Free US sales tax calculator. Add sales tax to a price or find the pre-tax price from a tax-included total, using current combined state and local rates for all 50 states.
A sales tax calculator adds or removes US sales tax from a price using a state's rate. To add tax: multiply the pre-tax price by the tax rate and add it to the price. To remove tax from a total that already includes it: divide the total by (1 + tax rate) to find the pre-tax price, then subtract that from the total to get the tax amount.
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Rates sourced from Tax Foundation ā State and Local Sales Tax Rates, Midyear 2026 ā View source
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Sales Tax Calculator
Unlike VAT in most other countries, the United States has no federal sales tax ā it's set entirely at the state and local level. That's why the same $100 purchase can cost anywhere from $100 flat (in a state with no sales tax) to over $110 (in a state with a high combined state-plus-local rate). Five states ā Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon ā charge no statewide sales tax at all.
On top of the state rate, most states allow counties, cities, and special taxing districts to add their own local sales tax. That's why two stores a few miles apart, in different counties of the same state, can charge different total tax rates on an identical item.
State vs. Combined Rate
The "state rate" is the flat percentage the state government charges everywhere within its borders. The "combined rate" adds the population-weighted average of local sales taxes on top of the state rate ā a reasonable estimate for what most people in that state actually pay at checkout, without needing to know their exact city or county.
For example, a state might have a 6% state rate but a 7.5% average combined rate, meaning local jurisdictions add an average of 1.5 percentage points on top. If you know your exact city or county's local rate, you can add that directly instead of using the statewide average ā this calculator's combined figure is a useful estimate, not a location-specific lookup.
The Math
Adding sales tax to a price is straightforward multiplication: take the pre-tax price, multiply by the tax rate as a decimal, and add that amount to the price. A $200 purchase at a 9% combined rate becomes $200 + ($200 Ć 0.09) = $218.
Backing tax out of a total that already includes it works differently ā you can't just multiply the total by the tax rate, because that would double-count. Instead, divide the total by (1 + tax rate): a $218 receipt at 9% gives $218 / 1.09 = $200 pre-tax price, with the remaining $18 being the tax portion. This calculator handles both directions automatically based on which amount you enter.
Limitations
This tool applies each state's general sales tax rate ā it doesn't model category-specific exemptions or reduced rates that many states apply to groceries, prescription drugs, or clothing (some states exempt these entirely, others tax them at a lower rate). It also uses a population-weighted average for local taxes rather than a specific city or county rate, since local rates can vary within a single state by several percentage points.
For an exact rate at a specific address, check your state's department of revenue or a point-of-sale tax lookup tool. For value-added tax in other countries, see our VAT calculator instead.
Practical Use Cases
Budgeting a big purchase
Knowing the true out-the-door price of a large item before you get to checkout, tax included.
Comparing prices across state lines
Seeing how much a purchase would actually cost in a neighboring state with a different tax rate.
Checking a receipt
Verifying that the tax charged on a receipt matches the expected rate for your state and locality.
Small business pricing
Working out what pre-tax price to charge so that a round, tax-included total comes out evenly.
Online shopping across states
Estimating total cost before checkout when a retailer charges tax based on the shipping destination.
Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon have no statewide sales tax. Alaska is the exception among these five ā while it has no state-level rate, many of its boroughs and municipalities levy their own local sales taxes, so actual rates paid can still be nonzero depending on where you shop.
The state rate is what the state government itself charges. Most states also let counties, cities, and special districts add their own local sales tax on top, and the combined rate is the state rate plus the population-weighted average of those local add-ons. The actual rate at checkout depends on the specific city or county ā the combined rate here is a statewide average, not a location-specific figure.
Multiply the pre-tax price by the tax rate (as a decimal) and add the result to the price. For example, a $50 item at an 8% combined rate: $50 Ć 0.08 = $4.00 tax, for a total of $54.00.
Divide the total by (1 + tax rate as a decimal). For example, if a receipt shows $54.00 total at an 8% rate: $54.00 / 1.08 = $50.00 pre-tax price, meaning $4.00 was tax.
No ā this calculator applies a state's general sales tax rate uniformly. Many states exempt or apply reduced rates to specific categories like groceries, prescription medicine, or clothing under a certain price. Check your state's department of revenue for category-specific exemptions that may apply to your purchase.