It varies by state. Most states exempt unprepared food and groceries from sales tax. However, prepared foods, candy, and soda are often taxed. Check your state's specific rules.

What is the difference between sales tax and use tax?

Sales tax is collected by the seller at the point of sale. Use tax is owed by the buyer on out-of-state purchases where sales tax was not collected, such as online purchases from sellers without a presence in your state.

How do combined local and state rates work?

Your total sales tax rate is the sum of your state rate plus any county and city rates. For example, California has a 7.25% state rate, but with local additions, the total can reach 10.75% in some cities.

Is sales tax included in the listed price?

In the US, sales tax is almost always added at checkout and not included in the shelf price. In many other countries, VAT (value-added tax) is included in the displayed price.

Sales Tax Calculator

Add or remove sales tax from any price — instantly.

Sales Tax Calculator

Calculate sales tax and total price for your purchases

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Calculate Sales Tax

Enter the item price and tax rate to calculate the tax amount and total price

Item Price ($)

Tax Rate (%)

Common Tax Rates

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What Is Sales Tax?

Sales tax is a consumption tax imposed by state and local governments on the sale of goods and services. In the United States, rates vary dramatically — from 0% in states like Oregon, Montana, and Delaware to over 10% in parts of Louisiana and Tennessee when you combine state and local levies. Unlike VAT, which is collected at every stage of production, sales tax is charged only at the final point of sale to the end consumer.

This calculator handles two distinct modes. In forward mode, you enter a pre-tax price and a rate to find out exactly how much tax you owe and what your total comes to. In reverse mode — sometimes called "back-calculating" or "tax-inclusive" mode — you enter a total that already includes tax and recover the original pre-tax price. This is useful when reading a receipt or auditing an invoice where the tax was baked into the displayed price.

How to Use This Calculator

1Enter the price of the item or service in the Price field.
2Enter the sales tax rate as a percentage (e.g., 8.5 for 8.5%).
3Choose your mode: Add Tax to calculate the total from a pre-tax price, or Remove Tax to recover the pre-tax price from a tax-inclusive total.
4Click Calculate — your tax amount and final price appear instantly.

Sales Tax Formulas

Add tax:
    Total = Price × (1 + Tax Rate / 100)
    Tax Amount = Price × (Tax Rate / 100)

Remove tax (reverse):
    Pre-tax Price = Total / (1 + Tax Rate / 100)
    Tax Amount = Total − Pre-tax Price

Use the reverse formula whenever a receipt or invoice shows a tax-inclusive total and you need to separate the base price from the tax. For example, a receipt shows $54.99 total at 8.5% — the pre-tax price is $54.99 / 1.085 = $50.68, and the tax was $4.31.

Worked Examples

Example 1 — Retail item at 8.5%

You're buying a $79.99 item in a state with an 8.5% sales tax rate. Tax amount = $79.99 × 0.085 = $6.80. Total due at checkout = $79.99 + $6.80 = $86.79.

Example 2 — Laptop in Massachusetts (6.25%)

A $1,200 laptop is subject to Massachusetts' 6.25% state sales tax. Tax amount = $1,200 × 0.0625 = $75.00. You'll pay a total of $1,275.00 at the register.

Example 3 — Reverse: receipt total of $108.00 at 8%

Your receipt shows $108.00 and you know the tax rate was 8%. Pre-tax price = $108.00 / 1.08 = $100.00. The tax component was exactly $8.00 — a clean split that's easy to verify.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which US states have no sales tax?▾

Five states currently levy no statewide sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon. Alaska does allow local governments to impose their own sales taxes, so you may still pay tax in some Alaskan cities and boroughs even though there is no state-level rate.

What items are typically exempt from sales tax?▾

Exemptions vary widely by state, but groceries (unprepared food), prescription drugs, and medical devices are exempt in most US states. Clothing under a certain dollar threshold is exempt in states like Pennsylvania and New York. Some states exempt agricultural supplies, manufacturing equipment, and digital goods. Always check your state's department of revenue for the definitive list.

How is VAT different from sales tax?▾

Value-Added Tax (VAT) is collected at every stage of the supply chain — raw materials, manufacturing, distribution, and retail — with businesses reclaiming the VAT they paid at each prior stage. The end consumer bears the full tax, but it's embedded in the price at point of sale rather than added on separately. Sales tax, by contrast, is collected only once, at the final retail sale, and is typically shown as a separate line item on the receipt.

Can I deduct sales tax on my federal income taxes?▾

Yes — US taxpayers who itemize deductions can deduct either state and local income taxes OR state and local sales taxes (not both), subject to the $10,000 SALT cap introduced by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Deducting sales tax is most advantageous for residents of states with no income tax, such as Florida, Texas, and Washington.

How does sales tax work on online purchases?▾

Since the Supreme Court's 2018 ruling in South Dakota v. Wayfair, online retailers are required to collect sales tax in any state where they have "economic nexus" — typically defined as exceeding $100,000 in sales or 200 transactions per year in that state. In practice, major e-commerce platforms like Amazon and eBay now collect and remit tax for most US states, so you'll see the correct local rate applied at checkout based on your shipping address.