Sales tax is added at the register, so the price on the shelf is rarely what you pay. This sales tax calculator adds tax to a price, takes it back out of a total, or tells you which rate you were charged. Choose a state to fill in its 2026 statewide rate, then add your local rate for the exact combined figure.
Quick answer: sales tax = price × rate ÷ 100. A $59.99 item at 8.25% has $4.95 of tax and costs $64.94. A $108.00 total at 8% was $100.00 before tax. $1,200 at California’s 7.25% base rate adds $87.00. Five states have no statewide sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon.
How to use the sales tax calculator
- Choose a tab: Add tax (price → total), Remove tax (total → price before tax) or Find the rate (price and total → rate).
- Optionally pick your state. The rate box fills with the statewide base rate.
- Add your local rate to the rate box if your city or county charges one (for example 6.25% + 2% = 8.25% in most of Texas).
- Enter the amount and press Calculate. You get the price before tax, the tax, the total and the rate.
How do you calculate sales tax?
| What you want | Formula | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Sales tax on a price | price × rate ÷ 100 | $59.99 × 8.25% = $4.95 |
| Total with tax | price × (1 + rate ÷ 100) | $59.99 × 1.0825 = $64.94 |
| Price before tax (reverse) | total ÷ (1 + rate ÷ 100) | $108 ÷ 1.08 = $100.00 |
| Tax inside a total | total − price before tax | $108 − $100 = $8.00 |
| Rate you paid | (total − price) ÷ price × 100 | ($43.30 − $40) ÷ $40 = 8.25% |
Tax is rounded to the nearest cent, half a cent and up rounding up, which is how most registers handle a single item. Stores that tax each line separately can end up a cent different from a calculation on the whole receipt.
Sales tax examples
$59.99 at 8.25%
59.99 × 0.0825 = 4.949. Rounded, the tax is $4.95 and the total $64.94.
A $250 purchase in Texas
Texas charges 6.25% statewide and most cities add 2%, for 8.25%. 250 × 0.0825 = $20.63 of tax; total $270.63. Entering $270.63 in the Remove tax tab gives back $250.00.
Dinner in New York City
New York City’s combined rate is 8.875% (4% state, 4.5% city, 0.375% transportation district). An $85.00 bill carries $7.54 of tax, for $92.54 before the tip.
A $1,200 laptop in California
At the 7.25% base rate, the tax is $87.00 and the total $1,287.00. Most Californians pay more, because district taxes are added on top.
Working backward from a receipt
A total of $108.00 at 8%: 108 ÷ 1.08 = $100.00 before tax and $8.00 of tax. If you only know the price and the total ($40.00 and $43.30), the Find the rate tab shows 8.25%.
Sales tax on common amounts
| Price | 5% | 6% | 6.25% | 7% | 7.25% | 8% | 8.25% | 8.875% | 9.5% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | $0.50 | $0.60 | $0.63 | $0.70 | $0.73 | $0.80 | $0.83 | $0.89 | $0.95 | $1.00 |
| $20 | $1.00 | $1.20 | $1.25 | $1.40 | $1.45 | $1.60 | $1.65 | $1.78 | $1.90 | $2.00 |
| $25 | $1.25 | $1.50 | $1.56 | $1.75 | $1.81 | $2.00 | $2.06 | $2.22 | $2.38 | $2.50 |
| $50 | $2.50 | $3.00 | $3.13 | $3.50 | $3.63 | $4.00 | $4.13 | $4.44 | $4.75 | $5.00 |
| $100 | $5.00 | $6.00 | $6.25 | $7.00 | $7.25 | $8.00 | $8.25 | $8.88 | $9.50 | $10.00 |
| $200 | $10.00 | $12.00 | $12.50 | $14.00 | $14.50 | $16.00 | $16.50 | $17.75 | $19.00 | $20.00 |
| $500 | $25.00 | $30.00 | $31.25 | $35.00 | $36.25 | $40.00 | $41.25 | $44.38 | $47.50 | $50.00 |
| $1,000 | $50.00 | $60.00 | $62.50 | $70.00 | $72.50 | $80.00 | $82.50 | $88.75 | $95.00 | $100.00 |
| $5,000 | $250.00 | $300.00 | $312.50 | $350.00 | $362.50 | $400.00 | $412.50 | $443.75 | $475.00 | $500.00 |
| $25,000 | $1,250.00 | $1,500.00 | $1,562.50 | $1,750.00 | $1,812.50 | $2,000.00 | $2,062.50 | $2,218.75 | $2,375.00 | $2,500.00 |
What is the sales tax rate in my state?
The table below the calculator lists the 2026 statewide base rate for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the tax on $100 and whether local governments add their own tax. A few points to keep in mind:
- State rate is the floor, not the final rate. In nearly 40 states, including Alaska, counties, cities or special districts add local sales tax. Average combined rates are highest in Louisiana (about 10.13%), Tennessee, Washington, Arkansas and Alabama.
- Some “state” rates include a statewide local share. California’s 7.25%, Utah’s 6.1% and Virginia’s 5.3% each include a local portion charged everywhere in the state.
- D.C. raised its rate to 7% on October 1, 2026, up from 6.5%.
- Groceries, clothing and medicine are often taxed differently. Many states exempt groceries or tax them at a lower rate, and some exempt clothing below a price limit. This calculator applies one rate to the amount you enter.
Sales tax vs. use tax
If you buy something from a seller that does not charge your state’s sales tax, for example from out of state, you may owe use tax at the same rate. Since the 2018 South Dakota v. Wayfair decision, most large online sellers and marketplaces collect sales tax for you, so use tax mostly applies to smaller remote purchases. Sellers on platforms like Amazon and Etsy usually have the marketplace collect and remit the tax.
Common mistakes
- Taking a percentage of the total to remove tax. 8% of $108 is $8.64, but the tax was $8.00. Divide by 1.08 instead. The percentage calculator explains why reversing a percentage works this way.
- Using only the state rate. In most of the country the combined rate is 1–3 points higher than the statewide rate.
- Forgetting that tax rules differ by item. Food, prescription drugs and services are often taxed differently from general merchandise.
- Rounding the rate, not the tax. Round only the final tax to the cent; rounding 8.875% to 9% on a $1,000 purchase overstates the tax by $1.25.
Budgeting a big purchase? The hourly to salary calculator shows what your paycheck looks like per week and per month, and the overtime calculator adds up the extra hours that might pay for it. For any other percentage question, use the percentage calculator.
This calculator is for general information only and is not tax advice. Sales tax rates and rules change; confirm the rate for your address with your state’s revenue department.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate sales tax?
Multiply the price by the tax rate written as a decimal. At 8.25%, a $59.99 item has 59.99 × 0.0825 = $4.949, rounded to $4.95 of tax, for a total of $64.94. To get the total in one step, multiply by 1 plus the rate: 59.99 × 1.0825.
How do I calculate sales tax backwards from a total?
Divide the total by 1 plus the tax rate. A $108.00 receipt at 8% sales tax is 108 ÷ 1.08 = $100.00 before tax, so the tax was $8.00. Do not take 8% of $108; that gives $8.64, which is too much.
What is the sales tax on $100?
It equals the rate in dollars: $5.00 at 5%, $6.25 at 6.25%, $7.25 at 7.25% (California's base rate) and $8.875 → $8.88 at New York City's 8.875%. The table on this page lists the tax on $100 for every state's base rate.
Which states have no sales tax?
Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon have no statewide sales tax. Alaska still lets boroughs and cities charge local sales tax, so many purchases there are taxed anyway.
Which state has the highest sales tax?
California has the highest statewide base rate at 7.25%. Once local taxes are added, Louisiana has the highest average combined rate, about 10.13% in the Tax Foundation's midyear 2026 report, followed by Tennessee, Washington, Arkansas and Alabama.
Why does my receipt show a higher rate than my state's rate?
Most states let counties, cities and special districts add their own sales tax. Texas charges 6.25% statewide, but local add-ons of up to 2% make the usual combined rate 8.25%. Pick your state here, then add your local rate in the rate box.
Is sales tax charged on shipping?
It depends on the state. Some states tax delivery charges when the item itself is taxable, others exempt shipping that is separately stated on the invoice. Check your state revenue department's guidance before collecting or paying tax on shipping.
How do I find the sales tax rate I paid?
Subtract the price from the total, divide by the price and multiply by 100. If a $40.00 item cost $43.30, the tax was $3.30 and the rate is 3.30 ÷ 40 × 100 = 8.25%. Use the Find the rate tab to do it in one step.
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