Sales Tax Calculator
Add sales tax to a price, or strip it out of a total you already paid. Enter the combined rate from your receipt — state, county and city taxes together.
Use the combined rate from your receipt — state base rates alone understate most purchases. If you are working from a total, the pre-tax price is total ÷ (1 + rate ÷ 100); subtracting the rate itself is the most common sales-tax mistake and always gives a slightly wrong answer.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate sales tax?
Multiply the pre-tax price by the rate: tax = price × rate ÷ 100. A $249 purchase at 8.25% costs $249 × 0.0825 = $20.54 in tax, for a total of $269.54. If you only know the total and need the pre-tax price, divide instead: price = total ÷ (1 + rate ÷ 100). The same $269.54 at 8.25% comes back to $249 — multiplying the total by 0.9175 instead gives $247.24, which is wrong.
Why is the sales tax on my receipt higher than the state rate?
Because most states allow local add-ons. The rate you pay is state + county + city + special district rates stacked together. California is the clearest example: the statewide base is 7.25%, but combined rates in many cities exceed 10%. Texas combines 6.25% state with up to 2% local for a maximum of 8.25%. Always use the total rate printed on a local receipt rather than the state headline number.
Which US states have no sales tax?
Five states have no statewide sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon. Alaska and Montana do allow some local sales taxes, so a purchase there is not always tax-free. Delaware, New Hampshire and Oregon are effectively tax-free at the register. Note that these states often raise revenue through other taxes — New Hampshire, for instance, has no sales tax and no income tax on wages, but high property taxes.
Is sales tax charged on services?
It varies by state and it is changing fast. Traditionally only tangible goods were taxed, but states have been widening the base to cover services — Hawaii taxes most services, New Mexico taxes many, and states like Maryland and Connecticut have extended tax to certain digital products. SaaS and digital goods are the current battleground: about half the states with a sales tax now tax some form of digital product. If you sell across state lines, check economic nexus thresholds too — many states require collection once you pass $100,000 in sales into the state.