Sales Tax Calculator (US) - Add or Remove Sales Tax

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What is a Sales Tax Calculator?

In the United States, sales tax is a tax on the sale of goods and some services. It is usually not included in the price on the shelf. The store adds it at the register, so the amount you pay is higher than the price you saw. A sales tax calculator works out the tax for you, either by adding it to a price or by taking it out of a final price.

This calculator is built for the US. You choose Add Sales Tax or Remove Sales Tax, enter an amount, and select a state to fill in its base rate, or type any rate yourself. You get the net price, the sales tax amount and the gross price.

How to Use the Sales Tax Calculator

1. Choose Add Sales Tax if you have a price before tax, or Remove Sales Tax if you have a final price that already includes tax.
2. Enter the amount.
3. Select your state. The state's base sales tax rate is filled in for you.
4. If you know the combined rate for your city or county, type it into the Sales Tax Rate box to replace the state rate.
5. Read the Net Price (Before Tax), the Sales Tax Amount and the Gross Price (After Tax).
6. Click Copy to copy the result, or Reset to start again.

What You See on the Page

Item	Meaning
Add Sales Tax	You enter a price before tax and get the total with tax
Remove Sales Tax	You enter a final price with tax and get the price before tax
State dropdown	A searchable list of states. Selecting one fills in its base sales tax rate
Sales Tax Rate (%)	The rate used in the calculation. You can type your own rate at any time
Net Price (Before Tax)	The price without sales tax
Sales Tax Amount	The tax itself
Gross Price (After Tax)	The final price including sales tax
Copy and Reset	Copy the result, or clear the entries and start again

Sales Tax Formulas

Add sales tax (before tax to total)

Sales tax amount = net price x (rate / 100)
Gross price      = net price + sales tax amount
                 = net price x (1 + rate / 100)

Remove sales tax (total to before tax)

Net price        = gross price / (1 + rate / 100)
Sales tax amount = gross price - net price

Quick multipliers

Sales tax rate	To add tax, multiply by	To remove tax, divide by
4%	1.04	1.04
5%	1.05	1.05
6%	1.06	1.06
6.25%	1.0625	1.0625
7%	1.07	1.07
7.25%	1.0725	1.0725
8%	1.08	1.08
8.25%	1.0825	1.0825
10%	1.10	1.10

Sales Tax Calculation Examples

The rates in these examples are only examples. Use the rate that applies to your location.

Add sales tax

Price before tax	Rate	Sales tax	Total
$100.00	7.25%	$7.25	$107.25
$200.00	6.25%	$12.50	$212.50
$59.99	8.25%	$4.95	$64.94

Remove sales tax

Final price	Rate	Price before tax	Sales tax
$107.25	7.25%	$100.00	$7.25
$212.50	6.25%	$200.00	$12.50
$100.00	8.25%	$92.38	$7.62
$50.00	6%	$47.17	$2.83

Amounts are rounded to the cent.

A Common Mistake When Removing Sales Tax

Many people take the tax percentage off the final price. This gives the wrong answer, because the tax was added to the price before tax, not to the final price.

Final price	Wrong way (subtract 7.25%)	Right way (divide by 1.0725)
$107.25	107.25 - 7.78 = 99.47	107.25 / 1.0725 = 100.00

To remove sales tax, always divide the final price by 1 plus the rate as a decimal.

State Sales Tax Rates

There is no single sales tax rate for the whole US. Each state sets its own, and most states also let counties, cities and special districts add more. The table shows the base statewide rate that the calculator fills in when you select a state. Rates last checked: [add month and year].

State	Base state rate	State	Base state rate
Alabama	4%	Montana	0%
Alaska	0%	Nebraska	5.5%
Arizona	5.6%	Nevada	6.85%
Arkansas	6.5%	New Hampshire	0%
California	7.25%	New Jersey	6.625%
Colorado	2.9%	New Mexico	4.875%
Connecticut	6.35%	New York	4%
Delaware	0%	North Carolina	4.75%
Florida	6%	North Dakota	5%
Georgia	4%	Ohio	5.75%
Hawaii	4%	Oklahoma	4.5%
Idaho	6%	Oregon	0%
Illinois	6.25%	Pennsylvania	6%
Indiana	7%	Rhode Island	7%
Iowa	6%	South Carolina	6%
Kansas	6.5%	South Dakota	4.2%
Kentucky	6%	Tennessee	7%
Louisiana	5%	Texas	6.25%
Maine	5.5%	Utah	6.1%
Maryland	6%	Vermont	6%
Massachusetts	6.25%	Virginia	5.3%
Michigan	6%	Washington	6.5%
Minnesota	6.875%	West Virginia	6%
Mississippi	7%	Wisconsin	5%
Missouri	4.225%	Wyoming	4%

Notes on a few states: Hawaii charges a general excise tax instead of a typical sales tax, and New Mexico charges a gross receipts tax. Both can work differently from a normal sales tax and may be passed on to buyers in different ways. The commonly published rates for Utah and Virginia include a statewide local portion. Rates change from time to time, so confirm the current rate with your state's department of revenue before you rely on it.

States With No Statewide Sales Tax

State	Good to know
Alaska	No statewide sales tax, but many local areas charge their own
Delaware	No statewide sales tax
Montana	No statewide sales tax. Some local areas may charge special taxes
New Hampshire	No statewide sales tax
Oregon	No statewide sales tax

If you select one of these states, the rate box shows 0%. If a local tax applies where you are, type that rate in yourself.

State Rate vs Combined Rate

The tax you pay at the register is often the state rate plus a county, city or special district rate. This is why two cities in the same state can have different totals.

Combined rate = state rate + county rate + city rate + special district rate

Example: 6.25% state + 2.00% local = 8.25% combined

The numbers above are only an example. To get a closer result, find the combined rate for your exact address on your state's department of revenue website or on a receipt from a nearby store, and type it into the Sales Tax Rate box.

What Is Taxable?

Each state decides what is taxed. This table gives a general idea, and the details differ from state to state.

Item	What often happens
General goods	Usually taxable at the full rate
Groceries	Exempt or taxed at a lower rate in many states
Prescription medicine	Exempt in many states
Clothing	Taxable in most states, but a few exempt it or exempt it up to a price limit
Restaurant meals	Often taxable, sometimes at a different rate from other goods
Digital goods and services	Treated differently from state to state

The calculator applies the single rate you give it to the whole amount. If your item has a lower rate or is exempt, type that rate, or 0, yourself.

Sales Tax vs VAT

Topic	US sales tax	VAT
When it is charged	Only on the final sale to the buyer	At each step of the supply chain
Shown in the price tag?	Usually not, it is added at the register	Usually yes, in prices shown to consumers
Who sets the rate	States, plus local governments	The national government
Where it is used	United States	European Union and many other countries

If you need to work with European VAT, use the VAT Calculator.

Online Shopping and Sales Tax

For online orders, the tax rate often depends on where the item is delivered, but rules differ by state and by seller. The tax is usually added at checkout, so the total can be higher than the price shown on the product page. If you want to estimate the total before you check out, use the rate for your delivery address.

Sales Tax Holidays

Some states have short periods, often once a year, when certain items such as school supplies or clothing are exempt from sales tax. The dates, the items and the price limits differ by state and change over time. Check your state's department of revenue for the current rules, then set the rate to 0 in the calculator for those items.

Rounding

The calculator rounds the results to two decimal places, which means to the cent. When you remove sales tax, the price before tax is rounded and the tax amount is the difference, so the two always add up to your final price. Stores and states can use their own rounding rules, for example rounding per item or on the whole receipt, so a receipt can differ from the calculator by a cent.

Tips for Using the Sales Tax Calculator

• Check which price you have. A price before tax means Add Sales Tax, and a final price means Remove Sales Tax.
• Use the combined rate if you know it. The state rate is only the base, and local taxes can raise the total.
• Check whether your item is taxed. Groceries, medicine and clothing follow different rules in different states.
• For a business, keep the net price, the tax amount and the gross price separate on invoices and records.
• Use Copy to paste the result into a message, a spreadsheet or an invoice.
• Recheck rates now and then. Rates can change, and an old rate can cause mistakes.
• Ask an accountant or your state tax authority for returns, registration and exemption questions.

Common Mistakes

• Subtracting the percentage to remove tax: Divide by 1 plus the rate instead.
• Choosing the wrong mode: Using Add Sales Tax on a final price counts the tax twice.
• Using only the state rate: The real rate at your address can be higher because of local taxes.
• Assuming everything is taxed: Some items are exempt or taxed at a lower rate in some states.
• Using an old rate: Check the current rate with your state's department of revenue.
• Using one rate for a whole receipt: Different items on the same receipt can have different rates.
• Mixing up sales tax and VAT: They work differently, so use the right calculator.

Privacy and Accuracy

• The calculation is done in your browser, and the amounts you enter are not sent to our server.
• We do not save your amounts or results.
• The state rates are base statewide rates and can become out of date. Local county and city taxes are not included unless you type them in.
• Sales tax rates can differ by county and city, and tax laws can change. The results are estimates and not tax advice. For tax returns, business registration and exemptions, check with your state tax authority or a qualified accountant.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I add sales tax to a price?

Choose Add Sales Tax, enter the price before tax and the sales tax rate, then see the result. The sales tax amount is the price multiplied by the rate, and the total is the price plus the tax. For example, 100 at 7.25 percent gives 7.25 of tax and a total of 107.25.

How do I remove sales tax from a total?

Choose Remove Sales Tax, enter the final price that already includes tax and the sales tax rate. The price before tax is the final price divided by 1 plus the rate as a decimal, and the tax amount is the final price minus the price before tax. For example, 107.25 at 7.25 percent gives a price before tax of 100 and tax of 7.25.

Why can I not just subtract the tax percentage from the total?

Because the tax was added to the price before tax, not to the final price. Taking 7.25 percent off 107.25 gives 99.47, which is wrong. The correct price before tax is 107.25 divided by 1.0725, which is 100. To remove sales tax, always divide by 1 plus the rate.

How does the state dropdown work?

Type or scroll to find your state in the list and select it. The calculator fills in that state's base sales tax rate. You can still change the rate by hand at any time, for example to use the combined rate of your city.

Is the rate shown the exact rate I will pay?

Not always. The rate filled in by the state is the base statewide rate. Many counties, cities and special districts add their own tax on top, so the rate at the register is often higher. Find the combined rate for your exact location on your state's department of revenue website and type it into the rate box for a closer result.

Which states have no statewide sales tax?

Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon do not have a statewide sales tax. Some places in these states, such as many local areas in Alaska, may still charge local taxes. Rates and rules can change, so check with the state or local tax authority.

What are net price, sales tax amount and gross price?

The net price is the price before tax. The sales tax amount is the tax itself. The gross price is the final amount you pay, which is the net price plus the tax.

Is everything subject to sales tax?

No. What is taxed differs by state. Items such as groceries, prescription medicine and clothing are exempt or taxed at a lower rate in some states, and digital goods and services are treated differently from place to place. The calculator applies the one rate you give it to the whole amount, so check the rule for your item.

What is the difference between sales tax and VAT?

US sales tax is charged only on the final sale to the buyer and is usually added at the register on top of the shown price. VAT, used in the European Union and many other countries, is charged at every step of the supply chain and is normally included in the price shown to consumers.

How is the result rounded?

Amounts are shown to two decimal places, which means to the cent. Stores and states can use their own rounding rules, so your receipt may differ from the calculator by a cent.

What do the Copy and Reset buttons do?

Copy copies the result so that you can paste it into a message, a spreadsheet or an invoice. Reset clears your entries so that you can start a new calculation.

Is my information sent to a server?

No. The calculation is done in your browser using JavaScript, and the amounts you enter are not sent to our server.

Is this sales tax calculator free, and is it tax advice?

The tool is free and needs no signup. It gives estimates only and is not tax or legal advice. For tax returns, business registration or exemption questions, check with your state tax authority or a qualified accountant.