Sales Tax Calculator
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$100.00 plus 6% sales tax is $106.00, including $6.00 tax.
Rates and rules vary by state, county and city, and some items (such as groceries or clothing) are exempt or taxed at a lower rate in some places. Shops round tax to the cent per item or per receipt, so a receipt can differ by a cent.
How to use the sales tax calculator
- Choose whether you are adding tax to a price or taking it out of a total that already includes tax.
- Enter the price (and quantity), or the total from the receipt.
- Enter the state rate and, if your county or city adds its own, the local rate. The two are added together.
Sales tax formulas
Total = price × (1 + rate ÷ 100)
Price before tax = total ÷ (1 + rate ÷ 100)
Tax included in a total = total − total ÷ (1 + rate ÷ 100)
The combined rate is the state rate plus any county, city or district rates. To reverse the calculation, divide by 1 plus the rate rather than subtracting the rate from the total: the tax was charged on the lower, pre-tax price, so taking 7% off the total removes too much.
Worked examples
A $250.00 purchase where the state rate is 6% and the city adds 1.5% has a combined rate of 7.5%. The tax is $250.00 × 0.075 = $18.75, so the total is $268.75.
A receipt shows $53.50 including 7% tax. The pre-tax price is $53.50 ÷ 1.07 = $50.00 and the tax is $3.50. Simply taking 7% off the total would give $49.76, which is wrong by $0.24.
Sales tax on common prices
Tax only (add it to the price for the total). Rates are examples; use the rate where you buy.
| Price | 4% | 5% | 6% | 7% | 8% | 9% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10.00 | $0.40 | $0.50 | $0.60 | $0.70 | $0.80 | $0.90 | $1.00 |
| $25.00 | $1.00 | $1.25 | $1.50 | $1.75 | $2.00 | $2.25 | $2.50 |
| $50.00 | $2.00 | $2.50 | $3.00 | $3.50 | $4.00 | $4.50 | $5.00 |
| $100.00 | $4.00 | $5.00 | $6.00 | $7.00 | $8.00 | $9.00 | $10.00 |
| $500.00 | $20.00 | $25.00 | $30.00 | $35.00 | $40.00 | $45.00 | $50.00 |
| $1,000.00 | $40.00 | $50.00 | $60.00 | $70.00 | $80.00 | $90.00 | $100.00 |
Tips and common mistakes
- Check the local rate. Many places add county, city or special-district taxes on top of the state rate, and the total can differ between neighboring towns. Your state revenue department publishes the current rates.
- Not everything is taxed the same. Groceries, prescription drugs and clothing are exempt or taxed at a reduced rate in some states. Services may or may not be taxable.
- Discounts come first. A store coupon usually lowers the taxable price, so apply it before the tax. The discount calculator handles the discount step.
- Online and out-of-state purchases. States that have a sales tax also have a use tax at the same rate for taxable items bought without sales tax being collected. Most large online sellers now collect the tax at checkout, based on the delivery address.
- Shipping and fees. Some states tax delivery charges and some don't, so the taxable amount may be more than the item price alone.
- Rounding. Tax is rounded to the cent, either per item or on the whole receipt, so your receipt may be a cent away from the calculator.
- Outside the US? VAT and GST are usually included in shelf prices. Use the VAT calculator to add or remove them.
For a business, collected sales tax is money held for the state, not income. To price products with a target profit, use the margin calculator before adding tax.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate sales tax?
Multiply the price by the rate as a decimal. At a 7.5% combined rate, a $250 purchase has $250 × 0.075 = $18.75 of tax, for a total of $268.75.
How do I find the price before tax from a total?
Divide the total by 1 plus the rate. A $53.50 total with 7% tax was $53.50 ÷ 1.07 = $50.00 before tax, with $3.50 of tax. Taking 7% off the total instead gives $49.76, which is wrong.
How do state and local sales taxes combine?
They are added together. A 6% state rate plus a 1.5% city rate is a 7.5% combined rate, charged on the same pre-tax price.
Is sales tax charged before or after a discount?
Usually after: a store discount or coupon lowers the price, and tax is charged on the reduced price. With a 20% discount on $100 and 8% tax, you pay $80 + $6.40 = $86.40. Rules for manufacturer coupons and rebates vary by state.
Why does my receipt differ from the calculator by a cent?
Shops round tax to the nearest cent, either for each item or for the whole receipt. Rounding item by item can add or drop a cent compared with taxing the total once.