Everyday
Sales Tax Calculator
Add sales tax to a price before you get to the register, or work backwards from a receipt total to see the pre-tax price and exactly how much went to tax. Both directions, one tool.
Total with tax
$140.71
Sales tax
$10.72
Price before tax
$129.99
US sales tax combines state and local rates — anywhere from 0% (Oregon, Montana, New Hampshire, Delaware) to over 10% in parts of Louisiana and Alabama. Check your local combined rate.
How it works
Adding tax is a straight multiplication: a $129.99 item at 8.25% adds $10.72 of tax for a $140.71 total. Going the other way — from a tax-included total back to the base price — requires division, not subtraction: divide the total by (1 + rate).
The reverse direction trips people up. If you paid $140.71 at 8.25%, the pre-tax price is $140.71 / 1.0825 = $129.99. Subtracting 8.25% of the total instead would give the wrong answer, because the tax was charged on the smaller pre-tax amount.
US sales tax is a combined rate: state + county + city (and sometimes special districts). Five states charge no state sales tax at all, while combined rates in parts of Louisiana, Alabama, and Arkansas exceed 10%.
Add tax: total = price × (1 + rate/100)
Back it out: price = total / (1 + rate/100)
tax = total − price
Example: $140.71 at 8.25% → $140.71 / 1.0825 = $129.99 pre-taxFrequently asked questions
How do I find my local sales tax rate?
Search your city or ZIP code plus 'sales tax rate', or check your state revenue department's website. The rate is the combined state + local figure — two towns in the same state can differ by several percentage points.
Which states have no sales tax?
Five states charge no statewide sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon. (Alaska allows local sales taxes, so some Alaskan cities still charge one.)
How do I calculate the pre-tax price from a total?
Divide the total by 1 plus the tax rate as a decimal. A $54.13 total at 8.25% tax: 54.13 / 1.0825 = $50.00 before tax. Don't subtract the percentage from the total — that overshoots, because tax was charged on the smaller base price.
Is sales tax charged on everything?
No — most states exempt or reduce tax on groceries and prescription drugs, and many exempt clothing under a threshold. Rules vary widely by state, so essentials are often cheaper than the headline rate suggests.
Do online purchases have sales tax?
Almost always now. Since the 2018 Wayfair Supreme Court decision, large online retailers must collect sales tax based on your delivery address, at the same combined rate as local stores.