US Sales Tax Calculator
Add sales tax to a price or back it out of a total — with average combined rates for every US state.
Calculate
Know your exact local rate? Enter it here.
Sales tax for every US state, both directions
Whether you're pricing a sale, checking a receipt, or reconciling expenses, get the tax right in seconds.
All 50 states + DC
Average combined state and local rates are built in for every state, including the five with no statewide sales tax. Pick your state and the rate fills in.
Add or remove
Add tax to a pre-tax price to get the total, or back the tax out of a tax-inclusive total to find the net — using the correct divide-by-(1+rate) math.
Custom local rate
Know the exact rate for your city or county? Enter it to override the state average for a precise result.
Instant results
No submit button — change the amount, state, mode, or rate and the breakdown updates live.
PDF receipt
Download a clean breakdown showing net price, tax, and total — handy for invoices, quotes, or expense records.
100% private
All math runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or stored.
Who uses it
Shoppers
Work out the real checkout price of a big purchase before you get to the register.
Small businesses
Price products tax-inclusive or add the correct tax to a quote or invoice.
Accountants
Back the tax out of gross receipts to separate net revenue for the books.
Freelancers
Reconcile expenses and know the tax portion of business purchases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate sales tax?
To add sales tax, multiply the price by the tax rate and add it to the price — a $100 item at 8% becomes $108. To find just the tax, multiply price by rate ÷ 100. This calculator does both directions automatically, including backing the tax out of a tax-inclusive total when you need the pre-tax price.
Which states have no sales tax?
Five states have no statewide sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon (often remembered as "NOMAD"). Note that Alaska allows local municipalities to charge their own sales tax, so you may still pay tax at the city level there. The other 45 states plus Washington D.C. levy sales tax.
Why is the rate "combined state + local"?
Most states set a base statewide rate, then counties, cities, and special districts add their own local sales taxes on top. The combined rate is what you actually pay at checkout. This calculator uses each state's average combined rate; your exact rate depends on the specific address of the sale, which is why a custom-rate field is provided.
How do I remove sales tax from a total?
Switch to "Remove tax from total" mode and enter the tax-inclusive amount. The calculator divides by (1 + rate), not by subtracting the rate — a common mistake. For example, removing 8% from $108 gives $100 ($108 ÷ 1.08), not $99.36 ($108 − 8%). This is essential for accounting and expense reporting.
Is sales tax charged on every purchase?
No. Many states exempt groceries, prescription medication, and some clothing, and rates can differ for prepared food, lodging, or vehicles. Services are often taxed differently from goods. This calculator applies a single general rate; for category-specific rules, check your state Department of Revenue.
What about online and out-of-state purchases?
Since the 2018 South Dakota v. Wayfair Supreme Court decision, online retailers must collect sales tax in states where they exceed an economic nexus threshold, even without a physical presence. In practice, most large online sellers now charge sales tax based on your shipping address — typically the combined rate for your locality.
Understanding US Sales Tax
Sales tax in the United States is uniquely complicated. Unlike most countries, which levy a single nationwide value-added tax, the US has no federal sales tax at all. Instead, sales tax is set by states, counties, cities, and special districts — producing thousands of distinct rates that depend on the exact location of a sale. Understanding how the layers stack explains why the rate at one store can differ from another a few miles away.
State plus local: how rates stack
Most states set a base statewide rate, then allow localities to add their own. Your combined rate is the sum. California's statewide base is 7.25%, but local district taxes push the average combined rate higher; Louisiana and Tennessee top the charts near 9.5% combined. The five "NOMAD" states — New Hampshire, Oregon, Montana, Alaska, and Delaware — have no statewide sales tax, though Alaska permits local sales taxes. This calculator uses each state's average combined rate as a practical default.
Add vs remove: getting the math right
Adding tax is straightforward — multiply the price by the rate and add it on. Removing tax from a total trips many people up. To find the pre-tax price of a $108 receipt at 8%, you divide by 1.08 to get $100, not subtract 8% (which wrongly gives $99.36). This matters for bookkeeping: businesses must separate the net revenue they keep from the tax they collect and remit to the state, and getting the reverse calculation wrong throws off both figures.
What is and isn't taxed
Sales tax rarely applies uniformly. Many states exempt or reduce tax on necessities like groceries and prescription drugs, while taxing prepared food, lodging, and vehicles at special rates. Services — from haircuts to legal advice — are taxed in some states and not others. Clothing is exempt in a handful of states. Because these category rules vary so much, a general-rate calculator gives a close estimate, but the precise tax on a specific item depends on your state's rules.
Online sales after Wayfair
For decades, online retailers without a physical presence in a state did not collect its sales tax. That changed with the 2018 Supreme Court decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, which let states require out-of-state sellers to collect tax once they pass an economic nexus threshold (commonly $100,000 in sales or 200 transactions). Today most online purchases are taxed at your shipping address's combined rate, which is why e-commerce checkouts now calculate sales tax automatically.
Why exact rates need a local lookup
Because rates are set at the district level, two addresses on the same street can occasionally fall in different tax jurisdictions. For everyday estimates — budgeting a purchase, pricing a quote, checking a receipt — the state average this tool uses is more than close enough. For tax filing, formal invoicing, or compliance, look up the precise rate for the transaction's address through your state Department of Revenue or a certified rate service, and use the custom-rate field here to match it.