Sales Tax Calculator
Free US sales tax calculator. Add sales tax by state or a custom rate to any amount, or work backwards from a tax-inclusive total.
California state rate: 7.25%
Shows the state base rate only. City, county and district taxes may add to this — check your local combined rate for an exact total.
Sales tax in the United States is not set nationally. Forty-five states plus Washington DC charge it, and most allow counties, cities and special districts to add their own on top — which is why the rate can change as you drive across town. Combined rates range from zero to over 11%.
This calculator adds tax to a pre-tax amount, or works backwards from a tax-inclusive total to recover the original price and the tax portion. Choose a state for its base rate, or enter a custom rate if you know your exact local figure.
How to use the Sales Tax Calculator
Enter the amount
Either the pre-tax price you want to add tax to, or the final total you want to break down.
Choose a state or enter a custom rate
Selecting a state fills in its statewide base rate. If you know your combined local rate, type it directly — that will be more accurate.
Pick the direction
Add tax to a net amount, or extract tax from a gross amount that already includes it.
Read the result
You get the tax amount and the other side of the calculation — the total to pay, or the pre-tax price.
How US sales tax is layered
Your combined rate is the sum of up to four separate levies:
- State rate — set by the legislature, from 0% in Delaware to 7.25% in California.
- County rate — commonly 0.5%–2%.
- City rate — commonly 0.5%–3%.
- Special district rate — transit authorities, stadium districts and similar, usually under 1%.
This is why online checkouts ask for a full address rather than just a state: the correct rate is determined by the delivery address down to the ZIP+4 in some jurisdictions.
States with no statewide sales tax
Five states charge no statewide sales tax — remembered by the acronym NOMAD: New Hampshire, Oregon, Montana, Alaska and Delaware.
Alaska is the exception worth knowing: it has no state rate, but local boroughs may levy up to about 7.5%. The other four are genuinely tax-free at the register.
Highest and lowest combined rates
| State | State rate | Typical combined |
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 4.45% | ≈ 9.5% |
| Tennessee | 7.00% | ≈ 9.5% |
| Arkansas | 6.50% | ≈ 9.4% |
| Washington | 6.50% | ≈ 9.4% |
| Alabama | 4.00% | ≈ 9.2% |
| California | 7.25% | ≈ 8.8% (highest state rate) |
| Hawaii | 4.00% | ≈ 4.4% (lowest with a tax) |
Rates change frequently. Confirm with your state department of revenue before relying on a figure for business filing.
What is usually exempt
- Groceries — exempt or reduced in most states, though Alabama, Mississippi and South Dakota tax them at the full rate.
- Prescription medicine — exempt almost everywhere; over-the-counter medicine is often taxable.
- Clothing — fully exempt in Minnesota, New Jersey and Pennsylvania; exempt below a threshold in New York and Massachusetts.
- Services — historically untaxed, but a growing number of states now tax digital services and subscriptions.
- Sales tax holidays — many states suspend tax on school supplies, clothing or emergency equipment for a weekend each year.
Working backwards from a tax-inclusive total
To recover the pre-tax price from a total, divide rather than subtract: pre-tax = total ÷ (1 + rate). At an 8% rate, a $108 total came from a $100 item — subtracting 8% of $108 would wrongly give $99.36.
This matters for expense claims and bookkeeping, where the tax portion must be recorded separately from the net amount.
Sales tax for online sellers
Since the Supreme Court’s 2018 *South Dakota v. Wayfair* decision, states can require out-of-state sellers to collect sales tax once they cross an economic nexus threshold — commonly $100,000 in sales or 200 transactions into that state in a year.
If you sell across state lines, track your volume per state. Large marketplaces such as Amazon and Etsy now collect and remit on your behalf under marketplace facilitator laws, but sales through your own storefront remain your responsibility.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate sales tax?
Multiply the pre-tax price by the combined rate expressed as a decimal. At 8.25%, a $50 item incurs $50 × 0.0825 = $4.13 of tax, for a $54.13 total.
How do I find the pre-tax price from a total?
Divide the total by one plus the rate. A $216 total at an 8% rate came from $216 ÷ 1.08 = $200. Subtracting 8% from the total gives the wrong answer.
Which states have no sales tax?
New Hampshire, Oregon, Montana, Alaska and Delaware — the NOMAD states. Alaska has no state rate but permits local rates up to about 7.5%.
Why is the rate different across town?
Because counties, cities and special districts each add their own rate to the state base. Crossing a city boundary can change your combined rate by a full percentage point.
Is sales tax charged on online purchases?
Yes, in almost all cases since the 2018 Wayfair ruling. Retailers collect at the rate applying to your delivery address once they exceed that state’s economic nexus threshold.
Are groceries taxed?
In most states they are exempt or taxed at a reduced rate, but a handful — including Alabama, Mississippi and South Dakota — apply the full rate. Prepared and restaurant food is nearly always taxable.
What is a sales tax holiday?
A short period, usually a weekend, when a state suspends sales tax on specific categories such as school supplies, clothing under a price cap, or hurricane preparedness equipment.
Are the rates here exact?
The state base rates are accurate, but your combined rate includes local additions this tool cannot know from a state alone. For an exact figure, enter your known combined rate or check your state department of revenue’s lookup tool.
100% private. Files are processed on your device and never uploaded.
Instant results. No upload queue. Processing time depends on your device.
Free forever. No signup, no watermark, no paid tier.
Works everywhere. Use a modern browser on your phone or computer.
Read more about this
Related tools
Sales Tax Calculator is one of all the free tools on ToolNest. No account or subscription needed — anywhere in the world.