Sales Tax Calculator

Calculate the sales tax amount and total price including tax for any purchase.

Price Before Tax ($)

Sales Tax Rate (%)

Find your rate at your state/local tax authority. US rates typically range from 0% to 11%.

Results update as you type.

Total with Tax

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Sales Tax—

Pre-tax Price (if total is entered above)—

This calculator is for general guidance only and is not tax advice. Rules vary by jurisdiction and year; confirm with a qualified professional.

How it works

A sales tax calculator adds the correct consumption tax to a purchase, showing both the tax amount and the final price you will actually pay at the register. Sales tax matters because, unlike annual income tax, it is applied transaction by transaction, and the rate you owe depends entirely on where you are standing — combined state and local rates in the United States range from zero to well above ten percent. Knowing the exact figure helps with budgeting, expense reporting, and checking that a receipt was rung up correctly. This sales tax calculator works in two directions. Forward, it turns a pre-tax price into a tax-inclusive total by multiplying the price by the tax rate and adding it on. In reverse, it recovers the pre-tax price from a tax-included total by dividing rather than subtracting, which is the only way to get an accurate base amount for bookkeeping. Shoppers comparing out-of-state prices, freelancers logging deductible expenses, and small business owners quoting tax-inclusive prices all rely on a sales tax calculator to avoid the rounding mistakes that come from doing percentage math in their heads.

Formula

Tax = Price × (Tax Rate / 100); Total = Price + Tax; Pre-tax = Total / (1 + Tax Rate / 100)

Multiplying the price by the tax rate over 100 converts the government's percentage into the dollars added at checkout, and appending that amount to the price gives the total you hand over. The reverse formula divides the tax-inclusive total by one plus the rate because the total already contains both the base price and its tax; subtracting a flat percentage of the total would overshoot and understate the true pre-tax amount.

Source:Standard sales tax calculation

We review all our tools from time to time to ensure accuracy.

Worked example

Price Before Tax ($):100Sales Tax Rate (%):8.5

$100 purchase at 8.5% sales tax: Tax = $100 × 0.085 = $8.50. Total = $108.50. Reverse: if you spent $108.50 total at 8.5% tax, the pre-tax price was $108.50 / 1.085 = $100.00.

How to use this calculator

1
Enter your values
Enter price before tax ($) and sales tax rate (%).
2
Adjust the options
Fine-tune any options to match your situation.
3
Read your result
Total with Tax updates instantly as you type — no button to press.

Frequently asked questions

What is the sales tax rate in my state?

Sales tax rates vary by state and locality. States with no statewide sales tax: Oregon, Montana, New Hampshire, Delaware, Alaska. Other notable rates (statewide only, local taxes may add more): California 7.25%, Tennessee 7%, Texas 6.25%, Washington 6.5%, New York 4% (NYC adds 4.5% city tax = 8.875% combined), Colorado 2.9%. Combined state + local rates can reach 9–11%+ in some cities. For the precise rate at your specific address, check your state's Department of Revenue website or use the Sales Tax Institute's lookup tool.

What items are exempt from sales tax?

Sales tax exemptions vary by state, but common exemptions include: groceries (fully exempt in many states, partially exempt in others — e.g., prepared food is often taxed but grocery staples aren't), prescription medications (exempt in most states), non-prescription medications (varies), clothing (exempt in some states like Pennsylvania and Minnesota, and during back-to-school tax holidays), manufacturing equipment and inputs, agricultural supplies, and purchases by nonprofits and government entities. Some states have periodic 'tax holidays' for specific items like school supplies, energy-efficient appliances, or guns.

How do I calculate sales tax in reverse (finding price before tax)?

To find the pre-tax price when you know the total-after-tax price: Pre-tax Price = Total Price / (1 + Tax Rate/100). For example, if you paid $54.00 and the tax rate was 8%: Pre-tax = $54 / 1.08 = $50. This is different from simply subtracting 8% from the total ($54 × 0.08 = $4.32; $54 − $4.32 = $49.68 — incorrect). The division method gives the correct pre-tax amount. Our calculator shows this reverse calculation for any inputs entered.

Do I pay sales tax on online purchases?

Yes, in most cases. Since the 2018 Supreme Court ruling in South Dakota v. Wayfair, online retailers are required to collect sales tax in states where they have 'economic nexus' (typically $100,000 in annual sales or 200+ transactions). Most major online retailers (Amazon, Walmart, Target, etc.) now collect sales tax in all states that have it. You owe 'use tax' on purchases where the seller didn't collect sales tax — effectively the same rate as sales tax, self-reported on your state income tax return, though compliance is very low in practice.

Is sales tax calculated before or after discounts?

Sales tax is generally calculated on the final selling price after discounts are applied. If an item is $100 with a $20 coupon, you pay sales tax on $80 (the discounted price), not $100. However, this rule has nuances: manufacturer rebates paid after the sale may not reduce the taxable amount in some states; bundled product deals may have complex tax treatment; promotional pricing vs. coupons may be treated differently. For most retail purchases with standard discounts, you safely pay tax only on the amount you actually pay before tax.