I find the pre-tax price from a total?
Divide the total by (1 + rate). If a receipt totals $54 with 8% tax, the pre-tax price was 54 / 1.08 = $50. This 'reverse sales tax' trick is handy for expense reports.
Why do sales tax rates differ so much by location?
The combined rate stacks state, county, city, and special-district taxes. That's why rates can range from 0% to over 10% in parts of high-tax metro areas, sometimes changing across a street.
Which states have no sales tax?
Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon have no state or local sales tax. Alaska has no state sales tax but allows municipalities to levy their own.
Do I pay sales tax on online purchases?
Usually yes. Since the Supreme Court's 2018 Wayfair decision, states can require remote sellers to collect tax based on the delivery address, and all major retailers now do.